Too Many Chiefs, Not Enough Indians

State of Care 2015/16

The idiom – Too many chiefs, not enough Indians is an expression which refers to a situation where there are too many people giving instructions and not enough people doing the work.   

Having worked in the NHS and Healthcare Sector for a number of years I believe the sums up the NHS, CQC and Government pretty accurately.

This morning David Behan who is the Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission was on BBC News discussing a report released by the CQC, State of Care 2015/16.

The report looks at the simple but honest fact that demands are increasing on health and social care.  And that Care is in crisis.  A crisis that was predictable and preventable.  Enough people wrote about it, but no one was listening, they did not want to listen.  They simply stood by and watched it evolve into the crisis it has become - now they are the very ones the Government are going to for the solutions.

State of Care – is the annual overview of health and social care in England – looks at the trends, highlights examples of good and outstanding care, and identifies factors that maintain high-quality care.

In a very early morning phone call with our founder Kate, we discussed this report.   

Together we thought it needed to be shared and that we should voice our opinion in response.  The report looks at the services provided, some care services are closing, increasing pressure on other services including GPs and hospitals. 

Strong leadership and collaboration will be important to ensure services improve and quality is maintained.

Pressure on hospitals, NHS, in the community.  With not enough trained or available nurses or healthcare assistance to administer hydration drips or pain management.  Resulting in forced admission to hospital, causing further strain and pressure.

Once admitted to hospital, there aren’t enough “front line” staff to enable people to move around so they are kept in bed.  I would also like to say there is insufficient nutrition and hydration which impacts on mobility and well-being.  So many admissions to hospital result in what can only be described as avoidable early deaths.

There is such a demand on beds, but care homes are refusing to take people back, or because of government cuts there are no community supports.  This results in delayed discharges with a lack or urgent support, OT and rehab.

Poor communication between teams further impacts on health needs.

The answer is we need more action, less reporting.  Better trained staff, better communication and listening – and importantly the inclusion nor exclusion of families and the patient.  More value on patient care and not ££!