Patients losing out in postcode health lottery
THE postcode lottery in Greater Manchester’s health system came through loud and clear in a survey conducted by our sister paper the MEN.
People said health and social care was their top political priority both nationally and locally – but their experience of the NHS appears to differ wildly depending on where you live.
Overall most people – 53 per cent – said access to the NHS had deteriorated over the last five years. Fewer than onein-ten felt it had improved.
But while that was the majority view in most places, in Salford and Wigan the picture appears to be brighter.
Far fewer – 44pc – of Salfordians felt NHS access had got worse, compared to 59pc over the border in Bury, where there is an ongoing battle over walk-in closures and maternity services were removed from Fairfield hospital a few years ago. The figure was a massive 63pc in Rochdale, which saw its A&E downgraded in 2011.
Almost exactly the same pattern was clear when we asked how you rated your local hospital out of 10.
Salfordians were by far the happiest with their nearest service – which in many cases will be Salford Royal, often lauded by government ministers for its strong leadership and pioneering approach.
More than three quarters – 77pc – gave positive scores of 6/10 or higher.
More than two-thirds of people in Wigan and Stockport did the same.
Yet in Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside, satisfaction was much lower.
Just 40pc of people in Rochdale gave their local hospital a positive rating, the worst result in the region – while one in seven scored it just 1/10.
In Oldham and Tameside, 53pc of those asked ranked their hospital positively, also significantly lower than average.
For Salford, Wigan, Stockport and Trafford the most popular rating was 8/10, but in Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Bolton it was 5/10, suggesting a major difference in hospital services across the region. In Manchester it was 7/10 – but the difference in your comments about the various city hospitals was vivid.
North Manchester General received praise from some patients, but was singled out repeatedly by others as needing a shake-up or closure, described variously as ‘abysmal’ and the ‘worst’ in the region.
“I worked at NMGH. I’d operate on myself before going there. I’m very surprised it’s not in special measures,” wrote one former administrator. Wythenshawe, meanwhile, was heaped with praise for its care, particularly in maternity and A&E. While some were critical, more often than not care was described as ‘excellent’ or ‘amazing.’
This comment was typical: “I live close by to Wythenshawe hospital and recently had to attend A&E, which resulted in me being admitted and ultimately having surgery.
“I was dealt with quickly, efficiently and above all else with a high level of care and concern for my health and well being. The staff were friendly and professional and although they were stretched to their limits and under-staffed they still had the time to care for me and the other patients without making us feel like we were being a nuisance or being fobbed off/passed on to someone else.”
Across the board your comments ranged from support for an overstretched system to a series of horror stories about long waits for appointments and at A&E, cancelled appointments and poor GP access.
“The staff are generally overworked, poorly treated and underpaid, but the majority do a fantastic job,” wrote one man from Manchester.
A 20-something woman from Manchester wrote: “Out-of-hours appointments are really difficult to get. Health checks that are too serious to ignore but not serious enough to justify time off work end up being missed. Walk-in centres are always too busy but an appointment with a GP has a two week wait on average.”
A man in Oldham said it was ‘impossible’ to get a doctor’s appointment and complained of ‘substandard care’ when he did, adding that GPs were not open on Saturday or Sunday.
Readers particularly complained of long waiting times at Oldham Royal – while the most common comment from people in Rochdale was that the town no longer has an A&E, with waits at the walk-in centre too long.
Comments from those working in the system were typically bleak.
One man in Bury wrote simply: “I work in a hospital. Time is running out.”