Health centre faces death inquiry

Any sensible reform of the NHS must involve 'patient vouchers', which would allow people to choose where and how to be treated. It does not matter who provides the care (it may well be local councils, trade unions, charities, universities or churches, as in Germany), the point is that they compete. It appears that the NHS prefers the worst-of-all-worlds option, being central allocation of taxpayers' money to selected private suppliers - that way there is no accountability combined with miserable standards ...

An INQUIRY is being launched into a privately run treatment centre for NHS patients in Yorkshire following scathing criticism of the care of a university lecturer who died after surgery. John Hubley, 58, of West Park, Leeds, suffered massive bleeding after routine keyhole surgery went badly wrong at Eccleshill Independent Sector Treatment Centre in Bradford in January 2007.

An inquest in November heard that vital surgical equipment and supplies to resuscitate him were not available and there were long delays in receiving blood, some of which eventually arriving in a taxi.

Source: Yorkshire Post