Private v Public

Subject: Private v Public Fri Oct 09, 2015 10:08 am

It is asserted so often that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector. I've never read a cohesive explanation for why this is the case and it remains very much an opinion rather than a fact despite what various parties might have you believe.

But if it is true can anybody explain the following figures to me?

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Jeremy Hunt wants to model the NHS on his favourite US hospital.

It's the one on the left.

Posts : 344 Join date : 2015-07-21

But Virginia Mason is an acute care, teach and research hospital. Apples and oranges. It's non-profit too, which means it's not the best example of private enterprise. I imagine that if it happens over here, everyone will be trying to make a fast buck.

Without claiming to know whether the private sector is more efficient, I work in a private firm that works with a lot of public sector employees, many of whom seem blissfully unaware of things like cost control or deadlines. People that have come to work for us from the public sector have not lasted long, on the whole. Besides the above, they are reluctant to think for themselves after years of being a cog in a bigger machine.

This should not be read as a glowing endorsement of private business. I like my job, and my boss, but I'm conscious that he squeezes as much from me as he can.

Councils are now badly understaffed, and in the whole I'm sympathetic because it's not a race to the bottom. A little part of me that I'm slightly ashamed of does think 'welcome to the real world, buddy' when I'm listening to a Planning Officer tell me about their workload increases...

Posts : 13210 Join date : 2014-03-02 Age : 85

The recognized local private hospital at Chelsfield has a lot going for it for a big cost.

BUT.....when a situation with a patient deteriorates.....they transfer them to the NHS Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Orpington.....because they have the sophisticated expensive equipment that the private hospital cannot afford.

I know which hospital I would prefer to be in.

Posts : 736 Join date : 2013-04-30

A glaring omission from the original post is the amount of lost hours through sickness awarded to public sector workers, at least in comparison to the private sector.

Why is that?

Guest

Probably because it doesn't add up to diddly squat in the grand scheme of things,

Posts : 736 Join date : 2013-04-30

Glad that's sorted then, Next!

Guest

If you've got no figures then to prove your theory then it certainly is!

Here's an example of a private health provider, massively screwing up and then being free to withdraw from the contract and leaving the mess for someone else to clear up.

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Perhaps I should draw you to where it says "substantial and frequent staff shortages in the A&E department" as I doubt you'll bother reading it because its come from the BBC which is full of bleeding heart liberals. Similar to this site being "vile and libelous"

Posts : 736 Join date : 2013-04-30

This forum gets inundated with links. And it's always to suit whatever the poster agrees with.

There are links galore out there if you want to find them.

They will prove my point.

They won't fit your argument so you'll ignore them.

Just as I'll ignore yours.

Subject: Re: Private v Public Fri Oct 09, 2015 1:07 pm

Look at the railways, better now in private hands? Well a lot of them are in National hands, just not the UK.

Guest

Rollo Tomasi wrote:: This forum gets inundated with links. And it's always to suit whatever the poster agrees with.

There are links galore out there if you want to find them.

They will prove my point.

They won't fit your argument so you'll ignore them.

Just as I'll ignore yours.

So you have nothing to back up your claim then.

Sleep

Posts : 736 Join date : 2013-04-30

You do your own homework but it'll be a pointless exercise because you'll either question the source, question the messenger or question the figures.

Guest

OK then Rollo I rise to your challenge. From a right wing newspaper, "Public sector workers more likely to take 'sickies'",

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Well this is a disgrace isn't it. But hold on whats that??

"the ONS said some occupations had higher likelihoods of absence compared to others, which could also explain the gap, while women generally had higher rates of sickness than men and there were more women employed in the public sector. "

You mean Public Sector workers are more likely to take time off for sickness because they are more likely to be sick??

Glad that's sorted then, Next!

Posts : 736 Join date : 2013-04-30

Ah, bless. So it's the ratio of men/women that holds the key.

You're interpretation is so predictable.

Guest

Oh dear is that your attempt at a zinger?. laugh

For one thing The notoriously left wing Office of national statistics made that observation not me and it's not just the men/woman ratio (or males/females) It's the fact that public sector occupations have a higher level of absense than others. That was also from the ONS.

Noted that that you read the telegraph piece though (not properly though!). Typical of you lot don't like it outside your comfort zone. Anything that isn't tub thumping rhetorIc such as statistics and facts, gets you all hot and bothered.