Hospitals tell ill people to stay away if possible as all three centres fill up over weekend (From Oxford Mail)

This is what happens when the NHS is 'rationalised' and hospital services are 'centralised' to effect 'more cost-effective use of resources' - such as closing down local hospitals in the South East, and dumping patients into those facilities which remain. No use trade unions and (the usual bunch of) local politicians blaming the Tory-led Coalition Government, since rationalisation, cut-backs and messing around with the NHS has been going on for decades - especially during the 13 wasted years when Labour was running the UK. Nor can I remember - despite all the claims in local Labour 'marketing' literature - that Oxford East MP Andrew Smith has ever done anything memorable in support of patients and the hospital services. Unlike out-of-town shopping experiences like Bicester Village or any of the large retail parks where people go to shop, spend money and get 'retail therapy', people go to hospital because they are ill, have suffered an accident, or need medical treatnent - and seemingly, part of the 'NHS experience' is now to be told to stay away, because of overcrowding and poor management of the NHS. No use the Government or local health authorities blaming increasd numbers of people suffering from illness - because treating ill people is why we have the NHS, hospitals and pay so-called 'management professionals' (not doctors and nurses) a great deal of public money to supposedly ensure we get the service we need. Keep treating the NHS like a commercial business (something which many banks can't even do!) and we will end-up like the USA, where illness and treatment are only for the masses ..... of wealthy and those who can afford medical insurance cover - which then often gets declined (or horrendoulsly expensive to pay for) if you get an on-going ailment like cancer or diabetes. Maybe the answer is that instead of paying monthly premiums for private medical insurance in the UK to ensure we get hospital care and treatment when needed, we should simply pay more into the NHS through taxation - with the bonus that private shareholders and fat-cat companies wouldn't be creaming-off profit. Nobody really likes paying higher tax (and many large companies like Starbucks, as little as they can get away with!) but by the same token, nobody likes being turned away or told to stay away from hospital, when they need medical help and treatment, do they?

Well let's hope the next time I phone 111 for some advice from a GP they don't send an ambulance without my consent again.

Well said Feelings matter

So much for the NHS safe in the Tory Toffs hands.

Understaffed, and some overworked. My wife and another trained nurse were looking after 18 very ill patients on one particular shift over xmas.This was well over the acceptable maximum nurse/patient ratio of 1/6. The ward manager just said "do the best you can".Some staff were off sick and due to budget cuts, no agency staff were allowed. My wife arrived home shatteredfrom work 3 hours late having not eaten or drunk anything all day. I bet Andrew Lansley wasn't at work over xmas.