Diversification - The Healthcare Sector?

[Blade Runner]

On the face of it a hospital offering specialist treatments does sound good but because the island does not have any medical colleges I really cant see it being viable.

[thesultanofsheight]

On the face of it a hospital offering specialist treatments does sound good but because the island does not have any medical colleges I really cant see it being viable.

 

Thats the point. Have you seen the size of that site? A full medical campus was always a possibility - for £150m 10 years ago it was an easy spend. We have no vision.

[Pierrot Lunaire]

We have no vision.

Get yourselves out to India - they'll sort it for you on the cheap.

[wrighty]

Nice idea, but...

 

Following Tony Blair's 1997-2010 UK NHS waiting list programme, the private healthcare sector in the UK are desperately chasing what little private work there is available, and over here we could not compete, largely as we do not have the economy of scale, and our inherent offshore transportation costs.

[StuartT]

Nice idea, but...

 

Following Tony Blair's 1997-2010 UK NHS waiting list programme, the private healthcare sector in the UK are desperately chasing what little private work there is available, and over here we could not compete, largely as we do not have the economy of scale, and our inherent offshore transportation costs.

 

I'm guessing that situation could well change given the cutbacks the new government is trying to implement? Indeed with the focus on primary healthcare and cuts in hospital beds is there not a strong possibility that the situation will change in the near future?

[wrighty]

Nice idea, but...

 

Following Tony Blair's 1997-2010 UK NHS waiting list programme, the private healthcare sector in the UK are desperately chasing what little private work there is available, and over here we could not compete, largely as we do not have the economy of scale, and our inherent offshore transportation costs.

 

I'm guessing that situation could well change given the cutbacks the new government is trying to implement? Indeed with the focus on primary healthcare and cuts in hospital beds is there not a strong possibility that the situation will change in the near future?

 

You're right. UK cuts, which are not really widely reported, are all I hear about when I go across to professional courses/conferences. Many health authorities are cutting back on the demonstrably most successful surgery there is - joint replacement. (This is probably because recipients are generally old and economically inactive - a short sighted view that neglects the knock-on social care costs)

 

We'd still have to address our capacity and cost issues here however, as I'm sure the UK private hospitals are rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of this forthcoming private practice bonanza.

[hboy]

You're right. UK cuts, which are not really widely reported, are all I hear about when I go across to professional courses/conferences. Many health authorities are cutting back on the demonstrably most successful surgery there is - joint replacement. (This is probably because recipients are generally old and economically inactive - a short sighted view that neglects the knock-on social care costs)

 

Why just look at the UK though? People from the UK fly to Poland or South Africa for cosmetic surgery. Distance or familiarity is no barrier - trust and cost is the key - the vane and the wealthy know no bounds when it comes to elective surgery. I have to agree with most of the posters here. it is a missed opportunity.

[StuartT]

Nice idea, but...

 

Following Tony Blair's 1997-2010 UK NHS waiting list programme, the private healthcare sector in the UK are desperately chasing what little private work there is available, and over here we could not compete, largely as we do not have the economy of scale, and our inherent offshore transportation costs.

 

I'm guessing that situation could well change given the cutbacks the new government is trying to implement? Indeed with the focus on primary healthcare and cuts in hospital beds is there not a strong possibility that the situation will change in the near future?

 

You're right. UK cuts, which are not really widely reported, are all I hear about when I go across to professional courses/conferences. Many health authorities are cutting back on the demonstrably most successful surgery there is - joint replacement. (This is probably because recipients are generally old and economically inactive - a short sighted view that neglects the knock-on social care costs)

 

We'd still have to address our capacity and cost issues here however, as I'm sure the UK private hospitals are rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of this forthcoming private practice bonanza.

 

Devils Advocate here (as I've said I'm not really in favour of dismantling the NHS) but if the government legislated to say that certain companies were expected to provide private healthcare insurance for their employees whilst in their employment (and ongoing lifelong health insurance for staff who had served x number of years), then perhaps you could shift the emphasis away from state funded NHS care towards a greater amount of privately subsidy in the system (ie with companies paying in to support the health of their staff). You could put an emphasis on big finance companies (particularily insurers) or those whose role is hazardous to an employee's health.

 

This would give a greater on island recipient group who are eligible for private healthcare. In addition make health insurance cheaper for local residents who want it but aren't eligible for it from their employers, and then you could reduce the burden on the NHS. This then means that you can use your local private pool to justify an increase in the amount of private beds, which you could then further utilise to attract paying customers from outside the island. During times when local and foreign private patients are not in abundance you could use the opportunity to increase the number of NHS operations, and even attempt to subcontract work from the UK NHS.

 

Of course we need to make sure that the NHS is still there when people need it - for example when the private system won't cover a person or if that person doesn't have enough income to afford private insurance (or if their employer does not provide it), and it does not become a question of those who can pay get it and those who can't don't, and that there is an understanding that everyone is entitled to provision from the NHS regardless of means (though those with insurance would be expected to meet some of the costs of their treatment through it), and private healthcare is not used to seal the death warrant of the NHS.

Edited November 15, 2011 by StuartT

[manshimajin]

I don't think that the UK has a shortage of private hospital facilities, indeed NHS patients are sent to them if they cannot be seen within a set period in the public system. So I am not sure that we would have a competitive advantage on that. On costs we seem to be able to charge more than other places to do things - we would not compete on cost with Central Europe, Asia or South Africa. Nor can we compete on reputation. So what would the competitive advantage be for the IOM?

 

Not trying to be negative but we have to have something to offer that makes people want to come here for treatments. That would suggest a focus on excellence in a very defined area of medical service.

 

I doubt that we really have a large enough market here to establish a wide-ranging private medical system without attracting business from outside. Again, not trying to be negative, but we can offer consultants all the tax breaks in the world but they need to have patients wanting to come here for treatment rather than wanting to get it close to home and their family.

Edited November 15, 2011 by manshimajin

[Moghrey Mie]

I don't think that the UK has a shortage of private hospital facilities, indeed NHS patients are sent to them if they cannot be seen within a set period in the public system. So I am not sure that we would have a competitive advantage on that. On costs we seem to be able to charge more than other places to do things - we would not compete on cost with Central Europe, Asia or South Africa. Nor can we compete on reputation. So what would the competitive advantage be for the IOM?

 

Not trying to be negative but we have to have something to offer that makes people want to come here for treatments. That would suggest a focus on excellence in a very defined area of medical service.

 

I doubt that we really have a large enough market here to establish a wide-ranging private medical system without attracting business from outside. Again, not trying to be negative, but we can offer consultants all the tax breaks in the world but they need to have patients wanting to come here for treatment rather than wanting to get it close to home and their family.

Judging by the number of vacancies in the health sector here it seems we can't even attract staff to serve our local population never mind patients from other countries

[StuartT]

I don't think that the UK has a shortage of private hospital facilities, indeed NHS patients are sent to them if they cannot be seen within a set period in the public system. So I am not sure that we would have a competitive advantage on that. On costs we seem to be able to charge more than other places to do things - we would not compete on cost with Central Europe, Asia or South Africa. Nor can we compete on reputation. So what would the competitive advantage be for the IOM?

 

Not trying to be negative but we have to have something to offer that makes people want to come here for treatments. That would suggest a focus on excellence in a very defined area of medical service.

 

I doubt that we really have a large enough market here to establish a wide-ranging private medical system without attracting business from outside. Again, not trying to be negative, but we can offer consultants all the tax breaks in the world but they need to have patients wanting to come here for treatment rather than wanting to get it close to home and their family.

Judging by the number of vacancies in the health sector here it seems we can't even attract staff to serve our local population never mind patients from other countries

 

I could take issue with the statement about not being able to attract staff to serve our local population, but I think it probably would be wise not to discuss that here... Suffice to say there is plenty of local people interested in doing so, but....

Edited November 15, 2011 by StuartT

[wrighty]

You're right. UK cuts, which are not really widely reported, are all I hear about when I go across to professional courses/conferences. Many health authorities are cutting back on the demonstrably most successful surgery there is - joint replacement. (This is probably because recipients are generally old and economically inactive - a short sighted view that neglects the knock-on social care costs)

 

Why just look at the UK though? People from the UK fly to Poland or South Africa for cosmetic surgery. Distance or familiarity is no barrier - trust and cost is the key - the vane and the wealthy know no bounds when it comes to elective surgery. I have to agree with most of the posters here. it is a missed opportunity.

 

They fly to Poland because a nose-job there costs a couple of hundred quid, whereas in the UK it's a couple of thousand. I've made those figures up off the top of my head, but the principle is correct.

[wrighty]

I could take issue with the statement about not being able to attract staff to serve our local population, but I think it probably would be wise not to discuss that here... Suffice to say there is plenty of local people interested in doing so, but....

 

Certain sectors of healthcare have a relative oversupply with, even, unemployment. We have little trouble recruiting those. Physiotherapy is an example, as there have been major cuts in recruitment in the UK hence we get the overspill. Others however, they can't fill the posts in the UK due to a lack of suitably trained personnel, so we have no chance! Theatre staff are in short supply, so it would be very difficult to expand our capacity here in order to take on more private work from afar.

[jah_pet]

On a similar note did we waste an opportunity with the prison. Could it not have been made twice the size and then rent cells out to the UK?

[StuartT]

I could take issue with the statement about not being able to attract staff to serve our local population, but I think it probably would be wise not to discuss that here... Suffice to say there is plenty of local people interested in doing so, but....

 

Certain sectors of healthcare have a relative oversupply with, even, unemployment. We have little trouble recruiting those. Physiotherapy is an example, as there have been major cuts in recruitment in the UK hence we get the overspill. Others however, they can't fill the posts in the UK due to a lack of suitably trained personnel, so we have no chance! Theatre staff are in short supply, so it would be very difficult to expand our capacity here in order to take on more private work from afar.

 

We won't discuss this here but some of the manx born people who have gone away to develop their careers in healthcare could once qualified work in theatres.. however they've gone away to train instead..