Random Irritations

[PaulMdj]

I saw this while visiting the hospital yesterday. I think the pictures say it all. There are two large on-site multi-storey car parks a two minute walk away.
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Is it possible they are patient transport cars? Some hospitals allow them to park in ambulance bays when dropping off or collecting patients?

 

[Robster59]

Is it possible they are patient transport cars? Some hospitals allow them to park in ambulance bays when dropping off or collecting patients?

Possibly, but that may be being a little generous.
Also, the whole hospital grounds are non-smoking but you see people smoking all over the place, including just outside the entrance.

 

[Hobbit]

The thing that annoys me, and this really sounds trite, is that I genuinely try to sell the customer what is best for them. Of course I want them to buy our equipment, but if I think they are asking for something that is not the optimum for their needs, I'll have a discussion with them and explain why a different model is better in every (and I mean every) way. If, in the end, they go with the other option then I will sell them the other option. It's interesting in what you say, in that I have seen the number of NHS tenders drop markedly over the last couple of years. They seem to have adopted this model of replace like for like rather than looking at alternatives. It promotes lethargy and in the end increases their long-term running costs and reduces safety margin for patient samples. The people I speak to in the hospitals are now resigned to this situation and have enough to do without trying to fight or change the system.
I have encountered this at three different NHS institutions in the last week. I know that the procurement has been farmed out to third parties now. I deal with them and their response time is awful and the order comes out wrong, so we have to go back and get it corrected.
All that money wasted that can be used for faster and better treatment for patients. I despair.

Amongst one of the many failures of NHS procurement is whoever was buying 1000 boxes of staples 5mins ago is processing an order for 200 infusion pumps now. I worked both sides of the fence and know only too well how wasteful purchasing can be. For example, the mobile x-Ray machine ran over the mains lead close to the socket on the wall. As an engineer working in ICU, 10 mins with a new plug. Call it £10, and that was 1996. Phillips Medical charged the hospital £660. I ordered in new UV tubes for a machine in dermatology @ around £500. The manufacturer wanted to charge the hospital £18k. A keypad for an anaesthetic machine was £9.99 from RS, but £500 from the manufacturer.

And that is one of the main reasons I left the NHS. Senior managers would only buy from the manufacturer so that their ar5e was covered if there was a clinical incident. Sorry but a mains plug won’t cause a clinical incident… madness.

Working the other side of the fence in the early days was superb. You met with a ward sister or consultant, depending on what you were selling and sorted the deal. Done, dusted PO number issued. Doing it via supply chain is ignorant of the clinical need and takes weeks to process.

In my latter years I did some consultancy work in my own time, FOC, for local Community Trusts. Basically several large amalgamations of GP practices attached to cottage hospitals. GP’s were tearing their hair out at the paperwork issued from the NHS Directorates.

On a separate note, whether it’s product or position, you get what you pay for. I was offered a senior position with the NHS Medical Devices Directorate in London. £10k pay cut, no car and no expenses.

 

[Billysboots]

Potholes.

My car has been for its MOT today. Would have passed without any issues if not for cuts to the faces of both rear tyres which expose the cords. Two tyres which have been on less than eighteen months and still had nearly 6mm of tread on them, and which will cost £500 the pair to replace.

And the likely cause? According to the technician, almost certainly the appalling state of the roads in this country.

 

[Robster59]

Amongst one of the many failures of NHS procurement is whoever was buying 1000 boxes of staples 5mins ago is processing an order for 200 infusion pumps now. I worked both sides of the fence and know only too well how wasteful purchasing can be. For example, the mobile x-Ray machine ran over the mains lead close to the socket on the wall. As an engineer working in ICU, 10 mins with a new plug. Call it £10, and that was 1996. Phillips Medical charged the hospital £660. I ordered in new UV tubes for a machine in dermatology @ around £500. The manufacturer wanted to charge the hospital £18k. A keypad for an anaesthetic machine was £9.99 from RS, but £500 from the manufacturer.

And that is one of the main reasons I left the NHS. Senior managers would only buy from the manufacturer so that their ar5e was covered if there was a clinical incident. Sorry but a mains plug won’t cause a clinical incident… madness.

Working the other side of the fence in the early days was superb. You met with a ward sister or consultant, depending on what you were selling and sorted the deal. Done, dusted PO number issued. Doing it via supply chain is ignorant of the clinical need and takes weeks to process.

In my latter years I did some consultancy work in my own time, FOC, for local Community Trusts. Basically several large amalgamations of GP practices attached to cottage hospitals. GP’s were tearing their hair out at the paperwork issued from the NHS Directorates.

On a separate note, whether it’s product or position, you get what you pay for. I was offered a senior position with the NHS Medical Devices Directorate in London. £10k pay cut, no car and no expenses.

Don't even get me started on PPP's. They're just a license to print money.

 

[Hobbit]

Don't even get me started on PPP's. They're just a license to print money.

Mmm, as part of the EU, trying to justify price point between different countries was just bonkers. Works fine in countries where the price point is high but imagine going to, say, Chad and telling them the price has just gone up 400%. Equally, if the price point in Chad is £20, and you’re major market has a price point of £80 and they want it closer to the Chad price point.

Days spent explaining local costs when the buyer already knows that but is trying to be a clever Richard…

 

[Neilds]

Mixed weight relationships! When did that even become a title?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Mixed weight relationships! When did that even become a title?

When columnists and influencers needed to fill space . It really is a load of tosh, no one cares. It's been irritating me as well, the emptiness of it as a concept.

 

[Robster59]

When columnists and influencers needed to fill space . It really is a load of tosh, no one cares. It's been irritating me as well, the emptiness of it as a concept.

And it is highlighting something that otherwise people wouldn't even consider. Let's point a big flashy arrow at this couple!

 

[Voyager EMH]

Mixed weight relationships! When did that even become a title?

Laurel and Hardy?

 

[AmandaJR]

Laurel and Hardy?

Jack Spratt and his wife...

 

[jim8flog]

trying to book a driving test….absolutely nothing available in 5 test centres for the next 20 weeks - what the hell is going on!!

There was an article on the TV the another night about this .

Apparently a lot of the test slots are taken by the reselling companies.

 

[ADB]

There was an article on the TV the another night about this .

Apparently a lot of the test slots are taken by the reselling companies.

Another way of profiteering for some - always thought you could only go through the DVSA, I was wrong…looks like the only way to get a test is via a 3rd Party and pay up for it

 

[BubbaP]

Bit more than an irritation really, just been through the stress of a lost dog . Safely back now .
Local communities were great, but seemed to keep arriving at sighting locations just too late.

If anyone has experience of pet GPS trackers, I'd welcome a direct message.

 

[GB72]

Bit more than an irritation really, just been through the stress of a lost dog . Safely back now .
Local communities were great, but seemed to keep arriving at sighting locations just too late.

If anyone has experience of pet GPS trackers, I'd welcome a direct message.

Not had a specific GPS tracker but after the cat went missing for days, the ex put an apple air tag on his collar.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Not had a specific GPS tracker but after the cat went missing for days, the ex put an apple air tag on his collar.

I know its at a slight tangent, but the use of these things on cars by scum bags so it can be tracked and stolen shouldnt be overlooked.

 

[BiMGuy]

People who can seemingly afford tattoos but have to beg for free stuff for their house and kids on the local Facebook group.

 

[Neilds]

People who can seemingly afford tattoos but have to beg for free stuff for their house and kids on the local Facebook group.

Partly agree but , as in all these sort of irritations, did they get tattoos (tvs, etc) before their financial circumstances changed?

 

[Beezerk]

Not had a specific GPS tracker but after the cat went missing for days, the ex put an apple air tag on his collar.

What collar did you use? Our lad is a proper outdoors cat and we sometimes don’t see him for a day or two. A gps collar would put the missus at ease, but he’s broken off the last two normal collars we’ve put on him

 

[Imurg]

Even though we've had 3 weeks of very little rain and a number of days of decently warm weather....
A couple of days of rain and the flood warnings are out again..
Shows how high the water table is still......