EBME Forums Forums Free discussion Free discussion Staffing Levels for EBME deptments.

Bill ... you could also have mentioned the cost of oxygen going to waste via leaking (damaged etc.) flowmeters. Yes, I know that the nursing staff should check, and I'm also aware that some places remove them from the wall outlet when not in use, but (again) I'm talking about the "real world", general case.

"Internal Procedures" may be all very well, just as long as they're actually followed. Everyone is busy, but everyone must care (and, in the vast majority of hospitals I've seen ... and that's more than a few, that happily has been the case). And, why not?

Just to labour the point (and again, why not?), I once again recall the lovely Staff Nurse who rebuked me with (and I quote):- "I don't have time for any of that. I'm here to care for the sick and needy"!

And, do you know what? ... I agree with her! Yes, horses for courses indeed. Oops ... wrong thread ... but it still applies, surely?

Geoff, this thread should be tied in with the "lean" or cutting costs threads, if the NHS got it's act together as you have mentioned many times and formulated a standard for the support services, staffing levels, asset management software, central supplies etc. then they could save money. As I have mentioned earlier they would need to hire consultants to do this work and that would cost. If they are reading these pages maybe they could hire some of us instead.

... none of which is going to happen anytime soon (or even during the remainder of my lifetime)!

Actually, Neil, this thread has nothing at all to do with "lean" or any other management Baboon Speak ... but rather with an apparent dearth of biomed techs at the Royal Free Hospital in the leafy suburbs of North London.

And, may I add ... if such problems exist there, I'm sure we can't help but wonder* what the state of play is in the inner city, and indeed, "south of the river"!

*No need to wonder, as some of us already know. And those who don't need only to keep up with the daily press reports.

Another way to approach the issue of staffing levels is from the standpoint of the (biomed) department budget.

Don't use bad language on this forum.

How many techs can afford to live and work south of the Watford Gap?

Haven't you noticed, Neil ... if you want to work, you have to go where the jobs are.

Hospitals tend to be located according to the distribution of population densities, unfortunately.

Bit costly though, south of the gap

I don't think I shall be straying too far from the topic if I mention that (if my experiences are anything to go by) hourly rates tend to be a bit higher in areas where living expenses are more costly than the norm.

Hampstead is a nice area (as London locations go), and I wouldn't even mind doing a six-month stint down there myself, come to think of it. Jogging across Parliament Hill and the Heath can be very nice, if my memory serves me well. But it would have been back in 1992 that I last had that particular pleasure!

Horses for courses, once again.

Our Biomed dept services a large geographic area consisting of about a dozen separate hospitals. The main hospital is a large teaching hospital that is directly affiliated with a university medical school so our dept does get involved in reseach at times and is part of the job I like the most. There about 1500 beds in total and approximately 30000 pieces of medical equipment. There 25 biomed technologists, 1 gas tech, 1 machinest, 3 Biomedical Engineers, 2 secretaries and 1 manager.
All of the Biomed techs carry basically the same credentials and are paid equally.