I'd be amazed if anyone reads this post, I'm sure the title is off-putting. I realise my blog is getting a bit boring without more pictures, need to get out with the camera more.
Today I have been looking at political drivers behind health policy. It is quite interesting to note that health ministers on average have a term of 2.5 years. Each minister or party is trying to show they have achieved something so policy setting tends to be quite short-sighted looking for quick results. Osteopathy takes a more long-term view of maintaining health and has a strong emphasis on preventative medicine, this does not tend to be the case for the NHS. For example we do not have a policy of screening all post-menopausal women for osteoporosis as is the case in some Scandanavian countries. This would be a means of preventing fractures and reducing the number of hip replacements needed - but this would be a long-term cost benefit. With regard to heart problems there is now a more preventative schedule in identifying high cholesterol and high blood pressure but the sceptic in me asks whether this is driven by the pharmaceutical companies who are selling the statins and anti-hypertensives.
It is interesting to think about these things and realise that there are many hidden factors driving the way things are done. This is the same in many areas of life - business, medicine, financial institutions etc. etc.
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