Parafox Posted 12 May 2012 Posted 12 May 2012 Dozens of medical secretaries at Leicester’s hospitals fear their jobs could go or they will have to take a pay cut as their work is sent to India . A 90-day consultation on proposed changes begins today. The move has been criticised by patients and unions but hospital bosses said the changes are needed to speed up communication between hospital consultants and GPs. Two firms, Dictate IT and Softech, have been picked to transcribe letters dictated by hospital consultants after they have seen their patients. A spokesman at Leicester’s hospitals said that a recent survey with Leicestershire GPs showed their number one concern was the consistently late arrival of clinical correspondence. Outsourcing the typing of letters is expected to cut time to 48 hours and save about £500,000. The move will be rolled out over the next two years. Carol Brown, regional organiser for the union Unison which represents many of the secretaries, said: “There have been examples in other trusts when, after outsourcing has occurred, a patient’s letter has been sent out for typing but has not returned. “There is potential there could be an increase in lawsuits and mistakes in medication and diagnosis because of outsourcing.” She added: “Sending sensitive data outside the country has so many potential risks with patient confidentiality and there are doubts as to whether sending documents abroad is compliant with the Data Protection Act. (Courtesy of Leicester Mercury)
Parafox Posted 12 May 2012 Author Posted 12 May 2012 And A comment from a LM reader... All letters are transcribed by people and those employed by us in India do a fantastic job. Yes, there are a few issues with English idiosyncrasies, but these are usually picked up on at UK level. Hypertension/hypotension and other such words are not a problem if the doctor dictates slowly, clearly, and at an even tempo. One of the main problems we have with transcribing is poor dictation, and these are usually UK doctors, not foreign ones!” Really?? I have spoken with numerous doctors in the course of my work. I often find it difficult to understand the "non-English" ones
dave the caveman Posted 12 May 2012 Posted 12 May 2012 I'm surprised they are not using software to do this already. Why do you need two people to write a letter anyway? Can the doctor not type as fast as she can dictate?
sphericalfox Posted 12 May 2012 Posted 12 May 2012 I'm surprised they are not using software to do this already. Why do you need two people to write a letter anyway? Can the doctor not type as fast as she can dictate? The quick answer is no. Next time you are in your GP and have an appointment, have a gander as they type in the details of your discussion in the computer as you have a chat. Now think of consultants who have more complex assessments to make, or are referring on to another consultant/specialist, and times that by 10. Consultants generally do need medical secretaries to do their notes and send letter of referral or contact a patient/service user. Sending this process to external services abroad seems like a great way to save money, but I do wonder how well they will deliver. However if the turnaround time is being questioned on the existing secretaries, then this should put a firecracker up those who might well be inconsistant or inefficient in the way they work.
Parafox Posted 13 May 2012 Author Posted 13 May 2012 I'm surprised they are not using software to do this already. Why do you need two people to write a letter anyway? Can the doctor not type as fast as she can dictate? Role reversal?
Daggers Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Outsourcing to India has been such a success for call centres I can see how this would appear to be a brilliant idea too.
davieG Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 It might be cheaper up front and without any overall joined up thinking, more people on benefits less money available to invest in the NHS but can someone explain to be me how it can be more efficient, surely if the systems are the same and why wouldn't/couldn't they be it would then come down to the quality of the people involved. Are the people in India deemed to be "naturally" better at audio typing?
Guest Bilo Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Outsourcing to India has been such a success for call centres I can see how this would appear to be a brilliant idea too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5UEZYeSVqA
dave the caveman Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Outsourcing to India has been such a success for call centres I can see how this would appear to be a brilliant idea too. Out sourcing call centres to India and elsewhere has been a massive success for many businesses.
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Out sourcing call centres to India and elsewhere has been a massive success for many businesses. I bet i can list more unsuccessful ventures than you can successful
dave the caveman Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 I bet i can list more unsuccessful ventures than you can successful Go on then.
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Go on then. You made the initial statement. Back it up with facts my man. Having worked in corporations that outsourced to India, I am well aware of the failures of doing so. I'm sure you have at hand your list of massive successes. A list of five massive successes with a breakdown of their vfm against not doing so would be a great way of proving your point I'd say.
dave the caveman Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 You made the initial statement. Back it up with facts my man. Having worked in corporations that outsourced to India, I am well aware of the failures of doing so. I'm sure you have at hand your list of massive successes. A list of five massive successes with a breakdown of their vfm against not doing so would be a great way of proving your point I'd say. You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to go to them lengths to prove a point on here.
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to go to them lengths to prove a point on here. Ok, just name one.
I am Rod Hull Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Out sourcing call centres to India and elsewhere has been a massive success for many businesses. Surely you mean share holders?
dave the caveman Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Ok, just name one. Thousands of businesses across the English speaking world have outsourced to India. It is ridiculous asking me to name one. What difference would it make?
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Thousands of businesses across the English speaking world have outsourced to India. It is ridiculous asking me to name one. What difference would it make? You said massive successes. I know of plenty of companies that use Indian workforces for various projects and/or outsourcing. Claiming you know of companies that are succeeding massively and there are more than you can name is my criticism. Naming one of these massive successes that you know of, would be a great talking point.
Zingari Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Indian call centres selling YOUR credit card details and medical records for just 2p http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2116649/Indian-centres-selling-YOUR-credit-card-details-medical-records-just-2p.html although its in the mail so it's probably made up .
Daggers Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Dell admits it has "learnt its lesson" after being forced to drop its Indian call centre BT apologises over Indian call centre fail Finextra: Offshore call centres failing to deliver UK bank Lloyds TSB shuts its Mumbai call centre, but more back office ... saying that outsourcing calls to India had proved "a costly failure". False economy says over-50s holiday and insurance company Saga: "Taking call centres out of the UK might look like a good option if you are a short-sighted accountant with your nose stuck up against a spreadsheet. We have always taken the broader view - we could save money but at the expense of service." Dissatisfaction with foreign call centres has now reached a point where the millions that companies spend on their image is money down the drain, say experts. If service is not up to scratch no amount of fancy advertisements will entice the customer back. "A brand's success is about the relationship between the consumer and the company," says branding expert Jonathan Gabay. It's all rather obvious really - unless you are a thick cvnt.
Steven Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Outsourcing to India has been such a success for call centres I can see how this would appear to be a brilliant idea too. .... and a real winner in IT.
David the Caveman Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Customer focussed call centres fail because of the common perception in the UK that people can't understand the person on the phone. In fact they can understand, but it's just a nice easy opportunity to have a bit of a moan and throw in a bit of xenophobia while you're at it for good measure. If you think customer focussed call centres are the only form of call centre, never mind business, being outsourced to India then you are beyond just a thick ****, you're a fking moronic imbecile.
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Customer focussed call centres fail because of the common perception in the UK that people can't understand the person on the phone. In fact they can understand, but it's just a nice easy opportunity to have a bit of a moan and throw in a bit of xenophobia while you're at it for good measure. If you think customer focussed call centres are the only form of call centre, never mind business, being outsourced to India then you are beyond just a thick ****, you're a fking moronic imbecile. Are you talking to me, as the only person showing their imbecilic nature is your good self? I was referring to the production companies and software companies outsourced to India. A friend of mine outsources his programming to Sri Lanka and partly to India for example. Now which companies have done massively well specifically? Just one example will do, and then we can correlate this the OP, and have a real debate.
Zingari Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 Are you talking to me, as the only person showing their imbecilic nature is your good self? I was referring to the production companies and software companies outsourced to India. A friend of mine outsources his programming to Sri Lanka and partly to India for example. Now which companies have done massively well specifically? Just one example will do, and then we can correlate this the OP, and have a real debate. i think "David" is actively trying to make "dave" look silly
sphericalfox Posted 13 May 2012 Posted 13 May 2012 i think "David" is actively trying to make "dave" look silly He's doing a fine job, though I'm starting to think he's outsourcing his posts.
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