Thoughts On The NHS Infected Blood Scandal
In the early 1970s, I was working with the Chief Management Accountant of a retail bank, writing a computer system to analyse and compare the performance and costs of all their branches.
We used scatter diagrams and other graphical techniques to show all the branches on single sheets produced by line printers on a powerful time-shared computer. It would be so much easier today.
Any branch not following the rules was often found sitting alone away from the mass of branches on the graphs.
I remember one branch had costs, that were much higher than expected. It turned out it was the Stevenage Branch, where the premises were rented rather than owned freehold.
Expanding The System To Other Industries
The Accountant, who had also been Chief Accountant of a FTSE 500 company, felt that the techniques we had developed had other applications in the management and auditing of large companies and organisations.
Sadly my partner in crime, died of cancer and I went on to other things.
From my own generally good family experiences of the NHS, I feel that this sort of analysis used rigorously could give early warning of some of the scandals we’ve seen in the NHS.
Around the turn of the century, I used similar techniques to improve the manufacturing quality in a diesel engine factory.
Conclusion
Perhaps we need an independent Office of NHS Responsibility?
Zopa Breaks The Million Pound Barrier
In the last seven days, if you ignore Saturday and Sunday, when they don’t normally distribute loans, they have lent out 5.7 million pounds, which works out at over a million pounds every working day.
Can this steady level of high lending be in part due to the troubles at the Co-operative Bank?
If we believe the stance of the Co-op, their typical customer will be an ethical person, who probably thinks seriously about their money. They will probably think, that bankers are responsible for a lot of problems. I won’t say anything about their politics as being sensible with and thinking about money, is not the preserve of any political leaning. I’m even sure that some people who might support some extreme parties, may well have some of the best structured finances in the country.
But with the Co-op banks troubles, are these thinking people deserting the bank before it is too late and for their saving and borrowing, they are going to the peer-to-peer lenders like Zopa.
Certainly, if I look at my lending on Zopa, the rate of late payments and new bad debts seems to have fallen compared to a year ago. This could be put down to better checking on the company’s part, but is it also due to the fact that those that think about their money are moving away from the banks.
So are the peer-to-peer lenders contributing to the demise of the Co-operative Bank?
The Zopans Are At Work
There has been activity on my Zopa account this morning, with £150 credited from repayments and a couple of outstanding loan offers have been approved.
I suspect that a lot of these actions are just clever software, but some might have needed an OK from someone with a face and a brain!
Four loan offers have also appeared on my account with today’s date. So there are definitely people out there, who need a loan on most days in the year. My two loan offers on Christmas Day are still being processed.
Incidentally, looking at my loan book, I have a loan that was started on Christmas Day 2010.
The Anonymous Widower 