NHS- Good Product, Not So Good Service

As someone who has had two fairly serious illnesses in the last few years, I feel I'm in a good position to comment on the current debate about the NHS.
When I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis three years ago, the joints in my fingers and wrists swelled to twice their normal size and I was considerably debilitated. Initially I was treated privately but went on to the NHS when it became clear I would need ongoing treatment, for which private insurance wouldn't pay. The NHS has been pretty good: I receive thousands of pounds worth of drugs that ensure I am virtually sympton free, and regular outpatient visits and treatments which are always excellent.
There are shortcomings though- the regularity with which appointments are postponed, and the fact that the cost of the main drug I receive has been questioned even though it leaves RA sufferers like myself virtually symptomless .
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was treated privately by brachytherapy which, without going into details, has far less side effects than other treatments but which wasn't available at that time on the NHS. The private room aftercare was wonderful.
A relative in his late seventies was recently given two hugely expensive life saving operations from an top class specialist on the NHS. There is no way health insurance would have been an option for a man of his age. However his aftercare left a lot to be desired with caring staff overworked and some others completely indifferent to his needs.
When you run a business, especially in retailing like Your Life Your Style, you know that you must not only provide a good value product but that you must also give superb service. The NHS usually gets the first right but falls down far too often at the second. It's the classic failing of an organisation that lacks competition and doesn't put people first, though I don't doubt that artificial competition in the form of outsourcing and targets has also had a damaging effect.
I used to receive health insurance through my employer. I was tempted to give it up when I went into business for myself but all my experience tells me to carry on paying the extortionate health insurance premiums, at least for the time being. On the other hand, the NHS means that anyone who is ill can be treated irrespective of age or income and I wouldn't hesitate to defend it against the uninformed criticisms of American conservatives.

There's More To Life Than Work

Back from France and what a contrast in attitudes to work. An Englishman who lives there told us how he despairs of getting the locals to do any work. But to me that's the attraction. They do the minimum to get by and prefer to eat and relax. Why not when you live in such a hot and food-rich environment?
Of course, the offhand approach of some male waiters can be frustrating but generally they offer friendly albeit slow service in shops and cafes. Chill out, I say to us Anglo Saxons and our work ethic, at least when on holiday.
Still, it's nice to be back and working hard, because that has its rewards too.

A Door Opens On The High Street

The high street is under threat but there's also an opportunity. Shops that sell mass produced products, shops that have grown too big to care, they may go. But new shops can take their place. It's a rare chance for entrepreneurial independents to break into the high street- businesses more in touch with customers' tastes and needs.
Our local council working with the local paper has launched a website shopinhampshire.co.uk to encourage us to support the local high street. Our shop Your Life Your Styleis there and, given the chance, we'll be on more local high streets as well.

Quality Wins

Your Life Your Style is to be Winchester's stockist of Steiff teddy bears. It may be you haven't heard of Steiff but to anyone who collects these delightful furry toys, they are the number one. Why? Partly because they've been making bears for 100 years but mainly because the quality is superb.
Like many German firms, Steiff bring together good design, precision manufacturing and obseesive quality control. They tried making some of their bears in China but found so many items were below their standard that they went back to making them exclusively in Germany.
Our own manufacturers can learn from this. For years, British goods became a by-word for shoddy, thanks to complacency and lack of worker involvement. Then the far east took over mass production.
When Britain did something well, it was a world beater- Rolls Royce or malt whisky for example. Thankfully a new generation of British manufacturers are in that tradition and recognise that you can't beat the Chinese on price but you can succeed by offering good design, skilled manufacture and quality control.
We visited the Grayshott factory this week which houses Dartington Pottery. As well as the special edition pieces we stock, they provide crockery for many restaurants. The work of these thirty or so people, who operate as a co-operative, is breathtaking in its skill and care. If a customer wants cheap ceramics, China beckons but if they want quality and value, Grayshott is there for them, and offers an example to British manufacturers in the 21st century.

Dora Designs On Facebook- Fun Comes First

Our shop Your Life Your Style already has a Facebook page. We've now started an I Love Dora Designs group. We want people who love Dora Designs to find out more about Doras, post photos and news, and to talk to each other. This is not set up to sell Doras but many successful businesses on the internet have learnt that by providing a useful service first, sales follow. If we do sell a few Doras, we'll be happy but, if not, it's still fun to run a Dora Designs Fan Club.