Deadford Hospital - every patient can go fuck themselves

Barry Monk, the highly regarded consultant Dermatologist at Bedford Hospital who is standing as an independent at the next election on the Save Bedford Hospital ticket, has just found out how New Labour deal with critics.

He's been given his notice. [Presumably they were running low on polonium-210 - Ed, trying to be topical]

Barry has done an excellent job of making Patricia Hewitt look very old and tired. He also was the catylist for one of Dr Rant's favourite TV moments when the ill fated PR officer at Bedford made a rabid and unprovoked attack on a BBC camera crew trying to interview the local union rep about the story (the PR officer promptly 'resigned' we subsequently heard).

Now, in a document entitled “Defining Our Future Role”, Bedford management have indicated that Dr Monk’s highly regarded department is not required.

Barry has commented in a press release that “the dermatology department at Bedford Hospital deals with patients who are affected by severe skin disorders which cannot be adequately managed in the community; we are highly regarded by our patients, and by our local GPs, we meet every government target, and we actually generate income for the Trust."

ie For 'care in the community' read 'crap care'.

"One can only speculate as what motivates these proposals.", continues Dr Monk. Well, Dr Rant can hazard a guess. Barry obviously can too, because he goes on to say "In the NHS we have become used to irrational decision making, but when personal spite is allowed to intrude, something has gone very seriously wrong.”

Something seriously wrong in the NHS? New Labour control freaks wanting to get rid of anyone who criticises them, no matter what the cost? Surely not. Not that lovely Patzy Hewitt. She seems such a nice person.

A trip to the Bedford Hospital website reveals that their hospital logo reads 'every patient matters'. Well, apparently some patients matter more than others.

Barry Monk will survive because he'll shortly be an MP - as MD says in this week's Private Eye, with a majority of only 3,000, "the smart money is on Monk". Any patients with a sneaky melanoma might not be so lucky.

I wish we had 600 Barry Monks, but in the meantime my suggestion is a change of logo. How about 'Bedford Hospital - we do fuck all because dead patients are cheaper than sick ones'.