Well, well, well. Here we are again. Ten years into a government and we’ve had enough of them. They say that governments loose elections rather than oppositions win them.
In New Labour’s case losing the plot has been obvious almost since they first came to power. They began by criticising the internal market, and Frank Dobson enthusiastically abolishing it.
Then they realised that wouldn’t work and they embraced the internal market with more enthusiasm (and directorships and consultancies) than any Tory would have dared to dream of.
Meanwhile billions of pounds have been poured away on a pseudo market, ever more quangos, circular structural changes (arriving back where we started and still not knowing the place at all), and ever grosser computer disasters.
Let's go round again: Labour's 10 year journey back to where we started.Throughout New Labour’s time in office there has been a persistent refusal to face the truth about the NHS. The spin doctor has outplayed the medical doctors; the management consultant has more say than the medical consultant.
The last ten years have been a complete disaster for the NHS. Billions of pounds have been wasted, the front line staff is frustrated, or unemployed, and patients still aren’t getting what they either need or want. They are getting things they don't want.
Lady Macbeth says, “All’s spent, nought’s had, when our desire be got without content.” Richard the Third says, “Now is the winter of our discontent.”
The discontent is getting ever more obvious both from patients and doctors.
Doctors are pleased that the Labour party is bringing the curtain down on the failed new Labour project. We hope the voters in the council elections this week kick them very hard. PLEASE DO VOTE, whether for something or against something.
We, and many of the public, look forward to Blair and Hewitt deservedly departing office a.s.a.p. They have done no good to the NHS and far, far, too much harm.
Any doctor who had done so much harm would be struck off. Let's make sure that Blair and Hewitt go far, the further the better.
Dr Rant
Dr Cardigan
Dr Blue
Dr Brown
Rev Dr Green
Dr Mustard
Mr Orange
Dr Pink
Dr Purple
Mr Salmon
Dr White
Mr Beige
Ms Scarlet
Dr Informed
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44 comments:
I have a theorey. Laugh or not. Why do we encourage people to study medicine. We should just stop teaching them when they are our students and discourage all who would like to be. I am sorry to all those whose burning desire it is to be a doc. Just STOP. Do not go through with it, do something useful with your lives. I will not degrade any other job with an arguement based on "you can't be a doc so you might as well be a.........."
For God's sake do not become a doc. In any form. Live your lives, stay away from hospitals, stay away from idealistic people. Please dont become a doc. Earn money or not - your good will is not worth that which you will go through.
As for me, after this next round of traversty goes ahead - I will chuck away 10 plus years of training. To all students - do you want this?
Dr Sniper
markets dont work unless the end consumer can take his business anywhere he likes, end consumers cannot with the nhs, and there lies its biggest problem
Oh for Fuck's Sake....
Get a blogger account - that way it's obvious to everyone when you use the same 'cut and paste' response to everything we post (whether the subject is markets or not).
For the 30th time - if you want to be a customer or a consumer of healthcare - go some where else.
Do you think it's time that the NHS was completely taken out of the hands of the Government altogether? It has been one failed administration after the next, though New Labour have really taken the biscuit when it comes to pouring money away! Would be interested to hear those from the "inside"'s opinions - particularly yours Dr Rant - running a poll on the idea here, if you are interested:
http://www.pickinglosers.co.uk/advanced_poll_binary/jg/20070430/should_nhs_be_given_independence_from_political_control
ah but the governance model and lack of power for the end customers if the problem with the nhs
whether u like it or not, that lies at the heart of most of the issues
Anonymous one
I sense you lead complaint is lack of customer empowerment within the NHS.
From the doctor's side our biggest complaint is lack of doctor empowerment.
We don't want to be empowered over patients, we want to be empowered so that we can help patients.
The synthesis of our views might well be that the NHS disempowers everyone and costs a lot for not a lot.
I think a big problem is the targets etc that GPs are forced to try and meet. Not only does it take up their time, but according to most GPs I have tried to stop sharing my records, it also makes what little rights us patients have to confidentality.
I would never say doctors/nurses should go on strike, but I think there comes a point where doctors have to get some back bone and just say no. Do you really think they [goverment] will tell you all to piss off?
Sorry if this offends, but stop moaning and actually do something.
I admit to being a pain in the rear. I have anoyed GPs, the GMC, the ICO, PCTs, CfH, Harry Cayton, Mike Walker and proberbly even Richard Granger to name but a few. I make no apologies for that as I believe that patients should be able to tell their doctor/nurse something and keep it between them unless it is something like they are abusing children or they have a contagious disease. People like me put ourselves up to let others take shots at us if they want because we belive in actually doing something rather than just moaning about how things suck and not doing anything.
Things like targets, performance related pay, waiting times, employers, insurance companies, researchers, drug companies and a whole load of others simply get in the way. If you dont like it, do something about it.
Back to the original posts point...
Medical Student intake needs to be slashed. Dramatically. The government has shown it is unwilling to employ even the "trifling," excess of Junior Docs present now.
And the problems in the profession at present are candles next to bonfires the problems we'll witness when the tidal wave of studentsv (which I am riding the crest of) hits the Job Market. From 100 odd students to 370 in ten years is my schools impressive increase. And the profession is in real trouble if the entry to Med School is not slashed.
Dr Rant - will you need an enthusiastic, savvy, well-intentioned young man to help you in your practice in the future?
Perhaps as a typist or a handyman.
Ahmed Stewdent.
Sorry Im afraid that to say nothing has improved in the last 10 years is as crass as most of Patsy's pronouncements.
John the Manager
I love teaching. But why do I bother any more? I genuinely feel that if we starve the government of saps, we stop the problem. It fucks over the patients but it is more honest than providing them with a substandard consultant and saying that there is a good service.
Dr Sniper
Dr Blue wrote... "The synthesis of our views might well be that the NHS disempowers everyone and costs a lot for not a lot."
Now you're getting there, Blue.
And, of course, this was almost inevitable given that the primary objectives of the DoH are political ones. In fact, it's almost a requirement of a successful political outcome - ie one that the Tories can't successfully attack - that doctors be strait-jacketed and patients silenced.
Dear me, folks, what a mess. Hope I don't get sick.
according to blair everyone tells him the nhs is better than it was 10 years ago, if this is true then i feel sorry for him as he is clearly surrounded by yes men
John The Manager
There have been improvements in some of the shinier, easier to quantify areas - but go to the average acute elderly care ward at the weekend and you'll struggle to find any improvement at all.
The problem lies with quantificatison and the production of statistic - arbitary and simplistic statistics are collected and trumpeted with out reference to the fact that they are a)incomplete and b) fraudulently 'gamed' by mechanisms such as referral management that obfuscate the real picture and over estimate the improvement.
All this may massage management egos, but doesn't answer why the staff who actually deliver the services are so pissed off - and it ain't about pay - it's about the loss of professional integrity and common sense.
Also why have has it taken 10 years of 'progress' to end up with an NHS that looks almost identical in structure to the one than New Labour enthusiastically demolished in the late 1990s?
The real question is: have these improvements been commensurate with the increased money chucked at the NHS in real terms?
The answer is a resounding No!
John the Manager (possibly a voice crying out in the wilderness even more than the Baptist?)
There may have been some improvements in NHS in last ten years. Any of them have happened despite, rather than because of, our political leaders.
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