Dr. Max Pemberton writes in the Daily Mail that the NHS needs fixing, and suggests starting with axing managers.
And whilst they are about it, please will Physios back me up when I protest that the NHS should stop dumbing down their profession?
Going into hospital now can be a frightening experience today. Fracturing my pelvis (for the second time) was probably inevitable, as I have Osteoporosis. The first time, in London, things went relatively smoothly, and I was discharged from the hospital with an excellent package of physiotherapy which set me on my feet again.
This time was a very different experience, maybe because I have moved to a different area that seems to practice the ‘postcode lottery’. Or perhaps it is as Dr. Pemberton wrote in the Daily Mail. that the NHS “should”Sack all slackers” ” who have reduced the NHS to such an appalling level of care.
Arriving at the massive John Radcliffe Hospita in Oxford, I pleaded to be treated in the ‘Acute A & E’ Department, as it is staffed by the Military from Brize Norton and super efficient. But no, I was taken into the standard A & E. Only stayed there for 23 hours, then I was moved, and the next day I was moved again. In my befuddled state I suspected this was because I hadn’t seen a Doctor, so was moved before my time was up.
On the third day, I was discharged to the local Community Hospital; The journey was a nightmare because my discharge papers said only that I had poor eyesight. No mention of a fractured pelvis, so every time we went over a pothole I had to grit my teeth.
The less said about the Community Hospital the better; only good thing was the Physio team, and they promised me that I would have a full physiotherapy package at home – as previously.
At home, an Assessor came to see me, to give me the ‘good’ news that my physio would be supervised by my Carers. Naturally my Carers refused, saying they weren’t trained.
What on earth is the NHS up to thinking someone with no training can take over the work of a highly-trained physiotherapist? This is dumbing down of the worst kind.
My GP is horrified, and spent far too much time trying to get me proper care. Healthwatch are not happy, but can’t do much. Meanwhile the Assessor tells me I will have to pay privately, and then proceeds to ask me intrusive questions: “did you pay for private care in London?” “How many times a week do you have a cleaner?” and similar. All to get me to admit I can pay for private physio.
But even if I had, like many, Covid cost me a lot, and I struggle to make my pension pay for increased costs. I shiver all winter, yet even so am horrified at fuel costs, and just can’t afford private physio.
So for the past fortnight I have been phoning every NHS department I can to see how I can get the physio I need. but If I hear the phrase “take care” one more time from NHS staff, I will scream. Recently the NHS has been receiving a lot of flack, so I was interested to read Dr. Pemberton’s column in the Daily Mail, and find I was not alone in my concerns.
For anyone reading this, if you live in an area that seems to have a ‘post code lottery’ in operation – Watch out.
I don’t know what Max Pemberton actually said but I can tell you that so many problems within the current NHS are due to chronic underfunding over the last 14 years and the privatisation of parts of the NHS (which evidence shows are not cost-saving and actually do more harm than good to NHS patients). Please see keepournhspublic.com for relevant evidence-based articles.
What would help most would be a decent pay rise (possibly beginning to happen now) to keep experienced staff in the service and attract new ones who will have enough support from the experienced ones to keep them in the service.
Then there wouldn’t have to be these conversations which falsely rationalise the cuts in the service and try to eg persuade patients that carers can supervise physio as Verite says, because there aren’t enough physios.
Managers should act collectively and publicly (as striking clinical staff have been doing) to speak ‘truth to power’ and embarrass the government into action which actually solves problems instead of bleating about the NHS being broken and in need of reform.
The NHS needs more money and more staff who would then have enough breathing space to become more efficient. And the new government also needs persuading that involving private companies in NHS work drains money out of the service and into company profits.