Events organisers are back in business, targetting NHS Trusts. These Trusts are one of the biggest buyers of their services, as most have an unlimited budget for these events, such as the latest entitled New Deal for the NHS.
STOP! WE DON’T need any more New Deals. As patients, we don’t need yet another expensive restructuring – just a chance to build on and retain the good ideas that evolved during the past year when staff got to be in charge.
Instead of yet another expensive conference, wouldn’t it be better to get together and discuss what went RIGHT during 2020? There were some innovative schemes set up by Consultants, Nurses, Physios, etc., so let’s retain these. Apart from missing out on Hydrotherapy, the rest of my treatment for all my conditions was brilliant; organised by the people treating me, not some Call Centre contracted in by the Trust and running three months behind. Yes, cancer patients had appalling experiences, but for many of us the staff set up ways of delivering treatments that were brilliant. So let’s build on that.
South Central Ambulance Service recently organised a meeting by Zoom, where I was asked to give my views on what I found worked well with hospital transport during 2020. I was able to put forward favourable comments on their use of London Black Cabs that they had hired in, commenting on benefits, particularly as these cabs have special features for making transport much more comfortable for disabled passengers.
Admin staff love conferences; these take up time, and give an excuse for being away from their desk. The CQC (Care and Quality Commission) have started the ball rolling with ‘ The World of Health and Social Care is Changing‘. You can read the 26-page prospectus, or go to this address, get a one-page précis and give your comments. https://www.cqc.org.uk/get-involved/consultations/world-health-social-care-changing-so-are-weActua
Mind you, someone elsewhere has got the message. As a reporter on two G7 Summits, I laughed when I saw this year’s event is being held in Carbis Bay. This is a tiny Cornish village, so it will mean the world’s press are going to have to spread themselves out amongst other resorts. (Good for tourist business). It won’t matter that there is nowhere big enough to host the full gathering, as things are worked out before-hand, and G7 is just a massive photo-opportunity where deals get the official rubber stamp.
I went off G7 when I received my briefing notes listing where we allowed to stand and photograph the wives on their day out. I was allocated a ‘space behind the 7th palm tree on the left’.
But the NHS doesn’t need to play games to revive a flagging tourist industry. It needs to hold on to the good things that came out of 2020. Not spend precious funds on devising New Deals.