Once again, my apologies for being long winded, but it matters. Stafford matters.
Local healthcare:
Last time, I gave my views on the NHS as a whole; things that need to be discussed. It was not a prescription, but more of a skeleton to be fleshed out. This one is more relevant to Stafford.
Firstly, despite all of the issues and all of the NHS bashing we hear, the people working in the NHS are doing a fabulous job, often against the odds. Well done and you deserve far more than a round of applause every week and a nice enamel badge.
I very recently had a new hip… on the NHS. It was magnificent to see it all come together. THANK YOU!!
Stafford needs a 24hr A&E department; just like we used to have. Stafford Hospital, or as the bigwigs have now called it: County Hospital, Stafford. I wonder what this cost and did the money come from patient care? Why do they love to rebrand stuff all of the time? Anyway, we need an A&E department available 24 hours per day.
County Hospital, Stafford has had a torrid time over the last number of years. At its worst, there were very many and serious problems, but much work has gone into mending it. I know about some of the issues, both of my parents died there at that time. I have witnessed inexcusable bad practise there, but I do not and will not condemn good people or the place itself. It was never the worst hospital in the country, just the one that received the most publicity.
So, in a nutshell: 24hour A&E. Terms and conditions to retain the best people; for example hours that do not ruin you. Free parking for staff. Salaries that make you know you are appreciated. All of the above would make you feel appreciated. Healthcare is largely a vocation and this makes you vulnerable to the policy makers who have grandiose ideas on running a business; well, it is not a business and ideas such as internal budgeting skew the entire process up and down the line. Put the management of the place back into the hands of those who provide the care, managers are there to make it work, not dictate terms.
Targets have no place in healthcare, as Robert Francis QC stated at the enquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, and yet we still have them. Ask someone who works for the ambulance service about how targets mess things up.
Social Care has traditionally been the whipping boy of the system. We all love to bash the “doo-gooding” social worker. Yet, they do, do good, often against the odds and despite the bad headlines when things go wrong. Time is a very good tool, but again it costs money. Time to get to know the individual (or “customer” as the muppets like to call them). Time to travel between sites to help your patients. Time to provide help and comfort, time to listen, time to actually do your job how it should be done, to help your fellow human being. People are not merely machines that need servicing, we need company; we crave company and modern life is doing its utmost to take this away from the vulnerable in particular. Social care needs to be sociable.
What about GP surgeries? Getting an appointment is a lottery. Time with your GP is precious and too short. GPs themselves hate this state of affairs, but GP recruitment is at rock bottom. Again, this is due to terms and conditions and over-burdening administration and compliance, that is finishing the careers of good people at what should be their peak. I know many doctors who cannot wait to take retirement or have done so at the end of their tethers. This is an appalling waste of talent and ruins lives in many ways.
Much of this is impossible to fix overnight. What we need is a change in approach from above. Less interference and more trust. Yes, it costs money at first, as do most fixes. There have been horrific incidents and abuses, but we have now gone too far and society is damaging itself. Let’s just use the money for a better purpose.
“We have taken this on board and lessons will be learned” is a tired mantra that nobody truly believes any more. I for one have heard the wind blow many times and I am fed up with it. I wonder, for example, how the number of abuses and shortcomings in health and social care has changed since the inception of the problematic CQC? They don’t seem to be that effective.
If you have got this far, I truly thank you, but I make no apologies for treating you like an intelligent human being.
Is this Loony?
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