One of the few taboos left in our modern society is one that makes it difficult to criticise other people's expressions of grief. Because of that it is difficult to criticise Ann Clwyd Roberts' recent attack on the nursing profession, made in the context of the death of her husband.
Of course I sympathise with Ann in her loss, I met her late husband Owen on a few occasions and I would be horrified to think that his last days were blighted by lack of care in Wales' flagship hospital, but I'm sorry Ann, I doubt that it is true.
Because professional health care workers expect to be at the butt end of anger as an expression of grief, being insouciant about such attacks is an element of being a caring health care worker.
When my eldest son was a little boy, about 4 years old, he was rushed into hospital with a very severe ear infection. A doctor told me that if the infection spread to his brain that he would die and that the severity of his condition suggested that that was the most likely outcome, his chances of survival were very low indeed!
I hated that doctor with a level of hatred that you cannot imagine – I wanted to do worse than "shoot the messenger".
I see him occasionally in the aisles of the local Tesco store and every time I see him I feel my stomach churning 12 years after the event! Did he break the news gently and with compassion or was he brusk and clinical? I don't know. All I can remember of the event is the horror of some ****** telling me that my lovely little baby was likely to die. Thankfully my son survived, but I still hate that doctor despite the fact that he saved my son's life.
When our loved ones are in hospital it is difficult to be rational, they are the most important people in the world to us we are very emotionally involved with their care, anybody who shows less emotion in such a crisis can appear "callous". But the nurse on that ward may have thirty other patients to deal with s/he has other relatives and friends who are as demanding of her / his attention for their loved ones as I am for mine. S/he can only give one thirtieth of the time that I feel my nearest and dearest deserves, because s/he has to care for the other 29 patients too.
Having a child, a parent, a spouse a grandparent in hospital coming to the end of their lives is probably one of the most traumatic experiences any of us can have. Dealing with the expression of that trauma is an everyday occurrence for health care professionals; If they become emotionally involved they will burn out! A caring professional must be able to share professional empathy with all patients and clients but they cannot give personal sympathy (which is what most of us want from them) and carry on working.
Indeed professional standards and even basic empathy can often conflict. Refuse to tell an 82 year old granny how her granddaughter and prospective great-grandchild are doing and you will be accused of being a callous "jobs worth"; give that information, unintentionally, to hacks and you have breached patient confidentiality and are the butt of a radio hoax and at the arse end of a Professional Conduct Enquiry!
What annoys me most about Ann's intervention on this issue is that she, as a Labour MP, has allowed Jeremy Cunt to respond to her grief by claiming that nursing has descended into the normalisation of cruelty! A means of blaming nurses, rather than government, for failings in the NHS
Ann - Is that sick lie about dedicated public servants what you want Owen to be remembered for?
Showing posts with label NHS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHS. Show all posts
05/10/2011
Why RT is wrong on cancer and millionaire's paracetamol
If I happened to be the winner of yesterday's £85 million Euro Millions Lottery Jackpot, and I decided to use my windfall in order to move into a mansion in a leafy English shire, I would still be able to get free prescriptions on the English NHS. So if Andrew RT Davies objects to free prescriptions being given to Welsh millionaires, of whom there are few, why do his friends in Westminster continue to provide free prescriptions to millionaires in England (of whom there are many)?
Free prescriptions (regardless of income) are available to English millionaires who are aged 60 or over, and those who suffer from some long term illnesses such as epilepsy or diabetes, and those who are pregnant or have been pregnant during the past 12 months.
Cancer is an emotive subject; it is probably the disease that frightens many of us most. When Andrew states that patients are being deprived of cancer drugs because millionaires are getting free paracetamol in Wales, he makes an emotive point. An emotive point that is frankly immoral. To gain enough money to give just one patient a course of Avistin, his fabled Welsh millionaire would have to give up one hundred and fifty thousand courses of free prescription paracetamol. The cost of the 24 cancer drugs that Andrew RT wants to provided on the NHS in Wales would cost as much as 1380 Trillion boxes of paracetamol. Andrew's millionaire mate must have one hell of a headache!
If the drugs that Andrew RT Davies was complaining about cured cancer, I would have sympathy for his argument, but they don't. The drugs extend life for between 3 and 5 months, months that will be lived suffering from cancer rather than living with cancer, at a cost estimated by the Scottish Government in 2006 of between £24k and £93k per patient for the drugs alone (the prolonged palliative care will add to the cost).
If my doctor tells me tomorrow that I am going to die before next Christmas I can see no justification in spending £93K+ in keeping me alive until next Easter.
To expect hundreds of ill people in Wales to fork out £7.50 a script for drugs that will make them better, in order to finance my terminal illness for an extra two months of a drug comatosed life would be selfishly sick.
Free prescriptions (regardless of income) are available to English millionaires who are aged 60 or over, and those who suffer from some long term illnesses such as epilepsy or diabetes, and those who are pregnant or have been pregnant during the past 12 months.
Cancer is an emotive subject; it is probably the disease that frightens many of us most. When Andrew states that patients are being deprived of cancer drugs because millionaires are getting free paracetamol in Wales, he makes an emotive point. An emotive point that is frankly immoral. To gain enough money to give just one patient a course of Avistin, his fabled Welsh millionaire would have to give up one hundred and fifty thousand courses of free prescription paracetamol. The cost of the 24 cancer drugs that Andrew RT wants to provided on the NHS in Wales would cost as much as 1380 Trillion boxes of paracetamol. Andrew's millionaire mate must have one hell of a headache!
If the drugs that Andrew RT Davies was complaining about cured cancer, I would have sympathy for his argument, but they don't. The drugs extend life for between 3 and 5 months, months that will be lived suffering from cancer rather than living with cancer, at a cost estimated by the Scottish Government in 2006 of between £24k and £93k per patient for the drugs alone (the prolonged palliative care will add to the cost).
If my doctor tells me tomorrow that I am going to die before next Christmas I can see no justification in spending £93K+ in keeping me alive until next Easter.
To expect hundreds of ill people in Wales to fork out £7.50 a script for drugs that will make them better, in order to finance my terminal illness for an extra two months of a drug comatosed life would be selfishly sick.
08/02/2010
Bates and the Bottle
If Mick Bates AM is guilty of assaulting health workers who were attempting to help him after he had injured himself in a drunken accident he is a yob, and he deserves to be punished with the full force of the law just like any other drunken yob who turns nasty in his cups. His excuse that he can't recall the incident (because of the bang to his head not because of the beer in his belly) is weak and his attempt at an apology, saying he's sorry IF he did something wrong is insufficient and inappropriate.
Mr Bates has not only let himself down but has also let down his family, his party, his constituents and the Assembly. The Assembly is a body that has a duty to ensure that NHS workers are protected against violent behaviour by patients, so I cannot see how Mr Bates position as a member can remain tenable if this story is true; he should resign his seat immediately.
Despite not having an ounce of sympathy for Mick Bates, there is another element in this story that causes concern. It is reported that the alleged assault happened some weeks ago. If this is the case then the matter should have been reported some weeks ago, and Mr Bates should have been forced to resign some weeks ago. If the story has been sat upon for some weeks in order to publish it on the weekend of the Liberal Democrats conference then it reeks of the most foul sort of journalistic political bias. Perhaps Mr Bates isn't the only person who should be seriously considering his suitability for the job that he is doing, perhaps the reporters and editor of Wales on Sunday should be doing the same thing.
Mr Bates has not only let himself down but has also let down his family, his party, his constituents and the Assembly. The Assembly is a body that has a duty to ensure that NHS workers are protected against violent behaviour by patients, so I cannot see how Mr Bates position as a member can remain tenable if this story is true; he should resign his seat immediately.
Despite not having an ounce of sympathy for Mick Bates, there is another element in this story that causes concern. It is reported that the alleged assault happened some weeks ago. If this is the case then the matter should have been reported some weeks ago, and Mr Bates should have been forced to resign some weeks ago. If the story has been sat upon for some weeks in order to publish it on the weekend of the Liberal Democrats conference then it reeks of the most foul sort of journalistic political bias. Perhaps Mr Bates isn't the only person who should be seriously considering his suitability for the job that he is doing, perhaps the reporters and editor of Wales on Sunday should be doing the same thing.
09/09/2009
Doctor! Doctor!
Last week, when the A level results came out, the daughter of a friend of mine had, what she called crap results. She had one A and three B's.
Since she was a little girl she had always wanted to be a Doctor. Unfortunately her results weren't good enough to give her access to any medical course in any UK university.
A couple of weeks ago Leanne Wood made the pertinent point that:
Welsh NHS Trusts are facing problems recruiting doctors because of new immigration rules.
There are up to 25 per cent vacancies in some key specialities with some Trusts having an over-reliance on locum or agency doctors. Nearly 200 vacancies have been identified at just four of the NHS Trusts in Wales.
At the risk of being called racist, why are we refusing medical training to Welsh girls who could fill some of these vacancies?
If there are 200 vacancies for doctors in Welsh NHS trusts, why are Welsh medical school entry requirements so high as to discourage 200 Welsh school leavers from attempting to train to fill those vacancies?
My friend's daughter has embarked on a nursing course. Something that was available, in my day, to those with two C grade O levels – what a waste of an education! What awaste of public fund investment in her A level education!
Since she was a little girl she had always wanted to be a Doctor. Unfortunately her results weren't good enough to give her access to any medical course in any UK university.
A couple of weeks ago Leanne Wood made the pertinent point that:
Welsh NHS Trusts are facing problems recruiting doctors because of new immigration rules.
There are up to 25 per cent vacancies in some key specialities with some Trusts having an over-reliance on locum or agency doctors. Nearly 200 vacancies have been identified at just four of the NHS Trusts in Wales.
At the risk of being called racist, why are we refusing medical training to Welsh girls who could fill some of these vacancies?
If there are 200 vacancies for doctors in Welsh NHS trusts, why are Welsh medical school entry requirements so high as to discourage 200 Welsh school leavers from attempting to train to fill those vacancies?
My friend's daughter has embarked on a nursing course. Something that was available, in my day, to those with two C grade O levels – what a waste of an education! What awaste of public fund investment in her A level education!
04/07/2008
Same Old Tories
Glyn Davies' most recent posts is in praise of a private health care facility in Newport to treat bowel cancer:
Like the ideological prejudice that those who can't afford this private facility are left to die in pain. No doubt!
Now I'm not going to play politics with this issue. It matters too much to me. I realise there are complex arguments, but I do hope that people suffering from bowel cancer are not being required to pay with their lives for some ideological prejudice against using the private sector
Like the ideological prejudice that those who can't afford this private facility are left to die in pain. No doubt!
09/02/2008
Whats in it for me?
The National Assembly has been lauded for its new Epilepsy Strategy that is, apparently, the UK's first of its kind. I am always happy to see the Assembly being innovative and being the first to do good deeds - it makes me proud to be Welsh.
As a person who has lived with epilepsy for the past 30 odd years I am a bit under whelmed by what I have read about the Assembly's Epilepsy Strategy. It seems to be strategy to tell doctors to fiddle with sufferer's medication; this shouldn't need a new strategy. Good GP's should review anticonvulsant treatments at least once a year under present good practice guidelines (as my GP does).
It also claims to include measures to provide more hospital care closer to peoples' homes. The rare hospital involvement in my treatment has always been provided by my local general hospital, so I can't see how better hospital care can practically be provided any closer to my home. So-called quality treatments normaly involve centralising services, and centralising services for people whose disability usually prohibits them from driving is not a good idea!
As much as I would like to shout hoorah! Wales leads the world in services for people who live with epilepsy! From what I have read about the strategy, so far, it isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to my life!
As a person who has lived with epilepsy for the past 30 odd years I am a bit under whelmed by what I have read about the Assembly's Epilepsy Strategy. It seems to be strategy to tell doctors to fiddle with sufferer's medication; this shouldn't need a new strategy. Good GP's should review anticonvulsant treatments at least once a year under present good practice guidelines (as my GP does).
It also claims to include measures to provide more hospital care closer to peoples' homes. The rare hospital involvement in my treatment has always been provided by my local general hospital, so I can't see how better hospital care can practically be provided any closer to my home. So-called quality treatments normaly involve centralising services, and centralising services for people whose disability usually prohibits them from driving is not a good idea!
As much as I would like to shout hoorah! Wales leads the world in services for people who live with epilepsy! From what I have read about the strategy, so far, it isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to my life!
06/09/2007
One Hospital in the North!
A few years ago my wife use to attend an out patients clinic in Morriston Hospital Swansea. The trip from Conwy use to take about six hours each way. Because of the distance we would have to go down the day before the appointment and come back they day after. Our children would have to come with us, causing them to miss three days school. The cost was extortionate, the inconvenience was worse.
The outpatients visits were sort of pre-operative, one had to attend the clinic in order for the doctor to juggle where one was on the op-list. The inconvenience of the trip was just too much for my wife, the kids and me. My wife elected to come off the list and to die with the condition that she was being seen for.
A triumph for the Labour Party - another one off the waiting list - hooray! A long drawn out tragedy for my family and me.
My wife is off the waiting list but she is still seriously ill and still severely disabled by her health problem, she just isn't one of the statistics any more!
The idea that people can travel from the north Wales coast to the south Wales coast for treatments, of any sort, is ridiculous. But treatment in Liverpool isn't the answer either. It may be convenient for David Jones' MP's constituents to go to Liverpool from Prestatyn, but Liverpool is as difficult to get to from Aberdyfi as is Swansea!
The problem that the Health Service in north Wales has is too many small coastal hospitals, none of which can give a decent provision in the modern world. Bangor, Bodelwyddan, Aberystwyth and Wrexham are tiddler hospitals. What the north needs is one major league hospital in a central location, Bala, Dolgellau, Denbigh, Blaenau or Llanrwst, that is the equal too, if not better than, Cardiff's University Hospital.
Unfortunately no AM or MP would agree to support the closure of their local tiddler hospital in order to create one major league hospital in central north Wales. Any movement towards creating a Super Hospital in central north Wales would be opposed by the selfish brigade who want to keep their hospitals in their community.
But unless we give up our parochial attitudes and accept the need for one centre of excellence hospital in central north Wales, the trips to Swansea, Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham and even London are going to continue.
The outpatients visits were sort of pre-operative, one had to attend the clinic in order for the doctor to juggle where one was on the op-list. The inconvenience of the trip was just too much for my wife, the kids and me. My wife elected to come off the list and to die with the condition that she was being seen for.
A triumph for the Labour Party - another one off the waiting list - hooray! A long drawn out tragedy for my family and me.
My wife is off the waiting list but she is still seriously ill and still severely disabled by her health problem, she just isn't one of the statistics any more!
The idea that people can travel from the north Wales coast to the south Wales coast for treatments, of any sort, is ridiculous. But treatment in Liverpool isn't the answer either. It may be convenient for David Jones' MP's constituents to go to Liverpool from Prestatyn, but Liverpool is as difficult to get to from Aberdyfi as is Swansea!
The problem that the Health Service in north Wales has is too many small coastal hospitals, none of which can give a decent provision in the modern world. Bangor, Bodelwyddan, Aberystwyth and Wrexham are tiddler hospitals. What the north needs is one major league hospital in a central location, Bala, Dolgellau, Denbigh, Blaenau or Llanrwst, that is the equal too, if not better than, Cardiff's University Hospital.
Unfortunately no AM or MP would agree to support the closure of their local tiddler hospital in order to create one major league hospital in central north Wales. Any movement towards creating a Super Hospital in central north Wales would be opposed by the selfish brigade who want to keep their hospitals in their community.
But unless we give up our parochial attitudes and accept the need for one centre of excellence hospital in central north Wales, the trips to Swansea, Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham and even London are going to continue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)