... get up, get the kids off to school, run out of the house, slam the front door. Head for the car, the station, yer-bike… another day begins.
You don’t notice.
Get home, knackered, head for the fridge, the sofa, the lap-top.
You don’t notice.
It’s been like it for weeks.
At the weekend, yer granny comes for tea and the first thing she asks is, when are you going to decorate the hall.
She’s noticed the peeling wall-paper by the front door. You’ve passed it so many times, you just don’t see it.
In management speak, it’s operational blindness. Lack of attention caused by routine.
In reality, it might be why the NHS is going to hell in a hand cart and no one seems to see it.
It’s just the way it is. Big numbers... routine.
I thought the Confed might have provided a fulcrum point. It didn’t.
Matt-the-Knife was ignored. No19 told us, giving the NHS more money was ‘unfair on the young’.
Amanda Pritchard’s solutions were; better access to imaging and more beds. Am I the gormless one here? We don’t have the people to either? Do we?
Only Sue Holden’s session on Trust recovery seemed to have a grasp of reality. (more later in the week)
The NHS is going to hell in a handcart and no one is noticing. It’s become the routine. The wallpaper, by the front door.
In case you are forgetting…
… there was a time when nearly seven million people weren’t waiting for treatment.
… there was a time when we had enough people to do the job, safely.
… there was a time when you rang 999 and something happened… like an ambulance turned-up.
How strange is all that?
On Friday the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch told us delayed Ambulance handovers were dangerous.
We know. Everyone knows. But, no one knows what to do and ‘that’s the way it is’.
The CQC tell us hosptials are running into problems with staffing and demand.
We know... 'that's the way it is'.
COVID numbers are on the way up. A&E attendances were up 53% on the same month last year and despite an heroic cut in two year waits, a record of over 6.48 million people are waiting for treatment.
Mothball the CQC, HSIB, NICE, HEE and every other arms length body; reassign all their staff to work at their local hosptials and practices.
Pharmaceutical and device companies employ thousands of ex-registered and current clinical staff. Second them into the front line and make the companies keep paying the wages.
Suspend the GMC and NMC, get their people into the front line.
Stop all new initiatives, however worthy. They are a distraction. Focus on the day-job… which is safe through-put.
Blitz a recruitment campaign for new training routes into adult social care. Training on the job. It’s quicker than training nurses. Focus on care packages and community support.
Sort the consultant tax-problem… or, find another Chancellor who will.
Inflation will destroy all budget forecasts. Shred them. Reallocate funding. Focus on access recovery; primary, emergency, waiting-lists.
The Ambulance Service is semi-detached from NHSE. Either create a direct-line of control from NHSE, get a grip, or hand it to local government. Run it alongside the fire-brigade. There must be economies of scale.
Don’t like any of this? Think it’s over the top? Bonkers? Too risky…
… ok, tell me what you are going to do now, this morning to stop the slide. I’m listening because…
… people are dying, waiting...
... and I’m not hearing anything from the people who are supposed to be running the show.
>> I'm hearing - Canada is short of GPs and trying to recruit. They are offering;
1 hour per patient to get to know them
20-minute appointments thereafter
Starts 9am
Finishes 4pm
Protected 1-hour lunch
£10K moving expenses
£180k per year basic
>> I'm hearing - our international nurses are mainly on Tier 2 visas as they have been in the UK less than 5 years. This means they have no recourse to public funds such as child benefit, housing support etc., and won’t have access to any additional support that comes through these routes. Although in theory they can work an additional 20 hours a week! I wonder if Dame Ruth knows abut this?
>> I'm hearing - Access to nursing courses via A-level varies from Uni to Uni; grading ranges: BBB or BBC or BCC. This is bonkers isn't it? Shouldn't there be a national standard? How many prospective nurses are we missing out on? I wonder if Dame Ruth knows about this?
>> I'm hearing - The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched an eight-week consultation on proposed changes to English language requirements for internationally trained applicants. about time too. The current test is largely irrelevant in terms of content and context.
