TOPIC - Hospital Horror stories

Well folks! What can I say? Eat healthily, exercise often and stay away from loose carpets, bicycles and steep stairs. Because the last place you want to be is in hospital! Especially if you live in Mid Staffordshire! Or anywhere else that tries to meet government targets! Here’s hoping that Coleraine Hospital ignores all financial targets, turns its back on solvency and instead chooses to spend loads of money on what it was designed to do, look after us! Our very own in-house expert, Jenny, informs us that nurses are good for you. Like birthdays, the more you have, the longer you live. (Yes. I liked that one too! All appreciative comments on good jokes welcome. Just press comments button now.) 

So are the managers to blame for poor service? Or maybe it’s the systems themselves. How on earth can off site managers have any meaningful insight into all the complexities of every day care? Do we expect too much of them? Is it time to bring in Gerry Robinson/Alex Polizzi or  even Wonderboy Jamie Oliver? Any one of them would tell us it’s time for a measure of investment, a spoonful of expertise and a large dose of common sense. Ok. So there are problems. La vie n’est pas toujours en rose in the NHS. Mais la vie n’est pas toujours en noir non plus.

But just like the farmers, the food producers, the supermarkets, just like everyone else, the NHS must take on the principals of integrity, accountability, responsibility. Maybe heads must roll in Mid Staffordshire too. And what are we, you and I, Mr and Mrs Ordinary, what are we doing to ensure our hospital staff remain accountable? We won’t be able to vote for our rights when we’re in the throws of a cardiac arrest. But now, when we’re well, when we can read, when we can write, when we can comment back on blogs (just press comment now), when we can lobby and speak out………….. maybe now there are things we can do to ensure we have done all we can to create the health service  we may one day be so grateful for. Did Cliodhna say something about a letter to sign? And Jerry mentioned a date for those local politicians, didn’t he? Time to act! Citizens Revolt!