If there is a thing which *really* gets on my tit, it is the government's
continued insistence on issuing ream upon ream of planning guidance at a
time when it is painfully obvious to someone of the meanest intelligence
that the NHS is on its knees. Today, believe it or not, we reached HSC
1998/230, which means that our political masters have managed to issue one
substantial piece of guidance every working day this financial year.
At a time when wards are running on partially trained staff, we can't
recruit easily into any specialty, and trusts are running flat out trying to
keep enough beds open to survive another night, we are blithely told that we
must devote our attention to the HImP (Health Improvement Plan), the PCIP
(Primary Care Investment Plan), and encourage practice level plans - all in
the name of improving quality for God's sake.
The government would spend its, and our time, far more effectively if it
recognised that the ship was foundering and gave us some time and money to
plug the holes, rather than telling the band to play louder. As it is, I
have a strong urge to drag some of the myriad managers who staff Quarry
House out of their airless little rooms and introduce them to the reality of
life at the sharp end of what amounts to a third world health service in a
first world country.
Andrew
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