On 01/08/07, Paul Bromley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hi Julian,

I suppose you could be very right with this one, and that this
governement is trying its utmost to antagonise all doctors to provoke
the downfall of the NHS in the way that you are suggesting. They have
certainly done a good job at lowering my morale, despite now having a
part-time job that suits me very nicely. Fortunately I try and manage
to stay out of all of the politics and enjoy my twighlight years of
reduced hours in the NHS looking forward to my full retirement in 5
years time if I can stand it for that length of time.

Paul Bromley

On 31/07/07, Julian Bradley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> There are two issues.
>
> Firstly general practice does not match the lifestyles of
> politicians, journalists and some other key opinion formers.  It may
> be extremely good for a large number of people, but its weakness in
> caring for both opinion formers and the most needy is a serious one.
>
> Secondly it's not feasible to run an NHS as originally conceived that
> will meet the consumerist expectations of a modern society.  Further
> it may not be feasible to run an NHS as originally conceived within a
> European Union with free movement of people, and be the only country
> to have such a system.
>
> If the NHS is not sustainable long term (and it probably isn't) then
> no government wants to face the responsibility for destroying it.  If
> they treated nurses badly the government would still carry the
> can.  They do treat managers badly but no-one cares and anyway until
> now there have always been more coming forward to be canon fodder.
>
> Only by seriously upsetting doctors could the government hope for the
> collapse of the NHS with its current aim of comprehensive health care
> accessible to the whole population.
>
> The BMJ asks whether this is cock up or conspiracy.  I don't think
> the two are mutually exclusive.  Some play the game knowingly, some
> are just pawns in the greater scheme of things, often quite capable
> of cocking things up all by themselves.
>
> If this is one version of a reasonable analysis, one of the
> fundamental questions is just how wrong the government is to do what
> it's doing.  Is it just a little wrong because it's trying to do the
> right thing for the country but in a rather underhand way?  Is it
> trying to do the wrong thing altogether?  Does it have the right to
> harm a generation of doctors for its political ends?  It does have
> the right to send people to their death so the pain suffered by
> doctors might well be considered legitimate by some.
>
> Of course most people don't think like this so maybe the questions
> are all just rhetorical.
>
> One of our local consultants, no risk factors known, died young last
> week, probably of an MI.  I wonder if his ghost will haunt NHS
> management.  I wonder if it does, whether it will be the only one.
>
> Julian
>

--
Best Wishes

Paul Bromley

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