I couldn’t be more serious in beginning to reflect on the Francis report with a joke. The joke is employed by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek in his illustration of ideology, quoting from the director Ernst Lubitsch’s film Ninotchka. In this film, the hero visits a cafeteria and orders coffee without cream; the waiter replies: “I’m sorry, […]
Category: NHS
Margaret McCartney on the petition to get Bounty reps out of NHS maternity wards
It’s not just me who is annoyed about the presence of Bounty reps on NHS wards, who pay the NHS to be allowed access to give samples of products to new mothers—and who earn money from selling on parents names and addresses. I wrote in the BMJ that, “The lack of knowledge about what signing […]
Richard Vize: David Nicholson’s last speech to the NHS Confederation conference
Sir David Nicholson’s last speech to the annual NHS Confederation conference as the leader of the service reflected all the traits of his seven years in control. His passion, commitment, and drive were undeniable, but he failed to acknowledge mistakes which had undermined patient care, gave little time to the role of local clinical commissioners, […]
David Zigmond: Hello, health commissioner. Goodbye, family doctor?
In this new era of GP led NHS commissioning, I saw a young GP on the television. She was interviewed to sample a voice of professional support and enthusiasm for the reformed regime. She spoke with an authoritatively quiet manner and an assured economy of phrase. She said: “GPs know their patients, families, and neighbourhoods.” […]
Domhnall MacAuley: General practice and social deprivation
A single naked bulb lights the room. Clothes hang over the radiator, there is a cot by the door, and a huge TV in the corner. Just a few worn chairs and a clapped out couch. Feet stick to the carpet. A world worn 19 year old and a distraught infant; hot, flushed, and dribbling. […]
Deborah Kirklin: Mid Staffs—would you have been a whistleblower?
The latest Medical Humanities poll asks readers a simple but searching question: if you witnessed unaddressed failings in local healthcare provision, would you feel confident and secure enough to whistle blow? Inspired by a series of on-going scandals about the care, or rather lack thereof, provided to some NHS patients, the poll is linked to […]
David Lock: Should GPs aspire to run medical services businesses?
It is hardly surprising that hard pressed GPs have reacted angrily to unjustified criticisms by the secretary of state for health that they are to blame for faults within the NHS. It is a gross simplification to suggest that removing responsibility for out of hours care from GPs is the main cause of increasing attendances […]
Peter Bailey: Galley slaves, rebel!
Jeremy Hunt’s speech to the King’s Fund on 23 May made me wonder if someone in the Department of Health had had an “Oh my God!” moment. A gut clenching, awful realisation that a catastrophic mistake has been made. A mistake that spells misery, shame, and horrible consequence. The sort of feeling you get when […]
Martin Roland: Reorganising GP care—back to the future
There seemed something familiar about the secretary of state’s announcements about general practice last week. Jeremy Hunt says that care is too often disjointed and he wants to give GPs responsibility for bringing it back together. I wonder how that could be done. Maybe community nurses could be practice based. Why not health visitors? Or […]
Margaret McCartney: Clinical trial company tempts patients with free health screening
When buses in Glasgow started to come with posters asking if people were “Concerned about diabetes?” with an image of an older woman, a freephone number, and webpage for people “to find out about our health screening programme,” I wondered what was going on. Another bus advert said, “Do you have asthma? Register for a […]