THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE NHS.

The political football that is the British National Health Service in its present form will continue as such. Promises are made, particularly as elections approach, but unfortunately, this leviathan of an organisation is bound to have a downside, this is human nature. In addition, the workforce is generally in the grip of the unions, which means that any future Labour administration would have to tow the Union line.

Three stories have been noted by the author this week: The first is the success of a small hospital in Huntingdon, Hinchinbrooke, which, following catastrophic results in recent years, has been taken over by a private company, with what appears to be excellent results. The management is comprised of mainly medical professionals, and the staff has been rejuvenated.

Unfortunately, the second tale is one of total disgust: A grandmother seen crawling across a hospital floor out of desperation to get a drink or in an endeavour to get to the bathroom, evidently watched, and maybe mocked by the nursing staff, who incidentally would all be health service union members.

The third story is one of personal experience: My wife had a CT scan this week at our main hospital, in the adjacent Treatment Centre at the Queens Medical Centre (Nottingham University Teaching Hospital). We arrived for the scan, as advised, in plenty of time. The procedure was carried out slightly ahead of the scheduled time, with all the professionalism one hopes to enjoy on these occasions. The Treatment Centre, incidentally, is run by the same private company as Hinchinbrooke Hospital, Circle.
This story is double barrelled: Before going to the hospital, I had been for a six month maintenance check on my hearing aids, a private supplier. Unfortunately, a plastic globe from one of the aids was wedged firmly inside the ear. The suggestion was to report to Accident and Emergency, which was a non-starter, so I thought of casually going over to the Ear, Nose and Throat Dept. in the main hospital during the time my wife had her CT scan. On entering E.N.T, it was obvious that not much was happening, and I was informed that there was no clinic on Friday pm. The receptionist did enquire why I had called, and I explained my plight. She went and had a quick word with the one nurse who was still in the department, the nurse came out and said that he would have a look, and within no more than half a minute, the foreign body was removed.

WELL DONE THE NHS.