The madness of the NHS

Melendez said:
... the young perky ones at that.
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Not many of those around here, I'm afraid lads and the current nurses uniforms are rather unpleasant - little more than blue-checked polyester overalls. Sisters' uniforms are probably more what you are thinking of, but most of ours are over 40.

Sadly, in order to meet your high standards, I'm afraid you will have to go private (take that either way you want). ;)
 
Management have now resorted to blackmail by ending sentences with "... at least you have a job ..." and are telling anyone who will listen that there are now 80 applicants for every job that they advertise.

When I retorted that that attitude and those tactics were responsible for the number of crap staff that they have now and can't get rid of, things went very quiet.

However, I have just had a lovely neck and shoulder massage from a hunky young registrar so I'm not stressed today, oh no! :D
 
redhead said:
Management have now resorted to blackmail by ending sentences with "... at least you have a job ..." and are telling anyone who will listen that there are now 80 applicants for every job that they advertise.

When I retorted that that attitude and those tactics were responsible for the number of crap staff that they have now and can't get rid of, things went very quiet.

However, I have just had a lovely neck and shoulder massage from a hunky young registrar so I'm not stressed today, oh no! :D
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Could you point him in my direction when you've finished with him please :p

In all seriousness though sounds like things are getting worse all time for you :( I really don't know what the suits are thinking of...as you say patient care suffers and doesn't do much for staff morale when they're getting it in the neck from patients and no support from senior management.
 
imagine said:
Could you point him in my direction when you've finished with him please :pQUOTE]

Single, fit, handsome, good cook, terrific company and straight. What more could a woman wish for? He's heading for Taunton Hospital now, should any of our West Country ladies be interested. :D

It's a ridiculous situation. They have now started to get members of staff to spy on each other and tell tales.

Two of my colleagues will be undergoing disciplinary procedures because they refuse to clock in and out. They have been told that they could be sacked for not complying, but have checked with HR who said that if they persisted in not clocking in the case would probably be dropped.

I'm just going about my work. Don't see the point of stressing any more about something that is going to happen regardless of how we protest, although I think it might be more difficult to de-stress now that my lovely masseur is leaving!
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In my experience, NHS admin staff don't give a four X about patient care. I appreciate that they often have little choice in the workings of the department due to obsessions about targets but the orthopaedics department in the Royal Berkshire hospital don't even make the hospital's targets, for God's sake! The communication is non-existent; if you finally get hold of someone in the waiting list office they blow you off with a line - usally "I'll write to you when I know anything" (in the past they've not bothered writing to inform me of surgery dates) or the good ol' trusty "it'll be two/three/four months*". They ignore patients labelled "urgent" or "very urgent"; they ignore emails from consultants reiterating that patients are very urgent and their whole attitude is "I don't care". I am told that 18 weeks is the 'magic figure' nationally and that all departments - seemingly orthopaedics in the RBH aside - have it hammered into them thay they must get patients in for treatment within 18 weeks of being referred by their GP. However in the RBH orthopaedics department it appears that you have an 18 week wait only if you are marked urgent or very urgent; all the other poor saps have to wait at least six months. Mind you, it's been over two years since I was referred, over a year since failed surgery and STILL nothing has been done about it. It's a joke.

*every time you telephone them, another month gets magically added on!
 
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Sorry to hear it's still dragging on Shadow. I'm not sure what their procedures at the RBH are, but being a smaller hospital our internal controls and communications are tighter. You wouldn't have been waiting so long here. In fact, if you had undergone failed surgery you would probably have been brought back as soon as you were considered recovered enough to undergo correction.

The lower grades of admin staff are generally hard-pressed but, as you say, I think an awful lot of them couldn't give a damn about the patients. It's just a job to them as all they have is a humdrum, boring but busy job, with demanding managers and patients either side of them. Most of the ones I deal with are only getting a move on with something because they will get a b*ll*cking if they don't.

Unfortunately, those of my grade and higher are actually coming under pressure to leave (which I think is the reckoning behind the "buddy system" and other unworkable ideas being foisted upon us). The grand plan being to replace us with - yes lower grades, who do nothing but type - leaving one or two higher graded secretaries to do the admin for all of the consultants.

I was thinking of leaving, but now that I suspect the reasoning, I may just be bloody awkward and stay put.

That idea only just dawned on me so I shall e-mail my colleagues tomorrow and try to get them to comply with the stupid demands and sit tight. Management want us out because we cost more money - be damned to quality and service delivery.

One thing I can suggest if your hip problems are due to a horse-related injury. One of our consultants here is well-known around these parts because of his expertise in sport injuries - particularly those incurred by those dealing with horses (you may have seen him on duty at the racecourse). You might be able to get your own consultant or GP to refer you on to him - if you don't mind travelling. PM me if you think this will suit.

Let me know if you need any more info to go to war with Shadow. It worries me that people like yourself are having such a rough time in a service that is supposed to be dedicated to you.

(I would offer to lend you Tom, but he's on his way to Zummerzet now). :(
 
Cheers, Redhead. It's not actually clear if the condition is due to a horse related injury; apparently it's something which is reasonably common in footballers, athletes and the likes - people doing a lot of regular exercise, basically. Some opinions held of it say riding is another sport that can cause it but bottom line is they don't know what has caused it. I did think about going to see Phillip Pritchard but I do have a very good hip surgeon who I believe is one of the leading people in his field in this country; he has undertaken pioneering surgery and is willing - and keen! - to perform new techniques. I've been happy with him from the start - apparently there was only a 50% success rate with the surgery I had last time - and I do believe I have a very good surgeon on side so wouldn't want to see anyone else really.

I've submitted a further complaint to go with the formal one made around a month ago. Let's see if they'll do anything about it! Thanks for the advice and offers of help.
 
Too many managers always means no-one having the balls to make a decision. It's exactly the same in the industry I work in.
 
I think they're trying to justify their own existence at present, Euro.

Happy to announce that Consultants are all up in arms and will be acting to prevent it. Certain secretaries are stomping, fuming and taking a stand right through the disciplinary process, some (the management's poodles) are complying and the others are going to appear to comply and then not do the job so that the whole system falls flat on its face.

We also object strongly to being made to clock in and out like naughty schoolchildren.
 
It seems the whole of society is treated like naughty school children these days, and done with the excuse it is in the publics interest and the such like. Making an excuse for their job to be in existance is how it is starting to come across.
 
Well, Management have well and truly blown it. They are going to force things through anyway.

They have reckoned without a Redhead on the rampage. My friend and I have (politely) queried the whys and wherefores and been thoroughly squashed (they saw us one at a time and talked across us). Two other colleagues have refused to comply and are facing disciplinary proceedings.

We will now take things underground. Open defiance will be squashed, passive resistance is much harder to get to grips with.

Vive la Revolution!

(I think I'm going to enjoy this.)
 
We get a similar approach from our management, they don't manage, they bully. Then they wonder why we don't seem inclined to help them out of the mire. Just keep asking them silly questions.
 
I've had it with the NHS. Make a formal complaint and you have to wait four weeks before you get a letter pretty much telling you to put up and shut up. They've ignored virtually all I've had to say and have come to the conclusion that after investigating, they have decided that all was done by procedure. Which they would say. What a shower.
 
walsworth said:
they don't manage, they bully.
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Spot on, Walsworth - the funniest thing about our line manager is that, after browbeating and hectoring the non-compliants, she is astounded that they have made a complaint about her bullying them, when she feels that the opposite is the case.

We have decided that we will be too busy/forgetful/stressed to actually cope with the extra work. Smile sweetly and say "Sorry, I can't ...". Try proving that we're being non-compliant and subversive when we actually appear to be trying. :D

Shadow, I am sorry that you are having such a dreadful time. The problem is that management rule these days and even the consultants are being told to shut up and behave and think themselves lucky to have a job!

Unfortunately, any little squirt fresh out of Uni can get into NHS management by taking the fast-track courses offered. They come in as some kind of assistant, spend six months each in four different departments and then become Regional or Financial Directors, without ever having laid eyes upon a patient. Then pass the buck when things go wrong due their lack of grass-roots experience.
 
A lot of these students seem to be going into mental health.

You can learn qualifications, but qualifications do not always translate into real experience of how to manage/deal with situations and people, showing empathy and understanding to those who need it.

When I had issues I remember having one meeting with my psychiatrist where I had about 8 students come in to "learn".

I wouldn't expect that in a doctors surgery so why should I tolerate it when seeing a psychiatrist? Is this what it's come to? Most patients are too drugged up to stand up for their rights of course.

As someone with mental health issues (at the time) do I focus on trying to get better by discussing medication and social issues with my consultant, or focus on helping students out and giving myself as a subject for them to learn upon. Needless to say some psychiatric hospitals are now student training grounds instead of places where qualified staff are treating people.

Of course they need first hand experience and i'm all for that but far too many are thrusted in to places and training exercises they have no business or knowledge to be in. This gives them a over inflated image of their own importance and this is not a good trait to have when your only in your first year of a social work degree...

Before the recession they were creating more mental heatlh workers than there probably were patients, now I get the feeling people may be looking elsewhere to get there monthly salaries in the bank.

I give the occasional talk to students at universities which I think is a much better way to give people an idea of what they're dealing with in the field; needless to say there are some good students but many still seem to talk in a discriminatory way against the people they're training up to help.
 
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martin said:
You can learn qualifications, but qualifications do not always translate into real experience of how to manage/deal with situations and people, showing empathy and understanding to those who need it.
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Well said Martin!

Well done also for being so brave as to talk about your problems and let students learn from your case.

If I were management I would think that wonderfully "pro-active". :blink:
 
Well, they haven't heard the last from me - the whole matter is sitting in the hands of my MP at the moment. Whether or not he'll get involved is another matter but his aide did say (after receiving a copy of the initial email) that if I was unsatisfied with the outcome of the complaint to come back to them to see what they could do, so I have.
 
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