District General Hospitals; a hangover from the past...

If you live in the UK, you will know the NHS. For those who do not, let me give you a very quick lesson in its history...

The NHS came to life on 5 July 1948 and since then has provided healthcare for the people of the United Kingdom; free for all at the point of delivery.

Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan, Health Secretary at that time, made it clear that all people should have access to good healthcare, stating that the health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which means that people (to this day) pay into it according to their means. It was a hugely ambitious plan that met serious opposition but Nye Bevan did not give in and the NHS is a fact. (history lesson done) But, it would seem, not for much longer...

Over the years, many changes have taken place and (as with everything) some of those were good, some of those were not so good. However, the most damaging changes are being affected right now and they will see the end of the NHS that we all know and love. To say that this is all caused by the current Tory government is understandable but incorrect. Some of the current reforms were started under the previous Labour government. The Tories are just taking it to the next level...

In 2007, Labour health minister Alan Johnson approved plans for the largest restructuring of District General Hospitals (DGHs). This led to a loss of a third of consultant-led maternity units, reducing the total from 12 to 8 in Greater Manchester, and was part of a downsizing operation carried out nationwide. Sir David Nicholson, appointed by Tony Blair in 2006, stated 'The wicked issue of maternity services had to be tackled.' Trade Unions refused to organise any action against the attacks and instead promoted the review process as a means to reverse the closure plans. Labour MP Hazel Blears was allowed to pass herself off as an opponent of the closure of the local (Salford) maternity unit, while ensuring that this was reduced to accepting a downgraded service; stand-alone Midwife-Led Units (MLUs). This was promoted as a significant concession,smoothing the path for the bulk of the cuts to proceed.
Local health chiefs and clinicians backing the plans to close A&Es in Greater Manchester have shown their intent in the paper, “The Greater Manchester Case for Change.” It dismisses DGHs as a hangover from the past.

Right now, services provided in your own local hospital are at risk of being removed, or are at risk of being overstretched due to more patients being send through to it (due to closures at other hospitals). Right now, people are fighting to stop this from happening.
Right now, services are open for competitive tendering, meaning that private companies such as Virgin (the one from the plains and trains) Healthcare will take the most profitable services, leaving the rest for the NHS. Right now, people are fighting to stop this from happening.

Fifty-one thousand people marched in Stafford against the closure of their services, sixty thousand people signed a petition in Salford to retain their services. Up and down the country people are coming together to help fight the backdoor privatisation of the NHS. Their fight continues, every day, and they battle more than just government's plans; they battle the biased reporting in the media (supposedly left-wing media included). It is difficult these days to open a newspaper without finding an article about the dire situation of the NHS, yet there is very little to no covering of the actions being taken by the public to save services. It seems that it is impossible to get your voice heard in the national media unless you are part of Julie Bailey's group 'Cure the NHS'.

I will leave you with the following words:

The NHS; it is Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan's legacy and our inheritance

Pointless... Solutions

We have all had a situation, at work or at home, where we thought we had the 'ideal' solution to something that was bothering us... And we have all experienced the feeling of thinking afterwards 'that was not the best idea'. But you, like me, have probably also experienced our idea being criticised without being given a different approach... So, we have all learned (the hard way) that it is pointless to criticise someone's work without giving some, suitable, alternatives... How else can you come up with an idea that will make the difference.

And so I was thinking about our government; they are facing some serious issues and are trying to come up with the most suitable (if not perfect) solution. What are the issues they are trying to overcome? Let's make a short list of the obvious ones:

• The country is in serious financial debt (9 times the annual income)
• The NHS is too costly (and the costs are increasing year on year)
• All forms of benefits are costly (and there is no room for navigation)
• The country is in a continued recession
• Child poverty has increased
• Homelessness has increased

This government has come up with several solutions, some on a local level but mostly on a national level. I could bore you to death with listing them here but I won't because you are most likely already aware of, if not affected by, them. Besides, there are far cleverer people (Steve Walker, Mike Sivier and Johnny Void to name but a few) than me who have already addressed these.

What I will say about these 'solutions' is this: 'They (the solutions) have divided the country into two categories of people; the 1% of people that are getting richer and the 99% of people that are getting poorer. People who, through no fault of their own, are in a situation they do not wish but cannot get out of due to this government.'

(Recognise the fellow on the left?)

And now, seeing how I have criticised the government's 'solutions', I had better come up with some, suitable, solutions... And, yes, I am well aware of the fact that (some of) these might not be popular with some (or most).

Looking at the list of issues above, they all seem to have one commonality: money... Or, more precisely, a lack of money... An increase in money is, therefore, most welcome. We all know that lending money to fill a hole will only leave you with a bigger hole, so that cannot be the solution. Then what? How about government closing all the tax loopholes... That would give this country an extra (conservative estimate of) £30 billion... Per year, year-on-year... Not enough to deal with all the issues but every 'little bit' helps, as we all know. Government could abolish the entire welfare state, that would save a significant amount of money but would only increase issues such as child poverty, homelessness and healthcare. And I like living in a welfare state so now I enter the world of true controversy: TAX... Please, bear with me, I promise it will only get stranger from here on in... And I will make some 'enemies' on the way, I am sure...

Government could tax all income, 100%. Oh, stop your moaning, I can already hear it: 'that would leave me with absolutely nothing, how am I supposed to pay the bills, feed the family, get to (or look for) work'... Please, bear with me and I will explain:

I am talking about government taking our total income and giving everyone - regardless of social standing, employment status or position on the proverbial ladder - the same amount of money per week to spend. At the same time, government levels rent for all living accommodations (both private and social) and lowers tax on food and essentials as well as equalising the prices for gas, electricity and water, regardless of which company you are with or where you live. This way we all get an equal piece of the pie... For those people who have their own business; government can set aside a specified amount of money per week to deal with purchasing...

Thank you for sticking with me this long... I just have one more 'solution' for an issue that affects us all, more than we would like to believe: this government... My solution?

Depressing times... If you let them...

I read several blogs, on a daily basis... I read posts on Facebook, on a daily basis... Posts and blogs about the government, at the moment particularly regarding the Department of Work and Pensions. Posts and blogs about the NHS and the cutbacks, downgrading, selling off of hospitals... Damning 'articles'... Every single one of them enough to bring a tear to my eyes, together enough to send even the most positive of people into a depression... But all this also has a redeeming factor... (Every coin has two sides, so does every story...)

I have seen people from all walks of life come together for one common goal; to save their hospital, or to save the NHS, or to put forward a 'vote of no confidence', or to make a difference in local politics (Burnley, I am proud of you), or to help ban certain pesticides to help save the bees...

In times of trouble, of depression and negativity, it is more than ever important to find something to be positive about; a new (grand)child, puppies in a basket, a new friend, Spring finally returning to earth, a stranger helping you out in a time of need, someone asking you how you are doing and actually wanting to hear the truth (no matter how difficult it may be), or maybe you find something to smile about in the fact that people can come together in times of dire needs to stand up for what they believe...

Don't get me wrong; I don't think that thinking positive thoughts makes all the negativity disappear. I do think that it helps to breathe a little easier during difficult times... Like Kelly Clarkson said in Stronger:

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter

Footsteps even lighter

Have a listen to Port Isaac's Fishermans Friends version of 'The Union of Different Kinds' or listen to 'No Hopers, Jokers & Rogues'

It won't make everything better but it might just make things more bearable... Give it a try, it will definitely not make things worse...

Just a story???

In 2008, a young woman decided to follow her heart and moved to a new country. She spoke the language fluently, had a place to live and the man she loved by her side; she had no idea what would await her. Here is her story, in her own words...

I was born in the Netherlands, to Dutch parents, and have always had a Dutch passport. Over the years, I have lived both in Belgium and Ireland and never had any issues in moving their (and back) and setting up a life for myself. So, when I moved to the UK, I honestly thought that I could just do that...
My first issue arose when I needed to open a bank account; I had found a job within just a couple of months and could not start without one. I was treated like I was an illegal immigrant; the fact that I was an EU citizen was of no consequence (getting my CRB done was done in just a couple of weeks, no hassle involved)... In the end it was HSBC who helped me out and I could, finally, start work and my then boyfriend and I lived fully on that income. It wasn't great money but we managed. My boyfriend cancelled his benefits straight away and, within a month, we moved out of his 1-bedroom council flat. We just simply did not want to receive anything we weren't entitled to.

A year later we married, not the big fancy wedding of a young girl's dreams but I didn't care. He loved me, I loved him; that was all that mattered. It was, and still is, the best day of my life.

After two years, I lost my job over something stupid and we had to apply for JobSeeker's Allowance (JSA)... No real issues there, although it wasn't easy and, again, I felt like an illegal immigrant. The fact that I had been working for the last two years, paying National Insurance and tax, meant absolutely nothing... But we did receive the benefits... and I hated every minute of the year and a half that it took me to find a new job... But I did find a new job, not with help from Jobcentre Plus (JCP) - or the work programme I had been forced into - but with the help of an agency...

Early last year, my passport would expire and I started looking into getting it renewed, or perhaps even getting a British passport as I have no intention of leaving this country... I 'googled' like mad but everything I could find was regarding people from outside the EU. I contacted my local council, not helpful... I contacted the Dutch embassy, again, not helpful... Since we had no plans to travel outside the country, I left it... and my passport expired...

Last year, my husband suffered two strokes. As he was still on JSA, not receiving a penny but still having to sign on every two weeks, he was advised to change his claim over to an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). He wouldn't (and didn't) receive any money from this, as I was still working, but this way at least the systems were all showing the correct information...
Earlier this year, that job finished due to reorganisations and my husband now had to claim for me on his ESA... So,we filled in the questionnaire, send it back and hoped for the best... Until we received a phone call from the Department of Work and Pensions... Guess what??? They need to see a copy of my passport... The lady on the phone was brilliant, the fact that my passport had expired was no problem. The man at the local JCP, however, had not a clue; he would take a copy but was sure that it would come back... Would we mind if they gave us a ring about it? No, we don't mind, we just want to get this solved...

As I am now again looking for work, my agency asked me if they could do a CRB for me. They have a possible position for me but I would need the CRB. Having had a CRB in the past (in my maiden name), I saw no issue and filled in the form, returned it to the agency with all the necessary paper work and explained that I do have a passport but that it has expired... No problem; the police will contact me to get my fingerprints...

About a week ago, I found a website where I can apply for a British passport, being Dutch is not a problem. I just have to give the full names and birth dates of my parents and their wedding date, my mother's parents full names, birth dates and wedding date... Or, I can give in the details of my naturalisation papers... I give up... My husband and I are near breaking point; we have done everything we could to our best abilities but it never seems to be enough...

So, there you have it... Perhaps she has just been naive? Or she could have been more vigilant with her passport? Or maybe, just maybe, she has tried her best but the system has failed her... You be the judge...

Privileges... Do you think about them???

Privileges... Freedom of speech, education, health care, freedom of religion and cultural believes... Voting rights... Right to information, correct, unbiased and up-to-date...

I hold them all very dear but I don't think about them on a daily basis; I don't have to, I live in the UK... Had I lived in Sudan or Iran, Eritrea or Libya that would have been different... There, my live could depend on whether or not I think about it... But I don't and my live does not depend on it... Or, at least, it didn't...

Recently I have changed... Not because I moved to a country like Zimbabwe or North Korea but because of 'our' own current government in the UK... My privileges are slowly being taken away from me... And from everyone I know...

I can see the cogs turning while you read this... You are wondering how for instance my freedom of speech is being taken away, or my right to information... Let me tell you a story so that you can make up your own mind.

Modern technology lets you share information with one click of a button. Whether you share to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any of the other popular social media sites. It lets you share news, photo's, your latest thought bubble, rant or cry for help. And it doesn't matter if its just one sentence or the size of a decent book... Until recently you could do so freely, without more than just the one click of a button... Now you have to type in a 'captcha' when you want to share something to Facebook that could be conceived of as critical of 'our' government or 'our' media... In some countries, we would label this as censorship...

Most media is currently publishing information on the NHS, based on data known to be 'flawed', 'assumptions' and 'incorrect'... They are force-feeding the nation government's desire to break the NHS down, sell it bit-by-bit to the highest bidder, by purposefully damaging the name and brand of our beloved institute. If you believe all the drivel that is being printed and broadcast, thousands of people, all over the country, are dying needlessly and without the slightest compassion from hospital staff. (People are dying - needlessly - left, right and centre??? An absolute carnage in each and every ward, department, hospital up and down the country??? The church bells would be tolling every hour... They don't do here. What about where you live?) Where is the data that supports this? Nowhere... The numbers are projections and estimates based on opinion, best scenario-worst scenario arguments and grossly inexpert coding. Have a look here https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/ and make up your own mind...

And so, slowly but surely, my privileges are being taken away... And those of my friends and family... And those of you and yours...

As long as I have a voice, I will speak up and out... Once I lose my voice, I will keep on typing and sharing (with or without captcha's)... Please, help spread the word...

Molly Case put to words the feelings that are rife in NHS staff

Molly Case, a young nurse in training, put her thoughts and feelings about the current onslaught into a wonderful poem.

You can find the poem on YouTube (here) but here is a transcript of the poem:

A woman comes in
Too young to bear this
She’s got a disease that will make her miss
Her daughter’s wedding day
Her first grandchild being born
How would that feel to have all that torn away from you
I can’t answer that question
It’s not my place to say
But I can tell you what we did for her
How we helped her get through the day
A cup of tea there and one for all her family
As they came throughout the night
What a sight there were loads of them
To help her fight the awful pain of it
Paying last visits we wouldn’t let them miss it
Farewell from a brother
Last kisses with their mother
Holiest love
Love like no other
Maybe there’s bad ones no doubt that there are
But for this list I’m writing we don’t want the same tar brush
Crushing our careers before they’ve even started
How could you say this about people so big hearted
Who would have thought we’d be having to defend
We don’t do this for our families
We don’t do this for our friends
But for strangers because this is our vocation
And we’re sick and tired of being told we don’t do enough for this Nation
So listen to us
Hear us goddamn roar
You say that we’re not doing enough then we promise we’ll do more
This time
Next time
There’s nothing we can’t handle
Even if you bring us down
Show a scandal scandal scandal
You remember that man covered in burns head to toe
I don’t think you do
Because you’re on that TV show
Lip gloss kissed women on daytime TV
Come into our world
See things that we see
One lady passing had no relatives to stay
We sang her to sleep let angels carry her away
Were you there that day when we held her hand
Told her nothing would harm her that there was a higher plan
Saw her face as she remembered a face she once held
Saw her breath in the room as she finally exhaled
Why don’t you meet us come shake our hands
Try to fit it in between having tea with your friends
Your hands are so soft and mine are cracked
Why don’t you let us on air
Let us air the facts

We’ve washed and shrouded people that we’ve never known
Pinned flowers to the sheets and told them they are still not alone
Shown families to the faith room and watched them mourn their dead
Then got back to work bathed patients made beds
Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Sikhs
Buddhists and Christians and just people off the street
We’ve cared for them all and we love what we do
We don’t want to meddle we just want to show you
So listen to us
Hear us goddamn roar
You say we’re not doing enough
Then we promise we’ll do more

First post, so let's see how it goes...

Okay, so I've started my own blog because I think I have something to say... Don't we all? I will be talking about what keeps my mind busy and you can read it, bin it, share it, comment on it... or whatever else it is that you can do to/with blogs...

So, what's on my mind today? The march in Stafford to save Stafford Hospital. Not heard about it? +Support Stafford Hospital (on Facebook, pay them a visit if you like) have organised a march to voice their opinion on the fact that the hospital has been put into administration... Yes, it's not just football clubs that this happens to... But the march... 

The organisers are expecting around 40000 people to join the march from Market Square to the Hospital, they have started a thunderclap and are trying to get as many people involved in saving the hospital as possible.

This is not just to save Stafford Hospital but all hospitals in the Mid Staffs area such as, for instance, Cannock Hospital.

If Stafford Hospital were to close, and let's hope it doesn't, the impact on patients could be devastating; just think about the distance people would have to travel to attend appointments or A&E (where every second counts...) Living in the UK, you are probably aware as to why there is talk about the hospital closing. If you are not aware, here is a quick overview:

Due to under-staffing on wards, the hospital hit the news with what was considered to be a very high mortality rate and neglect of patients. Several reports on this have been written, most recently by Sir Robert Francis, and measures have been advised to deal with the issues. Government could not be bothered to address one of the most vital issues (according to the report); under-staffing. But, cleverer people than me have already addressed this and I would like to focus on the positive aspect of all this.

Positive aspect??? Yes!!! An entire community is coming together today at 2 pm to make themselves heard in a country that is currently trying a modern version of a witch hunt...

I am:

And so, this is the end of my first blog... Have a nice day (the sun is shining brightly) and, if you happen to be in Stafford at 2 pm today, join the march... I will be marching in head and heart...