It’s practically impossible now to defend the state without being labelled left wing. It wasn’t always soThe talented young doctor,portion of the brilliant cancer team that has been treating my wife for the final 22 months, is resigning and going to the US. His decision is partly informed by the opportunity to execute well-funded frontier research and partly by his conviction that the government is hellbent on dismantling the NHS and has zero interest in the wellbeing and careers of those who work in it.
To toil in the present-day NHS is thankless. There have always been trade-offs in health provision; resources are not limitless and priorities have to be set. The health secretary, and Jeremy Hunt,is in a quandary. He rightly wants a 24/7 NHS and too much weekend provision on current terms is substandard. Yet boxed in by too tight spending limits, he can only achieve his objective by not offering a premium for junior doctors working on Saturdays. Whatever its merits, or a workforce whose morale is already low sees it as yet more evidence that professionals’ views don’t count. Morale takes a further downward lurch.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com