Resignations called for
Posted: Tuesday, 23 May 2006 |
5 comments |
The NHS saga has suddenly gathered pace over the last week. After the scandal surrounding medical cover for the Bethesda hospice (clock is ticking, 8 days left) came the disgrace of the rocketing rates of MRSA colonisation at Western Isles Hospital.
Six consultants at the hospital have now declared that patient care is affected by the current problems, which relate to a 拢3m financial shortfall and an adverse managerial culture. Priority within any health service is the patients. You can lose your money, mismanage until the pips squeak, emulate senior ministers in the Westminster Government (can't be more specific). BUT: when the patients start to suffer, if their already frail health is put into unnecessary jeopardy: you take action.
The Board Medical Director should extract his head from the sand, stop making excuses and resign his position . Any doctor that does not have patient care as his top priority should not be in post.
The other senior members of the Western Isles NHS Board should do likewise. Not just for this reason, my reading of the current situation is that the Chairman, Chief Exec and Finance Director have lost the confidence of the local population in the island. The jibes on Island Blogging regarding B&B's for NHS managers speak volumes, to quote but one example.
If these managers are too wrapped up in protecting their little empires, the Health Minister to the Scottish Executive should sack the lot of them. However, he has allowed this situation to go on for months if not years, and so far, 24 hours after the announcement of the MRSA figures, no action has been taken. The Councillor for Gress (see my comment to my post MRSA) has called for the resignation or the sacking of the Health Minister.
I have called for these resignations or sackings for weeks and months. I appreciate that it is very easy to sound off on an Internet Blog, with a degree of anonimity and nobody to account to. But I am very pleased to note that a senior councillor in the Comhairle is actually saying what I've been saying for weeks.
Posted on Arnish Lighthouse at 11:35
Comments
Where did you do your degree of anonymity? Is it an MA or a BSc. I think it's a course that might suit me.
Al Annon from Gress
I am a Master of Secrecy (MSc)
Arnish Lighthouse MSc (Belfast) from Stornoway
Are you sure that Angus Graham has called for the resignation of the health minister??
He did called for the board bosses to be sacked - but originally made this call some time ago. It was well publicised in the media!
And now the MRSA situation & report which you seemed to immediately accept as absolute truth is doubted by Health Protection Scotland.
Why haven't you been so fast in reporting the other side of the debate rather than copying the politicians and making instant condemations?
John Macleod from Stornoway
John Macleod, I'm not just looking at this one instance. I agree, upon further investigation, that an increase in MRSA colonisations from 5 to 15 is (from a statistical point of view) not exactly rockhard evidence. As I said in my post, the call from Angus Graham came through Radio nan Gaidhael, and in my case I rely on someone else translating. If you read back through my posts, I have given plenty of reasons for my criticism of the Board.
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
Keep it up Arnish. Give them hell. (and I like your definition of MSc!). And if you need a bolt hole, there is always the good US of A. Anyone with an MSc is welcome, eh? (If you do come, don't forget to bring in some haggis and black pudding from Charlie Barley - and that black pudding has better be the sticky type! - I hate the tasteless dry stuff!!)
mjc from NM,USA
This blog is now closed and we are no longer accepting new posts.
I have been in Lewis since late 2004 and am observing life on this fascinating island from an outsider's perspective. I look out at the lighthouse every day - as it looks out over the island and the sea. 
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