There seems to be an agenda against women doctors too!
I dont feel qualified to debate the points raised by Dr Kempo because I'm not a doctor and not in the know. I do however have a job which takes me into the hospital environment, A&E specifically, several times a day, on a 7 day a week basis to be precise. I see how many of these people have to work. I do also, albeit in passing, have the opportunity to speak briefly to many. Often I make several visits during my work time and see the same doctors time after time looking more and more harassed, tired and exhausted. They could "stuff my mouth with gold" as Nye Bevan once said, but I wouldn't do their job.
If it is about money, then the money in question is made up of tax I have paid in. Do I want my money to be used to pay doctors? Without a doubt yes.
I'd rather stuff their mouths with gold than spend the £27,000 per household which it cost us to stuff the mouths of bankers and financiers with gold, or the £167bn to renew Trident
Heres a link to a fact checking site for anyone interested
Of course doctors work hard towdlad( I should know as you do) but so do many other workers.
My dad worked hard in the steel works.
Working hard doesn't give you a reason to abandon your sick patients.
Abandoning the sick, seriously ill children and terminally ill patients in distress is not the way to express disagreement with government policies...This is especially so when the majority of those striking doctors and their families will have voted for the present government.
-- Edited by Kempo on Tuesday 10th of May 2016 10:25:50 PM
I was pretty much behind them but my support fell when they stopped supporting emergency care. To me that spells out that it isn't about patient protection, it's about money.
If they don't care about the patients then they are in the wrong job. Spoken by a man who is a true admirer of the profession.
Although some doctors think that they are god and they talk down to you as if you are a burden - this is a rare occurrence.
If this is resolved we will see that the doctors will have asked for more money and then they will go quiet over government policy...mouths stuffed with gold.
They are very fair points Ian if you accept the bases upon which they are predicated, but I am afraid that I don't. I don't accept that this government genuinely wants to improve the national health service. I don't accept that there is any problem with the weekend NHS that we have currently. I don't believe that the new working patterns that the government wants to introduce will result in better care - in fact I believe the doctors when they say that it will jeopardise it. And I don't believe that the doctors are striking about pay.
Great debate given the passion. Nice to be able to share.
I want to also add to the issue about 24 hour care.
It seems very obvious to me that there is a huge issue with quality here. Working in hospitals leaves one in no doubt whatsoever about the very , very poor service.
Inpatient settings.
They have no Doctors at all, or they are on call.
There is no consultant cover and to reach a consultant can take hours if at all.
Nursing staff is reduced significantly from weekdays.
There is no, or significantly reduced Pharmacy, and scientific support staff.
There is no, or little allied staff cover, i.e. physio. Occupation therapy dentistry, etc
Operating is reduced to emergency cover in most areas.
lack of Doctors on weekends means many patients are left in hospital that could have been discharged on a Saturday or sunday. Also, it increases dramatically the Burden On Fridays as everyone runs around like crazzeeeee, trying to get assessments, for admission and discharge done and bed swapping goes mental, which increases bad decision making all round and heaps of stress for everyone. What should be a routine admission on a weekday becomes fraught with stress and often, and I mean often, increase the stress and threat to the welfare of the client.
They may be reasonable points Ian, but the system is already stretched to and beyond its limits during the week. Stretching the same resources even more thinly to add to weekend staffing might make a marginal difference at weekends (in the short term) but the impact on the NHS overall will be damaging. It amounts to shuffling the deck chairs on the titanic when what is needed is more deck chairs and a captain who knows how to steer the ship.
