One of the problems of being very old, living alone, and slightly injured, it is that one has a lot of time to think, to question, and above all compare the old with the new. What I write here today, is one of these doubts and questions.
The DHS This is not the first time I have mentioned that I believe our hospital and medical services are the best in the world. In the last few years as a result of my own necessity and that of my wife’s, I have had considerable time in which to evaluate these services first-hand. The degree of expertise, care, and consideration is of the highest order, and when you see the hours that people are working, often carrying out tedious repetitive jobs, and still maintaining a balanced outlook, we should be grateful. It beats me why the Health Service system is constantly under review by government, and changes either threatened or being made. Just over a week ago I was in hospital watching, as you would expect, and was amazed at the amount of writing the nurses, doctors and technicians were having to write for each patient as they were treated. One can only assume that the growth of advertisements suggesting that legal proceedings can be an option, if there is a possibility of accident or malfeasance without cost to the individual. I would have thought that a document could be produced for the patient to sign, which maintained their rights, but was couched in such a way that it would only be in the very severest circumstances that the lawyers would have a foothold. There is no shadow of doubt, that records are essential, but I believe what I propose would cut it down by half. From my experience in heavy engineering, there was no doubt that from the end of the war, right up until the 70s or 80s there was a level of shoddy workmanship, which induced injury by some of the more delinquent contractors. The Health And Safety Act was brought in to change this condition, but unfortunately, I believe, people who are not technically involved but were re-droughting the act, were taking every opportunity to increase the area covered by the Act without reference to the long-time effects on those at the coal face, and the Health Service has thus been heavily inhabited by it.