Did you hear about the consultant this week who set off for work only to be stopped by the police and told to abandon his journey because the road was closed due to adverse weather conditions?
“I don’t care if you are a doctor sir - the road is closed!” So the law abiding doctor did just that, and was then told by his trust that unless he agreed to repay the time lost his absence would be dealt with by higher authority!
Other stories of NHS staff fighting their way to work during recent days (and some staying nights on end to maintain patient care) quite rightly hit the headlines and deservedly so. The NHS is magnificent when the chips are down. That is what professionalism is all about - genuinely putting the care of patients above self-interest and preservation.
I wish the same could be true of those not directly providing care but charged with supporting those who do. The next few months will test this to the full.
The New Year has already seen too many trusts signaling financial failure and implementing panic measures. Desperate times may call for desperate measures but unlike the consultant stuck in his car, accountants have many roads to travel. But the road to patient care lies with healthcare professionals and they deserve to be treated better than this!
Tags: Weather
What next? Monitoring of time taken in getting a coffee or going to the toilet…
Unbelievable. You should name and shame the trust! As long as the doctor isn’t mentioned, there’s no breach in confidentiality.
All doctors who could not get in have been docked annual leave.
Senior, and under their patronage divisional, managers seem to have almost unlimited powers to oppress even senior hard working consultants. They are largely unaccountable.
In April 2009 I was suspended by my Medical Diractor following a verbal complaint from the head nurse manager in the division. The complaint was completely whithout merit and was thrown out by the investigating team. As the Medical Director had broken practically every rule in the book I registered a grievance against him. The Trust agreed to commission an independent review of my suspension by my Royal College.
In the proposed TORS written by the Cheif Executive she states that the complaint against me was largely unfounded. I asked her to correct that as it was untrue. She refused. I sent her the statement of case written by the investigators which concluded very simply, “no case to answer”. I asked that unless she could find any point at which this complaint was upheld she should show me. Otherwise I requested that the TORS be changed. After that I have had only that deafening radio silence which says clearly, “I am the Cheif Executive and I will do as I see fit, even if it is a denial of the written truth.” That is how these people try to wear you down, sap your morale, drive you mad.
This is the new corporate NHS where many senior managers see one of their main roles as controlling clinicians by fair means or fowl. It is not good for patient care as it exhausts doctors and distracts them from their real work. I have only a couple of years working life left but I will dedicate my spare time to fighting this pernicious and destructive trend.
The bean counters are a part of the problem but they are only symptomatic of the real problem.
By the way I did mean fowl. Vultures to be more precise.