Mind your language. That’s the message from Gary Walker’s case. Who he? He’s the former chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, who was dismissed back in February.
The trust’s given reason for dismissing Mr Walker was that he swore in meetings, but he claims he was sacked for putting patients before targets. He has launched a claim for unfair dismissal.
All health professionals clearly need to mind their Ps and Qs. Doctors4Justice has dug out a portentous BMJ study from 1999 which monitored surgeons’ swearing in theatre.
Orthopaedic surgeons predictably won hands down (16.5 swear words within an eight hour shift). Then it was general surgeons, gynaecologists, urologists and lastly - and definitely most politely - ENT surgeons.
Gary went on stand against health minister Gillian Merron in her Lincoln seat in the election as an independent. At the time he said: “Under the current government the NHS has become obsessed with targets and has created a culture of fear.”
Unfortunately for Gary he won just 222 votes and fell short of the 2% of the vote required to get his deposit back. Oh feck, he said (probably).
By way of consolation, Merron lost her seat to Conservative candidate Karl McCartney, who won by 1,058 votes.
Tags: Humour
