So, over the last few years, I've become more jaded with my job. I see consultants becoming increasingly overworked, stressed and constantly succumb to political clinical targets, rather than for the greater good of their patients.
Sure, a decade ago, the EWTD slashed legal working hours overnight, but the workforce doesn't increase in the same rate. Hence, a massive influx of overseas doctors and locums.
Hospitals around the country are being centralised, with the overall effect of squeezing more out of departments with an already finite resources. Take the example of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals in North London. Chase Farm was a hugely expansive hospital over 20years ago, having acquired surrounding cottage hospitals whilst being a tertiary centre for Urology and Head and Neck Surgery. Over the last 10 years, it has crumbled with land being sold off to private firms, and services, including closure of their A+E, being transferred to Barnet Hospital and North Middlesex Hospital. What's the result? North Middlesex recently nationally shamed for their A+E service (or inability to cope!) and Barnet being a smaller hospital struggling to meet their targets.
With the junior doctors contract dragging on, this has erupted a lot of bottled frustration amongst the frontline medical staff. Doctors are leaving. Period. Nursing numbers have been slashed as cost saving measures also. Every aspect of clinical provision has been chipped away.
What's the net result? Increased locums and inefficiencies which is very expensive. This leads to increased deficits on the balance sheet. So to economise, services are downsized, merged, and moved elsewhere.
This is a continual process, which is a net result of chronic underfunding, understaffing and poor planning. I fear there is little we can do to save the NHS. It's cracks are crumbling every second of our shift.
So here come big private firms from abroad. They have abilities to inject cash, and staff and resources. They will leach off NHS income, and cop the risk of negative equity. Take the example of above, if VirginHealth decide to build themselves a new A+E at Chase Farm, it will improve the services for patients in North London. Virgin can employ overseas staff for pure service provision. They will take the money from taxpayers and line the pockets of Richard Branson (and probably Jeremy Hunt.as part of his under-the-table master plan). Who needs to pay National Insurance when we could just pay monthly direct debit to Mr Branson with the promise he'll take care of our injuries and illness if we land up in his A+E.....
