If being a GP is such an easy job then why are there so few of them?

This is yet another post about the NHS and also about the reforms that are planned for the NHS, which to my eyes appear insane without adequate funding.


First of all, the NHS is in debt, and this debt did not seem to have been there in 2010. Agency working is now being blamed for it, but the causes of people working for agencies are not being looked at. If you can have a better work-life working for an agency and can earn more, well why would you hold down a regular job? But the issue is a lack of pay rises in the NHS and market forces have resulted in those who want to be paid more, leaving to be paid more. Others have argued that the NHS has been underfunded and while this may have been the case before 2010, it has been more apparent since then.


The government want to change the way the NHS works from a five day service, to a seven day service. While this is an admirable aim, this has to be funded. And there are issues with staffing in many areas of the NHS, notably with GP's. There are not enough being trained as not enough doctors want to become General Practitioners and too many are leaving the NHS due to workload issues. (This is an issue with people in the NHS who are not in General Practice as well.)


What was very interesting was the comments of Catherine Davies executive director of co-operation and competition of Monitor, the NHS regulatory body who is reported as suggesting that patients could force GP surgeries to improve by switching to those whose services better suited their needs.


Well, let us look at that in Colchester. There are many GP surgeries present in North East Essex, and amongst them is the North Colchester health centre. It has good reviews and is open seven days a week for registered patients, from seven in the morning until ten at night and it has the largest practice area of a surgery in Colchester. But, despite having these opening hours, it does not have as many patients as other surgeries close to it with hours that reflect the five day NHS system that the government wants to move away from. Basically, if the people of Colchester wanted a seven day service enough, they would be voting with their feet and would be registering there rather than at other nearby surgeries.  

It will be interesting to see if the efficiency savings are seen as cuts and it will be interesting to see how the government will address the issue of GP recruitment and retention.  Basically, in 2015 there were four times as many unfilled GP posts as there were in 2010, one in ten posts for GP partnership being unfilled.  That figure has to improve of the health of the nation will suffer.

Hearing the Hull midfielder said he had to choose between cocaine and alcohol. Saying 'I respect my brain, but I value my Livermore'

At the time of this post, Hull and the FA have suspended Jake Livermore over a positive cocaine test. And Jose Baxter of Sheffield United has been suspended as well. Now while I have stated in the past that I think that drugs should be legal, But this is not about that, nor the loss that Hull had against the Scum, nor even about the upcoming match against Manure.

This is about austerity and can the UK take more.  I, like many think that Labour were wrong to call more increased austerity in the last election.  They had signed up to more cuts and I, like others, do not think that suited the core voters of the party.  In the election, the Scottish Nationalist Party and Plaid Cymru both campaigned on a platform of no more austerity and they took votes that Labour may have gained if they also did the same.  What is interesting though is that Conservative Councils have now stated that they want no more cuts.  In my job I have seen some of the effects of this, but I am lucky not to work with lots of the most deprived.  I fail to see how the police and the armed forces can be cut more, and of course, how council funding can be cut further without affecting the services that they offer.

My personal view is that there have been enough cuts to the services that are there for the most disadvantaged in society.  It is interesting to see Conservatives agreeing as well.

Liberation Day in Jersey

We are back!  My amazing wife booked us a few days in Jersey and we are now finally back.  The children had Thursday off as the school they attend was being used as a polling station and Friday was a "Non-pupil" day so on Thursday morning we travelled down to Gatwick to fly to Jersey.  It meant that we had to wake up early in the morning but as my wife had booked a taxi we slept for part/most of the journey to the airport.  A short flight later on EasyJet and we had landed on Jersey.  We were greeted by the sun which was good as unknown to us, the weather had not been good before we arrived.  Getting our hire car was easy (a shuttle bus to a collection point using Avis) and we were on the road to the Highlands Hotel.  My wife had chosen it for its reviews on Trip Advisor as well as its outdoor heated swimming pool and although the rest of us did not know it, it was a great choice.

The hotel does not look amazing and at first the service was not warm (though even then was excellent) but it was perfect for our needs.  Other than the first few minutes the service was both warm and other than one or two very minor issues, perfect.  We were told about the Tower at the end of the hotel which allowed views of the surrounding sea as well as having a library which came in useful when the kids ran out of things to read.  They loved the binoculars and the telescope that were there and later made use of the playground which while small was on site and kept them both occupied.  While the room did not look as great as it can in other hotels, it was better in that things worked!  Too many times I have been to other places with the kids to find that the television does not work (something that my children need at times).  In addition to this, there were other things for the children to do, and they did.  Both loved the table football and while they did not get to play a game of pool, they did have a go at table tennis.

The restaurant was good though I am fussy with my tea and it was not up to the standards I expect.  Ideally I would prefer to eat dinner elsewhere on the island but they were very accommodating for our two children which is more than many places are, so both good and not quite as good there.  We did get to have dinner at the Oyster Box and that was a highly recommended experience.  While there were initial concerns about its service (our drinks took a while to arrive) after that it was as good as the meal.  One thing that stood out was the way they interacted with the children, something I do not expect in a fine dining restaurant, and offered the children a mocktail.  Little things like that are important and I would highly recommend this both for people with well behaved children as well as adults.

The beaches on Jersey were spectacular and on the first day we drove across the southern part of the island from the south west corner which was where the hotel was to the east of the island.  Along the way we did stop and went for a walk along the sea front, by son sticking to the sea wall with his mother while my daughter and I went exploring along the beach and the rock pools.  There is access to the sea at the Highlands Hotel as well, a great spot to be able to go for walks from.

Even though we went off season, there was quite a bit to do, and while I am not a fan of sea food, my daughter and wife state great sea food to eat.  And that is without discussing our trip to La Mare Wine Estate and Distillery as well as the The Channel Islands Military Museum. I do not know when we are to go back, but when or if we do, we all will be happy to do so.

I'm scared to stand up in case the SNP take my seat

Well it is the day after the night before.  I will be up front and say that I did not (and doubt I ever will) vote Conservative.  This brought memories of 1992 back to me.  The polls said that Labour were going to win and instead the Conservatives won with a huge number of votes.  

I got my first idea that things had not gone well for the country at 2200 when the BBC published an exit poll that showed that David Cameron was going to be ten seats short of a majority.  My wife asked how accurate such polls were and a quick Wikipedia search depressed me as they had been quite accurate since 1992.  But I, like most of those watching, forgot the "Shy Tory" effect, that being many people were to vote Conservative but we're too ashamed to say so.  And as we now know, things got better for the Tories.

So David Cameron now has a majority and now can go ahead with the electoral reform he wants to bring in.  Disenfranchise the Scottish vote making English laws to be voted on by English MP's playing into the hands of the SNP who want to destroy the Union.  The justification being that Scottish MP's have no power on certain issues thanks to the Scottish Assembly while London MP's can vote over issues that the London Assembly has power  Bringing in Union reform to only allow a strike to go ahead if 50% of total union members (note, not voting members) vote for strike action when most MP's who will vote for this are not voted in by 50% of the electorate in the seats they represent (see the Alternative Vote) and of course, reform of electoral boundaries, again to favour the Conservatives.  And that is not counting the harm that they have caused the NHS through underfunding.  While they have increased funding (not always in real terms though) it has not kept up with health inflation, this being higher than normal inflation due to costs of new drugs and treatments that become available.  I may not agree with not increasing funding, but if you are to slowly starve the NHS of money be honest and do not wonder why those doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who can, leave.  The UK will always attract health professionals from abroad to work here, but when those who have the skills sought by other nations find out that they can earn more for less work, do not be surprised if they leave.  Still, I would be surprised if the NHS is allowed to get much worse as then it will not be able to be hidden from the public as well as it has.

Anyway, congratulations to the Conservatives as they have managed to use Wales to bash Labour over how the NHS is 'better' under the Tories as well as helping the right wing press to smear Labour and Not-Red-Enough-Ed (in my view on austerity) to hide the increase in food banks, those on Zero Hour contracts, falling Police morale, an Education policy that fails the most disadvantaged and rewards those more able and a weakened Armed Services when we face an aggressive Russia that 'has not invaded Ukraine' just like it was 'not partially responsible' for the accidental of flight MH17 over rebel held airspace in Ukraine. 

I suspect that many of those who are to be affected by the planned cuts have not voted and while I can probably survive five more years of a Conservative government, there are many who are disadvantaged who are going to suffer even more, much more than me.  The heartless cynic in me says that they will get what they deserve for not voting, but many of them did vote and they are to face the effects of the planned "efficiency savings" as well.

 

In five years time we get to decide again but it may be without Scotland and we may have a reformed electoral system that favours the Conservatives.

Should addicts who do not work have benefits removed?

My answer on this is yes and no.

I am not for cutting benefits for those with addictions but unless they are engaging with treatment I see no reason for the health system to sign them off work.  Put it this way, you would not give a suicidal patient the paracetamol to top themselves with, so why should an addict be funded to engage in the addiction?  Of course things would be easier if the same government that proposed this acted on a fat tax and took more action on cheap alcohol.  And things would be even better if narcotics were legalised & REGULATED as the war on these drugs that ruin so many lives is being lost.  

So, yes I am in favour of addicts who fail to engage not being signed off due to medical reasons, but I think it is far more important to act on alcohol pricing and bringing in a fat tax to aid healthy eating.

So the man who sang, "I believe in miracles," has died. Which is a bad omen for Ed Miliband.

There is an election tomorrow.  Vote.

I hope you find the videos on this of interest. And just in case you can not be bothered to read any of them, vote.

Roses are red, violets are blue, if you love Star Wars, may the force be with you.

Well, today involved a trip to Legoland for May the Force/4th.  Woke up early, did not leave as early as we were hoping and got there after the place opened, but all in all, had a great day.  The kids though, I think may be growing too old for Legoland as both now appear used to the rides.  This means that this may be our last trip there, but it is a place full of happy memories, and if we do return, it is somewhere that I am sure the kids will still love.