07 March 2009

Nice one, Cyril

The picture that was here has been removed because, according to Dr Grumble's legal advisor, it was a violation of copyright. Daft these laws because presumably you could look at the picture if Dr Grumble told you where to look.


Sometimes Dr Grumble has the sensation that there is a hidden force out there that is driving the course of healthcare in completely the wrong direction. Sometimes things just do not make sense to Dr Grumble. Why should apparently highly sensible people at the top of their professions veer the wrong way? Is there some Orwellian force at play?

What does the word 'Orwellian' mean? Mrs Grumble says it refers to a world where everything is controlled, you have to follow the party line and sometimes you have to agree that two and two make five. Here is an Orwellian letter from the Times that Dr Grumble stumbled upon in the comments on Jobbing Doctor's blog.

Sir, As clinicians and partners working in the capital we find it sad that your story on Professor Darzi’s excellent report Healthcare in London (“Local hospitals face axe”, July 11) concentrates on hospital closures and not on the main theme, that patients need the best quality care in the right place.

The care provided to stroke patients in the capital is just not good enough. There are many small GP practices without the facilities to offer even blood tests and ultrasound to their patients, while the hospital may not be the right place to go for a wide range of relatively minor complaints. That is why the polyclinic is proposed. We agree with Professor Darzi that better specialised care in major acute hospitals, treating in particular stroke and heart attack patients, will significantly improve the outcomes for a large number of people.

CATHY WARWICK, Visiting Professor of Midwifery, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

PROFESSOR SIR CYRIL CHANTLER

DR MARTYN WAKE

DR TOM COFFEY

DR MAGGIE BARKER, Deputy Regional Director of Public Health, London

SIMON CRAWFORD, Chief Executive, West London Mental Health NHS Trust


This is a two and two make five letter which, according to Mrs Grumble's definition, makes it Orwellian. What can be behind this? Does Dr Grumble's friend or her Black Cat have the answer?

5 comments:

Elaine said...

This is 1984. Thank goodness we have some people willing to fight back.

Anonymous said...

GP practices can't offer ultrasound and blood tests?! Of course they can't, unless one of the GPs is a jobbing radiologist and/or biochemist.

Have I missed something?

Anonymous said...

That picture is a copyright violation Dr G unless you have taken their permission to use it. Check first :)

RP

Dr Grumble said...

Thank you RP. There are very few pictures on Dr Grumble's blog and the copyright is one reason.

Dr Grumble has done a workaround on this. Surely telling people where to look is OK?

The law baffles poor old Dr G. He sits on a government committee alongside two lawyers. They never ever agree. Presumably the law baffles them too.

Dr Grumble said...

Dr Grumble is with Wikipedia on this.