10 December
2013
Stress is a
killer! Oh so many folks suffer from various stress related illness and couple
that with depression, another killer illness they can be lethal. So when I read
that a third of the staff at the Hussy Hospital are off sick because of stress,
it makes you think about just what is wrong with the NHS as a whole to cause
it. With the West Midlands the stress illness levels for NHS staff is at 22%;
so what is going on at the Hussy to cause the added suffering their staff are
presenting with?
The Hussy has
been under the micro-scope for some time now over various issues; by 'some
time' I actually mean several years if it. There have been moves to take both
paediatric care and maternity away to the Walsgrave in Coventry. The A&E
was thought to be downgraded. Then there was fuss and bother over going for the
Foundation Trust status which still hasn't happened simply because they can't
find a suitable partner. And then of course was the high mortality rate issue
there.
All of these
issues are of course a hospital-wide problem. From a personal point of view I
remember my wife Jan being in there in ICU after a stroke. She spoke to one of
the doctors on duty; an hour later he was found dead after a heart attack. Jan
said that he was very stressed out and was running around all over the place.
But the
question must be asked, what effect is all this having on the patients in
there? Another question comes to mind; which wards/departments have the
greatest level absence through stress related illness? You see, not so long ago
questions were also being asked about the high cost of agency nursing staff at
the Hussy. Their use on an 'as needed' basis means that there will be little if
any continuity in patients care on at least some wards, at some times.
What the
Hussy needs is exactly the same as every other hospital in the country; they
need to be fully staffed and that means allowing more money to employ the needed
staff. And stop all the reviews and changes to practice. Stop the dreaded
league tables which just adds to the stress of the staff. But most of all, stop
using the whole NHS as a political football!
Today's photo
then is this one ...
Yes, I know I've posted this one before but it does show
what the NHS was created to provide. Now it is time to let it do what it was
created to do!
And a funny
...
Tim decided to tie the knot with his long-time
girlfriend. One evening after the honeymoon he was assembling some
gear for a hunting trip. His wife was watching him. She finally speaks. “Honey,
I've been thinking, now that we are married I think it's time you quit hunting,
shooting, and fishing. Maybe you should sell your guns, your boat and the
motorcycle.”
Tim gets this horrified look on his face.
She says, "Darling, what's wrong?"
"For a minute there, you were sounding like my ex-wife.”
"Ex wife? I didn't know you were married before!"
"I wasn't.“
Tim gets this horrified look on his face.
She says, "Darling, what's wrong?"
"For a minute there, you were sounding like my ex-wife.”
"Ex wife? I didn't know you were married before!"
"I wasn't.“
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