Slaughtering a Sacred Cow

Hi all. Apologies for the lack of posts this week, I've been very busy with oldest son and his first foray into the thespian world. I shall blog about that and other heartwarming stuff at the weekend, but tonight after a week of dress rehearsals, performances and chaperoning, I am tired and grumpy, so am taking the opportunity to get wired into a sacred cow.

The NHS cannot be criticised by any politician or media outlet. If anyone throws a modicum of criticism in its direction, the flak they take is incredible.

Over the years I've thankfully not had much interaction with the largest public sector employee in Europe. However I am in the system at the moment. I buggered my knee playing football (I know at my age I should have known better) and had to admit defeat and go and see my GP.

He reckons the cartilage has gone in my right knee and referred me to a specialist. After about a month I received a letter to say I was on the waiting list and they would contact me again within 16 weeks............

So imagine my excitement today when another letter dropped through the letter box informing me that.............I was now off that waiting list and had to call them to arrange an appointment, which will be goodness knows when.

The 16 weeks was actually the waiting list to get to the point of phoning to get an appointment, not the timeframe to get an actual appointment. So I will call them tomorrow to see when I will actually be seen. If it is soon, I will gladly update this blog with an apology. I won't hold my breath. This reeks of a scam to allow the Nationalist "government" to cut their waiting times/lists.

As ever, you end up running around after these people trying to organise things, usually in work time, wasting your day trying to get someone to actually answer a damned phone.

They even have the cheek on the letter to tell you that they're extremely busy between 0900 and 1100 so best not to call then. I think I might append a similar note on my emails and voicemail, I'm sure my clients will understand................

Go Private you shout. And I would. But my Health Insurance through work has just come through and this is classed as a 'historical injury' so is not covered.

I'm pretty sick of paying through the nose and not getting anything like the service we deserve. The NHS is full of Managers and non-job 9 to 5ers, whilst the front line is cut to the bone. The waste in our hospitals is frightening and it needs people of substance and backbone to clear the decks. It will never happen as it's always turned into a political football and we'll go on pissing money down this black hole for evermore.

Tonight's music is from REM. From back in the days when they were a cult indie rock band from backwater USA listen to "Don't go back to Rockville". A country tinged gem, totally out of kilter with most of their early work, a little like the wonderful Pixies "Here comes you man" is so out of place of "Doolittle". Two for the price of one for you tonight, enjoy.