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NHS and Social Services

NHS Failing in Planned Chaos – 20-06-2022:Erasure of Teignmouth Hospital emblematic

Devon CC – Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee – 21-06-2022

Set up to fail – when and who by? Rescue?

Post WW2 perception and will in an exhausted and bankrupt Britain. The ‘war spirit’ lasting. The healthy look after the ill. ‘Love thy neighbour’ - Mosaic law

Beveridge and Bevan. NHS opposed by the BMA and a majority of doctors. ‘Cap in hand’ to last.

Bevan saw it through. Its work massive and its triumphs certain. Fear of illness and death, and bankruptcy, through medical bills absent. Compare with the US - two thirds of those going bankrupt are through medical bills.

Key stages in the gradual and now precipitous fall into chaos, injury and possible death.

This e-mail with its serious complaints re Dr Smout and her colleagues at the Albany Clinic, Newton Abbot was sent to  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  as advised by Mark Charlesworth responding from Manchester for the GMC.  This at 5.14pm 21-04-2-021  He was helpful.  I received no acknowledgement.

I have re-sent the e-mail today at 11.11am  and later 'phoned the GMC on  0161 923 6602

To make sure that it had arrived (no notice of failure) I spoke with Ms Sarah Holt who answered.  She could not find a record of it, and told me that the GMC only looked at individual doctors and not at practices.  I responded - 'in that case consider my complaint as being against Dr Smout, since she is the lead GP.'  Ms Holt told me that my complaint would be in a 10 day long 'chain'.  I went on to say how deep was my concern - that 'British medical standards have been lowered beyond any imagination'.  

The GMC was quick to 'de-register' my good and courageous colleague Mr Muhammad Adil FRCS for expressing his concern at the 'totalitarian' response of a psychopathic cabal of HMG ministers (underlined words mine) - early in 2020.  His concern was mostly for the livelihoods of the people in the regions about him in the north.  I found no reference to this 'kangaroo court' action by the GMC on its web site.  I would guess that the action against Mr Adil was instigated within 'government'.

Mr Stuart Barker   Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Services in the County of Devon.

24-06-14

Dear Stuart,

Thank you for your prompt reply.  Although I speak strongly my motives are good.  You know that.  People who put themselves up for election to public bodies often become Aunt Sallies; many of the people chucking the wet sponges would not take on such responsibilities themselves.  I know that local government is imprisoned by several vicious circles.  For instance, you end with

'This (1.9% rise) raised just over £6m but we lost £3m because by raising council tax we lost the government council tax support grant so the net gain was just over £3m – it doesn’t go far towards the £110m.'

I thought this exemplified some of your difficulty.  Kafka portrayed it in The Castle - Das Schloss.

Dear David
 
Thank you for your letter, it is difficult to disagree with the direction of your comments, the position we are in isn’t something that I would, or have chosen. Having been fighting to maintain budgets and to deliver new services for the last five years it is very hard to find that the money available is no longer there having been taken away by circumstances out of our control.  I could not agree more with your comments about looking after very elderly frail, vulnerable people. These are very difficult and emotional decisions which nobody should have to consider, however, if we want to continue to fund as many people as possible for as long as possible then we cannot carry on the way we are.  If you remove a third of the money from your pocket what are you going to do if you want the same things you have worked for but find some of them are costing twice as much as they would if you bought elsewhere.  
 

Regarding the announced policy of closing Devon County Council Care Homes

Mr Stuart Barker Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Services Devon County Council

Dear Stuart,

Having attended the Health and Well Being Committee last Monday afternoon, I later saw you on BBC Spotlight SW announcing the closure of 20 care homes in Devon.  I was angered by the manner of the announcement and very disturbed by the content and rationale.

This letter is no attempt to 'shoot the messenger' but to question what is going on in our country as presently directed by a Coalition government where no party gained a majority, and by your council, in this large and wonderful county.