Category Archives: NHS

NHS WORSHIP

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The NHS worshipping BBC seem to have missed this great instance of how the NHS truly exports around the world;

An NHS doctor on leave from a London hospital was part of a heavily-armed extremist gang who took a British journalist hostage in war-torn Syria. The Kalashnikov-toting doctor – believed to be around 28 – told photographer John Cantlie he had taken a sabbatical from his medical work to come to Syria and fight a ‘holy war’. The bearded medic, who spoke with a south London accent and said he had a wife and a child back in the UK, told the captive photographer he intended to return to an NHS job in Britain after his time in Syria.

Am sure Today will cover it in detail tomorrow…

UTLEY AND THE BBC

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Did you read Tom Utley’s take on the Today programme a few days back?

“Does anyone believe that the Beeb, which bewails every cut and lauds every increase in government spending, would have made such a fuss about any other three-day clampdown costing less than one ten-millionth of the NHS budget? And is it remotely conceivable that, on any other matter, it would have expressed such sympathy for the grotesquely incompetent CQC — whose appalling record over upholding standards of care for the elderly and vulnerable the BBC, to its credit, has done so much to report?

Final question. Last year, BBC TV’s Panorama exposed the scandalous ill-treatment of patients at the Winterbourne View private hospital, which had been missed by the CQC. Does anyone remember Auntie accusing ministers of ‘chasing headlines’ when they moved swiftly to close down the rotten place?”

SALAMI SLICING THE COALITION?

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Been a busy day, which started with me debating the Bishop of Hulme, Stephen Lowe, on the BBC this morning here. Go to 30 minutes in here and listen for half an hour, if you dare! Meanwhile, back on the Today programme, Justin Webb was on the attack against the very well spoken (if a tad dripping wet) Andrew Lansley. Yesterday it was IDS who got the treatment and today it was Lansley – same tired BBC meme, namely that reform of any part of the Public Sector is just, well, impossible. I though the hectoring and interruption by Webb did him no favours and I liked the way the parroting of Stephen Dorrell’s comments by Webb were nicely countered by Lansley. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with a Government Minister being robustly challenged on the BBC – that is fine by me – BUT during the long hard Labour years, there was a stunning silence from the BBC when Brown and co went about building up a bloated and inefficient NHS. Now, they go on the attack when the Coalition try to do something about it! The pro-Statism meme is always in play and it just surfaces in al kinds of places!

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PFI REVISIONISM

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The 8.10am item on BBC Radi 4 Today is a wonderful example of the BBC doing everything possible to defend the previous Labour government’s many follies – in this case the poorly negotiated PFI schemes that now cause so much misery in the NHS. Humphrys was on top form and before we even got to the interview with Andrew Lansley, there was a set up interview with  John Appelby of the Kinh’s Fund who insisted that in the “greater scheme” of things, the “few” billions added by PFI “investment” were nothing to worry about. Cue Lansley and an onslaught from Humphrys which demonstrated both a woeful lack of economics (unsurprising coming from a denizen of State largesse) and a real determination to try and defend Brown and Balls. It would be touching were it not so blatantly biased. Oddly enough, although I have waited for almost 4 hours there is STILL no link to this part of their programme, the inefficiency is staggering.

Following on from this, a Biased BBC reader notes;

“The BBC are going big on the disastrous PFI contracts which will cost us Billions extra. I looked at the comments on the story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15010279 but was surprised at the comment which was the ‘Editors Pick’. 

9. Tony
3 HOURS AGO
“I have huge admiration for our health service, to my mind one of the best in the world. We can argue and complain about the past funding issues for ever more. I as a tax payer would love to pay a little more tax to keep it out of private hands but whilst it remains a political issue regardless of political colour, nothing will change. Lets all pay a bit more for something we all rely on.”

This was in vast contrast with the main body of comments.

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BABY LOVE

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Always good for the BBC to start the day with some good old fashioned NHS shroud waving, Check out the link on the Midwife shortages caused by the fearsome Osborne cuts  that are now “risking lives”in England. One of the reasons for this, according to BBC Today, is the increasing birth-rate in parts of England. Curious how there is a certain coyness about where those areas might be and which communities may be creating this unprecedented pressure on Midwifery. I do seem to recall that indigenous UK birth rate is at an all-time low but the BBC chooses to park the issue there. Do you think that under this story is another story which the BBC has no intention of discussing. If so, isn’t that rather disingenuous of the State Broadcaster?

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NHS IS PERFECT

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Criticism of the NHS does not go down well at the BBC. I suppose both are anachronistic cabals and the BBC gets defensive when people suggest that the NHS is a dinosaur. So listen to this interview with the head of NHS Direct. Note the instant attack on the Daily Mail and then the smug satisfaction and faux apology from Nick Chapman, all lapped up by Humphyrs.

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GOD BLESS OBAMA…

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The BBC continues to provide comment on Obama by using hard left commentators such as Dennis Kucinich. Today @ 7.52am. In essence, the line peddled by Kucinich is that the US needs an “NHS” model of health-care and so the Obamacare model does not go far enough. It’s amazing how the BBC is only prepared to provide a forum for those who seek to attack Obama from the far left. Mind you, in an attempt at “balance”, Mark Mardell was on at 7.13am to sing the praises of Obama. Fair and balanced, as ever.

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Sing the right tune

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House of Dumb quotes Jeremy Vine:

The Patients Association has uncovered “appalling” cases of poor hospital care. But did you want to sing the praises of the NHS after your operation?

As Dumbjon comments,

Now for Stage 2: counting up all those times when the BBC has reported on cases of alleged police brutality by asking people to ‘sing the praises’ of their local police.

This link to Jeremy Vine’s webpage will change soon. But for now, yes, that’s exactly what it says.

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THE CRUELTY DOSSIER

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Well then, it appears the NHS may not be quite the envy of the world that some of it’s propagandists – including the BBC- suggest. This is a tricky one for the BBC. You see the pain and anguish which the NHS causes to so many people cannot be cloaked on this occasion BUT one must be careful not to damage a State funded bureaucracy, after all you never know where that one could lead, right?

Listening to this interview, one cannot help but feel that Christine Beasley gets away with all sorts of amelioration. Yes, he does pull her up on her initial line of excuse namely that is is only a “very small number” involved but then she switches tack and agrees it is a “small but significant number” of useless medical staff and that “complaints procedures” need strengthened. What a crock. The punchline is that the NHS is a corrupted bloated bureaucracy more interested in itself than in patients. Having praised Humphyrs the other day, I suggest he pulled his punches here and Beasley most feel she got off with minimal damage. Unlike the NHS patients concerned.

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