The undervalued workforce. Option: reduce, resign, retire or emigrate. Its going to get worse still..

As I listened to a Scottish National Party Politician explain how satisfied everyone he saw was with the SHS (Scottish Health Service) I wanted to cry out and ask him about anecdotal, and selection bias. Of course an ambulant MP or politician will only meet survivors. Dead patients dont vote. 

No wonder the new GPs are going part-time. Their hours and the concentration within those hours are exceptional. Most are now females, and many have families.

In Cornwall, serviced by the West Briton and Cornwall Live, there is a problem with STD clinics. Lex Trewhela in the West Briton last week reports: “Senior doctors air fears for health service as new contract awarded”. (Not yet on line) This is the culmination of a number of reports, and the intention to switch the service towards GPs who are already overloaded.

The shocking truth about sexually transmitted diseases in Devon …‘Unsafe’ sexual health centre could lead to STI epidemic in Cornwall …Cornwall Council condemned for ‘selling off’ Royal Cornwall STD service…

Sean Delaney for Kentonline 28th November 2019 reports: GP surgeries in Greenhithe, Bean, Darenth and Bexley suspend services following investigation

Ross Gardiner November 28th In the Courier in Scotland: Patients reporting issues across Perthshire after Bridge of Earn patient influx

BBC Wales News 2nd December: Norovirus closes Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli to visitors and this is not by any means the only noroviral closure, as Truro and Birmingham have also been affected. Also in Walesonline 1st December: Whitchurch doctor’s surgery in Cardiff with 11,000 patients is under threat

New premises need to be found before September

Helen Puttick in the Times 2nd December 2019: Patients suffer as doctor shortage puts GP out-of-hours service ‘close to crisis’

Cathy Owen in WalesonLine1st December :Whitchurch doctor’s surgery in Cardiff with 11,000 patients is under threat – New premises need to be found before September

Liz Perkins in the Daily Star 1st December: GP Surgeries in UK at “record low” as more than five practices close every week. At the same time, the number of patients per practice has soared by 5.1% to 8,737

Thousands die needlessly as NHS fails to boost cancer survival rate, and dead patients don’t vote. How about a posthumous vote?

Bullying is a sign of desperation. It is caused by circumstances.. These will get worse… Dead patients don’t vote…

But don’t worry, other countries are also “in the shit” when it comes to Emergency department standards. In the Irish Examiner Catherine Shanahan and Juno McEnroe report 28th November: T D O’Donnell compares Crumlin ED with South American facility.

In BMA News the overpromising and bribery continues: Labour promises increased NHS funding and free dental care (BMJ 2019;367:l6585 )

and Ingrid Torjesen opines: Tory immigration plan threatens to worsen NHS workforce crisis (BMJ 2019;367:l6593 )

Even Mark Britnell opines his views in the BMJ: The chairman of KPMG Global Health and former NHS hospital boss outlines his blueprint for solving the healthcare workforce crisis

Solving the worlds health care workforce (BMJ full text)

Rhys Blakely reports in the Times 28th November: NHS spends least on patient health

The NHS is lagging behind the healthcare systems of other developed countries in spending, staff numbers and avoidable deaths, a study has found.

A comparison with the healthcare systems of nine other wealthy countries suggested that austerity policies and lower numbers of staff from the EU because of Brexit had taken a toll…..

The Telegraph 1st December: Full-time GPs a thing of the past, says new chief doctor, as he …

Pulse in 2018: Pressure causing GPs to work part time | Practice Business

The Express 2018: Part-time doctors are stretching NHS to breaking point …

The Times Dec 3rd Greg Hurst: Deprivation in poor areas cuts years off the lives of newborns

…On average newborn girls are expected to live to 90.2 years old, down from a projection of 92.2 years based on figures from 2016 and from 93.7 years from calculations in 2014.

For newborn boys average life expectancy has been scaled back to 87.6 years, compared with a projection of 89.6 years made in 2016 and 90.9 years based on figures in 2014.

Richard Stephens in the Times Nov 29th: Nursing applicants fall by almost 20% in two years.

Richard Ford in the Times Nov 29th: Poisonings rise as more teenagers use hard drugs