The New Cabinet

May had no choice really with regard to the Brexiters, it is exactly what I would have done. It makes so much sense, and undoubtedly they should take full responsibility for negotiations. Whether they can work together is another issue, but they should be professional enough to do so without any silliness.

So how are junior doctors going to cover weekend shifts without employing more of them? They already cover A & E, maternity, intensive care, etc. If they are also going to cover outpatients and non-critical care at weekends, the simple logistics means that there will be fewer of them during the week. Lack of consultant cover is a bigger problem, but junior doctors are an easier target, because they have renewable contracts.

In any case, they can't do their job properly without also employing admin and support staff, such as phlebotomists, radiographers, pharmacists, etc, so the next step will be to change their contracts too.

Increasing numbers of NHS roles are being outsourced to providers who cut corners, not only with the pay and conditions of staff, but the care they provide. That's what this is really all about.

If the NHS junior doctors debate has been resurrected I can't help thinking that the death of an anaethetist because he fell asleep at the wheel is something to show they are still overworked. Anaethetists are one of the shortfalls in the NHS- operations can't happen without them! www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3687452/Exhausted-trainee-doctor-killed-car-crash-fell-asleep-wheel.html

Ibroke my wrist last Friday. 5 p.m.
I was in A&E for four hours, seen within ten minutes of arriving, had xrays before and after setting, and had to go back the next day.
No shortage of doctors either time.
I then had to go as an in patient on Monday. Again, lots of doctors.
Did you know that doctors weekends according to Hunt's statistics, are four days long?

I still maintain that nobody else wanted to take over his big mess.
Did anyone notice his little joke; no NHS badge when he went in to number ten, but had it back in his lapel when he came out.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/07/15/34075/

About Boris.

Sounds like you're feeling better dj. Hope so!

Thanks, Jane.
I was just going to put the Boris link on but had to add when I saw the NHS stuff. All anecdotal, of course, so doesn't count. Aren't we all anecdotes to the NHS story when they need us?
Cast off in six weeks time. Fortunately no Summer holidays planned.

Oh dear Jen. is it painful?

Sounding brighter this morning dj

Yes, Jess, so don't do it. However, the alternative was my head hitting the wall at the bottom of the stairs, so I probably came off lightly.
Not even this can get rid of my sense of humour.

Hyped up on painkillers, whitewave. I try to take as few as possible.
Anyway, enough about me.

theconversation.com/theresa-may-reshuffle-what-is-behind-the-pms-top-appointments-62507

Yes that's true with regards to May's choice of Brexiters. It is the age old problem of keeping a party United especially the mad right wing. She is perhaps calculating on Labour support in some of the more difficult votes over Brexit, as the La La land that the mad Brexiters inhabit will never come to fruition.

? Get well soon, dj. I know it is off post but here is another NHS anecdote.
Like you I had reason to get emergency treatment from the NHS last Thursday. I was buckling my GD into her car seat when my husband took off and drove over my foot. Straight round to our local minor injuries clinic and I was in, X rayed and out in 40 minutes having been seen by a practioner nurse.
I do hope the junior doctor's dispute in England is settled soon. I was surprised that Hunt kept his job but perhaps he has fresh orders from his new boss on how to get a good resolution quickly.

Repeat ..nothing wrong with expecting the same level of cover at weekends as during the week. Shop staff and catering staff have to do it ...on minimum wages unlike doctors.
And their own union negotiator has given up on them.

And that's why Hunt is back in post.

But...but...presumably shops employed extra staff when Sunday opening became the norm and they made extra profit. Most of the small shops in my town don't open on Sundays and the reason they give is that it wouldn't be commercially viable.

If a hospital employs X number of staff to cover five days and is then told that it has to spread the same number of staff over seven days, weekdays are going to be understaffed.

Of course the hospital trusts need to employ sufficient staff to cover weekends. Doctors are not being asked to cover every weekend but to commit to a certain number.

Hospitals have always been open for business 7 days a week...why would you think otherwise but getting enough staff to commit to weekends has become the problem.

So why is Hunt not solving " the problem" by giving hospitals more money to provide an extended cover? Not sure where you are getting the idea from Anya that there is a current problem with cover, in areas that need cover. Obviously it would be nice to have an out patients appointment any time you fancy- but that would cost a lot of money. Someone will know the answer to this: Is it common for private hospitals and consultants to offer full service for minor surgery and outpatients at weekends?
If the seriously wanted to change the system they would have needed to do some careful analysis of the problem in consultation with the experts who actually run hospitals and the patients. Not rush into a battle with junior hospital doctors!
This was one of Cameron's blithe promises during an election campaign that he did not expect to win. He was good at blithe promises: greenest government ever, meeting a target for immigration, not having a top down health service re-organisation and a small matter of a referendum that is threatening to throw our government into chaos. To name but a few.
Did anyone else see the Nick Robinson clip of him interviewing Cameron before the 2015 election and asking him "What is Plan B if you lose the referendum." To which the inspired answer was "Plan B is to have a referendum".

I saw that interview JessM! I'm glad I didn't see it before the referendum! Arrogance and dereliction of duty comes to mind!!!

I can see you don't think there's an issue with weekends Jess so no point in continuing this discussion.

Why do routine appointments and procedures including operations NEED to take place at weekends?

Anya, Getting enough staff to commit to weekends is NOT the problem. The problem is finding enough staff to work at weekends on top of a full working week on weekdays.

No DD that is not the issue. Hospital staff are not contacted to work Monday - Friday 9.00- 5.00 and they know this when making a career choice - a very lucrative career choice might I add.

But as I've just posted, there's no point in continuing a discussion where we can't agree on the need let alone the resolution ; we'd just end up batting the problem back and forth and getting nowhere.

I should have added that they do shift work as routine.

Anya, I am very well aware how hospital shift work operates. A full service CANNOT operate at weekends without reducing the cover during the week or employing extra staff. This has nothing to do with the days individuals are expected to work, but the MAXIMUM number of hours they can work safely. You really don't seem to grasp the issues, so it probably is pointless to continue the discussion.

I'm with Anya on this one. Hospital premises are expensive to run. There's no reason not to use all the clinic space, theatres etc on a 7 day basis. Main problem is that this would require current staffing to be spread too thinly. More staff in possibly different mix required?