Friday 28 January 2022

News and Views and Those We No Longer Respect

 Here's the script for my latest podcast:-

Hello. It’s Robert Baggs here, welcome and thank you again for joining me for my latest Friday podcast.

Plan B ended yesterday and so if you wore a mask, I hope you’ve now despatched it to the bottom drawer so you know where it is come October when I guess it’ll all be starting again. It does seem however that there are still a very large number of people who cannot bear to be parted from their facial comfort blankets and some supermarkets are encouraging shoppers to carry on wearing them.

Before October of course our National Health Service will have collapsed as a result of the loss of up to a hundred thousand staff because they put their health and welfare before their jobs, not wanting to submit to the no-jab, no-job mandate of this government, as they rate their chances of surviving covid as greater than the potential harm that may occur from what appears to be a pretty useless, so-called vaccination.

So remember the government mantra, it was all about “Protecting the NHS”, preached at us again and again during the so-called pandemic, along with the weekly clapping.

Well, if anyone thinks that sacking 100,000 staff, with patient waiting lists being higher than they have been for many years and so consequently putting the health of millions of patients at risk, which will be the result of huge staffing shortages, then they need to realise it was never about protecting the NHS or each other.

Rumours are that this sacking is to be postponed until September by which time the emergency covid act should have expired as it is due to do at the end of March. However if it is not renewed it will be impossible to sack anyone for not having a jab as there will be no emergency. Neither is it actually possible to administer a so-called vaccine, being as it is authorised for emergency use only and still in live trials until 2023.

There is more of this to come, “Something wicked, this way comes”.

What a coincidence, I’ve just seen that further variants have been discovered and could prolong the UK pandemic.

Along with that, the government covid pandemic narrative is starting to unravel nicely with details of the errors in the statistics they have been using to create the fear, appear to be numerous.

Firstly the daily report of covid deaths, which, when I last saw was around the 175,000 mark, are nothing like that. It has always been the case that this figure has included any death from anything where the deceased has had a positive covid test in the previous 28 days.

However a freedom of information request, which was answered by the government’s  Office of National Statistics, has shown that, whereas covid has been listed as a cause of death on these 175,000 death certificates, for 90% it wasn’t the primary cause. This means that there were less than 18,000 who died of covid, this being a similar rate to the number of people who die of flu each year but as we all know, there was no flu last year.

On top of this, figures show that of those 18,000 patients the number under the age of 80 and with no pre-existing conditions, was around the 3,000 mark. This covers the entire period of the pandemic and not just the figures per year.

There have been a few media comments on these figures but this is actually a HUGE issue showing how much the British public has been misled. Imagine the main stream media and the government finding that the majority of covid deaths had zero to do with covid and yet not batting an eyelid.

If you think this can’t be true then check it out for yourselves and search for Freedom of Information request reference FOI/2021/3368. It’s all there if you’re prepared to make the effort to search these things out.

But the push is still taking place, you may have heard the radio advertisements advising that “The right time is now to go and get your vaccine. You can protect yourself and your baby by getting vaccinated!”, aimed at pregnant women, or “Two jabs are not enough, get your booster and be fully protected”.

Remember this – thalidomide was used for 4 years for pregnant women prior to it being stopped and also they’re expecting you to have 3 shots in less than a year from a company with no liability should you suffer side effects. Interestingly the drug company Pfizer was hit with the biggest criminal fine in history in the United States for falsifying data and bribing doctors, yes, they were fined $2.3 billion! Again don’t just take my word, research it for yourselves.

Anyway fortunately it seems that the public are getting wise to this and the booster campaign has been a spectacular failure. Oh dear, how sad, never mind,

And where have the experts disappeared to – have you seen the new book’s “Where’s Whitty?”, “Vallance Spends His Bank Balance” and “Van Tam’s Gone Away on the Tram”. Are they all jumping ship before this completely unravels?

Hopefully Prime Minister Johnson won’t be too far behind them although I suspect he’s been taking advice from Teflon Tony Blair on how not to let your misdemeanours stick. Johnson has batted away every question regarding his partying saying we need to wait for Sue Gray’s report which was due to be published at any minute. Yesterday the news was that this would happen soon, but only once the process of “legal scrubbing” has taken place, with it seems everyone from the police to the government HR department having a look to make sure it’s ok first. Today’s news however is that the Metropolitan Police have asked for all references to Downing Street partying to be removed. So what is the report going to be about? I think the report is to be entitled “A Whitewash”.

But this is just a witch-hunt say many who believe that with World War Three about to take off, with the Russian Army lurking on the border with Ukraine we should forget all about Johnson and his cake. I’m not convinced Russia is going to invade, it’s probably just an exercise, time will tell. And as for Johnson, irrespective of the consequences, for forcing the British people to be confined, as they have been, and because he has not set anything like a good example, he needs to resign.

I’ll end the news items this week with him again, yes Johnson, who has suggested it is “total rhubarb” to suggest that he approved the animal airlift out of Afghanistan resulting in people being left behind, despite there allegedly being evidence for this. I think that with a fruit-cake for a wife he’d do anything to keep her sweet.

Right, so let’s think about our society and how it was, or certainly how I recall it to have been when I was a lot younger. There was this thing called “respect” which was applied to many of those who we trusted and who we allowed to have power or control over us to make our lives safer and better.

Let’s call these “The Respected People”, but most of these are now seen as liars, frauds and charlatans.

At the top of this list I would place the politicians, and in that group we include MP’s and councillors, who work towards essentially managing all of the others that I will class as “The Respected People”.

I remember these politicians as often being intelligent, educated people, who looked and acted as if they were competent and we believed they put themselves forward, through a democratic process, for the greater good, to make the lives of those they represented better and for that we respected them.

Sadly this is no longer the case. I and I know many others have absolutely no respect for the majority of politicians these days as we hear more and more about cover-ups, sleaze, fraud, corruption and so on. This is not a new phenomenon of course, but in this day and age we have access to more information than we ever had and are less inclined to accept what a politician says because they are a politician.

We vote for these people on a first past the post basis and so technically, politicians can be in powerful positions when a majority of people do not actually vote for them but vote for one of their competitors. But this is democracy, one of the major achievements of our civilization, allegedly.

We vote for politicians on the basis of what they say they are going to do and then they don’t do it and do something completely different. Our current Prime Minister Johnson is a prime example of this. If we could see in advance the damage these people do then they would never be elected. I appreciate we have had some unusual circumstances during his tenure but he should never have tinkered and let the so-called pandemic run its course and we’d be fine now. However, as all the world leaders seemed to be singing from the same hymn sheet, it begs the question as to whether or not they are their own men, or whether someone else is pulling their strings?

We’ve had numerous unnecessary wars, a failure to control immigration, housing crises, employment crises and not to mention the alleged abuse cover-ups which are still going on.

I’m not sure this will get any better in my lifetime but I guess anything is possible. 

I think Billy Connolly had it right when he said “The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever becoming one”. He followed this with “Don’t vote, it only encourages them”.

So who next? I guess in terms of power we need to look at the judiciary, those who manage the laws of our country, fairly and without prejudice or influence, or so I thought at a time when they were considered a group of “The Respected People”.

A first requisite of a criminal justice system is that any punishment meted out by the courts should be proportional to the crime. The second is that there should be a proper sense of justice and I think it was once like that, or perhaps that’s just my hazy memory of it.

Compare and contrast these cases:

Case 1 - A man who placed bacon on the doors of a Bristol mosque, rather stupidly but nevertheless relatively harmless, was given a 12 month custodial sentence.

Case 2 - A Muslim teacher sexually assaulted an eleven year old girl, but was spared jail on the grounds that his wife could not speak English.

Just two of many examples I’m sure we have all seen where frankly, the law is an ass.

I certainly wouldn’t be very trusting of a system that can act in this way should I ever be faced with a court appearance.

 

On from this we can look at the police, who back in my youth were definitely amongst “The Respected People”. It was all Dixon of Dock Green and bobbies on the beat, now it’s almost an anonymous paramilitary force.

In the days of Sergeant Dixon I remember being stopped and given a caution for riding my bicycle at night without lights. Can you imagine that happening now?

Sadly, the police are not what they were.

Back then the police investigated crime and caught criminals. Now they stand by whilst crime is committed, the destruction of the Colston statue in Bristol being one example, another being where protestors glued themselves to or camp in the road in protest against climate change or BLM.

However, when someone claims that somebody else once said something to them they didn’t like they are on it like a swarm of bees. Let’s call it the “Hurty Word Syndrome”, where they suggest no stone will be left unturned until the problem is resolved, whilst paedophile grooming gangs roam our big towns and cities with impunity.

Finally, standards of policing differ depending on who you are and what you represent. I particularly recall the soft policing of the BLM demonstrations versus the hard policing of anti-lockdown demonstrations. Another organisation that has become politicised.

Next let’s have a brief whinge about religious leaders. Once they were seen as examples of sweetness and light being the good people they are and telling us how to live a fulfilling life. Oh, except for the paedophile priests, the muslim terrorists protected by their Imams and all of the associated cover-ups of course.

Very recently religious leaders such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby used Jesus and emotional blackmail to sell covid jabs over Christmas – when he said “I would say go and get vaccinated, it’s how we love our neighbour. Loving our neighbour is what Jesus told us to do. It’s Christmas, do what he said”.

My understanding of Christianity is that he also healed the sick and said everyone was welcome in his house. The Church of England has been reported as discouraging unvaccinated to attend services, so much for that then. No longer part of “The Respected People”.

So, who’s left? Our wonderful GP’s were definitely one group of “The Respected People”. GP’s have always been put on pedestals as they have the power of life over death etc etc. There are many GP’s out there who are doing a wonderful job but there is an ever increasing number who aren’t, particularly during the recent two years when you were more likely to get an appointment with the Queen than your GP.

People generally trust GPs in their role of sorting you out  when your health is a bit creaky, that’s what they do and you hope they make you better. However, never be afraid to question what they say and when you need the doctor try not to see the same one every time as that way they are more likely to look thoroughly at your records and to determine what might be wrong with you rather than assuming they already know based on their memory of your previous history and how they’ve dealt with you in the past.

From my experience, I’ve sadly witnessed a move away from 100% attention to patient care towards a greater interest in the money they can make as discussed in previous podcasts. Additionally many seem to have totally signed up to the cult of covid, an example of this being given in my last podcast. So definitely no longer “The Respected People”.

So then we have the journalists and broadcasters who, and in particular the BBC, were who you obtained your news from. Certainly the BBC was well respected throughout the world but now, it seems they have been politicised and report what they are told. I have taken part in massive demonstrations in London, in support of free speech and against the lockdown, with hundreds of thousands in attendance, but not a peep in the main stream media, yet a small demonstration outside an embassy has been headline news. Sadly, no longer “The Respected People”.

Finally, we have those in education, the teachers and the lecturers who think it’s their job to indoctrinate students with their own political views and have stifled open and honest discussion on the things they think might be offensive. Not all teachers, I know, but as with all of the above were “The Respected People”.

If those decent ones within what were once “The Respected People” don’t take a stand, then they all end up being tarred with the same brush and lose any remaining respect and the system will break down.

So there you have it, a brief mention of the liars, frauds and charlatans who no longer have our respect.

As with all of this, it’s essentially me sounding off, although not in great detail and you may well disagree or be able to contradict what I’ve said, but then that’s the joy of living in a free society and having freedom of speech that we can discuss and debate the things we don’t all agree on ….. or it was once the case!

So, I hope that was of some interest.

Thank you once again for listening and thank you again to those who have been in touch with comments and support.

Next week, as usual, I’ll be briefly looking at the news events of the week, and also I plan to talk about Royalty and Ask the Question of whether or not we need it, so look forward to you joining me for that.

Until then, trust nobody and question everything.

Be good and I hope that you can join me on Friday 4th February. Bye for now.


Friday 21 January 2022

News and Views and GP Surgery Finance

This is the script from my latest podcast. 

Hello. It’s Robert Baggs here and thank you for joining me for my latest Friday podcast.

Well it’s certainly all been happening this week on the covid front. The good news is, as I suggested in my podcast last week, that we are now looking at the end of the so-called plan B, which included the mask mandate, working from home and the requirement for covid passes to gain entry to venues and events.

However, I’m not totally convinced by this apparent return to normal. It seems all too convenient that this happened when Prime Minister Johnson was hanging on to office by the finest of threads with news that the Conservative 1922 Committee had received the appropriate number of letters from MP’s calling for a vote of confidence in him, which could have resulted in him having to resign.

It does seem too good to be true and it has to be said, yet again, that the parties held by the politicians and staff were an absolute disgrace, but why are the details being leaked now and were not at the time the parties took place? You have to ask if it has been a deliberate distraction and if so what is going on in the background that they are averting our eyes from?

We will find out soon enough I am sure but Johnson seems to have hung on by the skin of his teeth.

Many people think Johnson has done a wonderful job, however, in managing this alleged pandemic and now that he has advised the restrictions are coming to an end, when his career was in the balance, he has almost become a national hero to some.

Not to me however, I don’t mind admitting that I voted for him back in 2019, expecting great things, but how wrong I was. Never again!

In my view he is a total failure, he has essentially destroyed much of the economy, he has deprived us of two years of living normal lives, particularly affecting our children whose education and social development has been ruined with many of them struggling to catch up.

But most of all he has destroyed what was generally a pretty cohesive society, although obviously it had pockets of very vocal groups that are always going to be unhappy. But what he has done is to turn those who agreed with how he managed the pandemic against those who disagreed, this resulting in families and friends turning against each other with devastating results.

There is a general nastiness in society that didn’t exist before, with much of it relating to who is happy to have a covid jab and those selfish anti-vaxxers who aren’t!

Examples of the nastiness that I have witnessed and experienced includes a comment on social media relating to a news item that Djokovic may never compete in a tennis event again. An acquaintance of mine commented “Good!”. It may be that Djokovic doesn’t actually need to compete having earned enough to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life, but the principle behind the comment is that because someone has taken a decision they feel is wrong then they have no right to earn a living and support their families. A very nasty attitude.

Similarly I’ve seen comments that suggests that those who don’t tow the line and get jabbed, should be denied medical treatment should they need it, again, a very nasty attitude.

Worst of all was the woman in a café saying she hoped that unvaccinated people die as they are the reason we are in this mess.

From what I’ve seen, almost all of those screaming for lockdowns and all of the associated measures have covid-proof lives and jobs. So perhaps they should have walked a mile in the shoes of those who don’t and whose lives have been ruined.

But now we’re looking at plan B coming to an end and it’s very interesting to see all those so-called celebrities, on the radio and TV, as well as social media, backtracking on their previous staunch support for lockdowns and associated measures. Jeremy Vine for example was talking about the most ridiculous measures taken, despite previously being keen for stricter lockdowns, but now thinks that tying up swings in playparks so children couldn’t use them, was one of those ridiculous measures.

Also various news channels have been reporting on the mis-counting of alleged covid deaths as well as the fact that we need to treat covid in the same way as we do the flu, as every year we have many dying from that as well.

Then there is Dr Hilary, another covidian, who now thinks it’s a step too far that NHS staff will be sacked for refusing their jabs, whilst having previously been one of the nasty people. However no-one seems to want to ask the question as to why an estimated 100,000 NHS staff would rather put their jobs before having this jab. It doesn’t add up does it?

Several years ago, when writing a previous blog, I was asked why I was so angry. I replied that I wasn’t angry, I just felt it necessary to speak out against what I felt was wrong and that’s why I do what I do. If I do come across as angry then it might be worth looking back at how I see this so-called pandemic began, around two years ago, and how it progressed.

Well, we all remember the pictures of how it started with people dropping dead on the streets in China – which turned out to be a lie;

Apparently bodies were piling up - turned out to be a lie;

Hospitals were being overrun - turned out to be a lie;

Three weeks to flatten the curve - turned out to be a lie;

There was to be no mask mandate - turned out to be a lie;

Only the elderly and vulnerable will need to be jabbed - turned out to be a lie;

Once jabbed we can return back to normal - turned out to be a lie;

Children will never have to be jabbed - turned out to be a lie;

No vaccine passports - turned out to be a lie;

No mandatory vaccine for jobs - turned out to be a lie.

Lies, lies and more lies – so anyone would have a right to be angry.

Anyway it seems that Johnson is now telling the truth, like he did when he was ill with covid, very ill, on a ventilator allegedly, could have died apparently. Then within two weeks he was partying.

Having been diagnosed with covid last August there was absolutely no way that I would have felt like partying for quite some time afterwards and I spent a minimal time in hospital. So was Johnson ill or did it just help create the fear necessary for controlling the masses? It’s hard to believe anything that comes out of the man’s mouth.

Which brings me nicely on to my final news item – the BBC, and it seems their days, being funded through a tax, are numbered after a government review that was reported on this week. Years ago the BBC was THE station to rely on for the truth and their impartiality, or that’s certainly my memory of them.

Now BBC presenters insult us, patronise us, call us thick, call us racists, sneer at our values, mock our flag , think we need re-educating,  … so they shouldn’t be surprised that we no longer want to pay their obscenely inflated salaries anymore.

 

So, on to “How GP Surgeries Are Funded”. I started my career with the NHS in 1992 and spent the last 15 years of that career working as a Practice Manager in GP surgeries so part of my job included the responsibility to ensure that the finances were run efficiently, managing accounts and reporting to the partners as necessary. I’ve been retired for over 7 years now so some of the following may be a little vague and so is an overview that is hopefully of some interest.

It may come as news to some that GPs are actually independent contractors running their own businesses, in which they are partners, and who work under contract to the NHS to provide general and personal medical services to the community.

This essentially means they look after your health, for a fee, on behalf of the NHS, or the government.

When I started as a Practice Manager in 1999, the fees and allowances were to be found in a manual referred to as the Red Book, so called as it was a manual kept in a red folder.

This was introduced via a new GP Contract in 1990 and included a set annual fee per patient referred to as a capitation payment, with a little extra for older patients for example, plus separate fees and allowances for individual treatments and patients with specific conditions, for example asthma or diabetes where the demands on the GP would be more than those for patients without those conditions. Targets were also set for certain treatments and which GPs were required to meet to achieve payment.

These fees would be calculated quarterly based on patient list details, that is, numbers of patients and numbers of those with certain conditions.

A total payment was then calculated and paid on a monthly basis into the practice account and from this all practice expenses, staff salaries and pensions, building and maintenance costs, medical and other supplies and so on, would be paid. What was left over was then divided up and paid to the partners. Accountants were engaged who would review a particular years finances to estimate what was known as the partners drawings as well as the amount they considered necessary to save for tax.

Then in 2004 a new GMS Contract came into force, abolishing the Red Book and resulting in a significant but temporary increase in some practices’ income. Each practice received a share of the total amount of money allocated towards primary care and this was known as the global sum.

This share is determined by the practice's list size, and again was adjusted for age and sex of the patients (for example, children, women and the elderly have higher weights than young men because they cause a greater workload).

However, how this was calculated and paid remained very much the same.

At the same time the Government introduced the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) which was designed to give GPs the incentive to do more work and fulfil government-set requirements (a total of 146 indicators) to earn points (of which there were varying amounts per indicator) and which translated into a greater income. The money for the QOF was taken out of the "Global Sum", so is not really new extra money.

Participation in the QOF is voluntary but since the standards change each year, practically all practices participating have to do more work each year for the same income. However, the substantial additional workload of QOF has led to substantial improvements in the screening for risk factors in the community by primary care.

This also included, what were known as enhanced services which allowed GP’s to provide even more services resulting in more income.

Both this and QOF, although essentially forcing an increase in standards, changed how GP’s worked, such that their focus was more on their income than necessarily the level of care given to patients. An example of this can be seen from a comment I came across on Facebook made by a GP and is as follows:-

“Spend most days either vaccinating or thinking about vaccinating. Occasionally get to do a full days GP which is lovely and reminds me I still like it. 50,000 vaccines given to our small primary care network. About 15-20,000 more to do to finish and then boosters!”

The enhanced service for providing covid jabs shows that for each jab the GP’s surgery would receive £12.58 rising to £15.00 from December last year. We all know that GP services have generally, in the last two years, been abysmal and so you would think that their income from the other services they should provide would suffer but, no, it seems that QOF payments have been protected, based on previous years, as there is a pandemic going on. However based on the comment above and the rates paid, nigh on an additional million pounds will have been paid to that particular group of GP’s since jabs have been available.

I’ll leave the listener to come to their own conclusion on this.

A final note on this is to say that an amendment to the GP contract required all practices to publish their earnings on their websites. Take a look at your surgery and see if you believe what you read, but bear in mind that an article published in the Health Service Journal on the 21st September 2015, said that “in 2013/14 in practices with 6 or more GP’s average gross earnings were £99,100”.

So, I hope that was of some interest.

Thank you again for listening and thank you particularly to those who took time out to contact me with comments and support.

Next week, as well as briefly touching on the news events of the week, I hope to talk about how certain pillars of society we once respected, are respected no more, so hope you can join me for that.

In the meantime, trust nobody and keep holding that line, it seems we may now be looking at the beginning of the end, we shall see.

Keep out of mischief and I hope that you can join me on Friday 28th January. Bye for now.

Friday 14 January 2022

NHS Complaints and more.

 

Hello. It’s Robert Baggs here and thank you for joining me for my 2nd podcast of 2022.

And things don’t seem to be getting any better in Britain do they?

Nearly two years ago, in May 2020, Professor Jonathan Van Tam, or to make him more acceptable and seem to be one of our friends, referred to by Johnson and others as JVT, back in May 2020, he suggested that we may have to live with this covid virus for the long term.

Others have more recently also said we need to learn to live with this virus. This is all well and good if what they mean is that we carry on our lives as we did pre-covid and live with it as we have done with all the other flu-like viruses we’ve ever had circulating.

Somehow however I think what they mean is that we live with the virus plus the additional measures they’ve introduced, the masks, the tests, the isolating, the distancing and the jabs and then of course there is the peripheral damage we will have to live with, the excess deaths caused by missed or late diagnoses, the failed businesses, the suicides of those unable to cope, the general mental and emotional problems by the vulnerable and old and also our children who haven’t been able to socialise as normal and develop relationships and so the list goes on.

None of this is normal and as I said in my last podcast I will be carrying on as I have always done and live my life the way I want to, but if these measures make you feel safe then please carry on and this therefore makes me feel so much better as you’re all safe and protected behind your cloth mask and with all of your jabs and tests…. But are you really?

I do wonder whether those who comply with all of the recommended measures are more in fear of a virus or in fear of authority? If the former then perhaps a little research on who this virus affects and the survival rates of those catching it would not go amiss., if the latter then I’ll send you some balls in the post.

You might also want to consider deeply the party that was held in 10 Downing Street, also in May 2020, which has been very much in the news this week, after the email invitation sent out by Johnson’s principle private secretary, Martin Reynolds, asking those invited to “bring a bottle”. 

This was at the height of this pandemic, when we could only meet one other person, outside, because of this virus that we were all frightened into believing could kill us or certainly kill our grannies.

How strange then that those in government, who had access to all of the data relating to how deadly the virus was, were so afraid that they felt it acceptable to have a good old fashioned party!

Despite the uproar in the main stream media and other outlets regarding this party, along with calls for Johnson to resign as a result, he comes out all smiles and conveniently sweeps it under the carpet.  How long is he going to be allowed to get away with all of this, surely now his days are numbered!

I have also read this week that the pandemic will end at the end of March, with Johnson preparing a plan for a return to normality to become effective around then, this co-inciding with the end of the emergency measures introduced to deal with the pandemic and which should mean the end to the experimental jabbing which can only take place during such emergency measures. I hope this is true and it seems this is supported it seems by suggestions that the medical experts are saying that continued booster jabs are not the way forward. However, the power that the authorities have over the masses is something I think they will be extremely reluctant to relinquish. We shall see at the end of March…

The last word on this “pandemic” has to be to mention Dr Steve James, the anaesthetist, who was brave enough to speak up when his team were asked by the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, what they thought of the new rule to require all NHS staff to be vaccinated. Initially the question was asked of a group of nurses, but they were all hesitant in responding. It may not be common knowledge but not surprising that all NHS staff have been sent emails telling them that they are not to speak to the media regarding their views on anything relating to the pandemic. As the media were there when this happened the nurses were really put on the spot, so thank goodness Steve James was there and told Javid what he thought, which was essentially that it was wrong and calmly gave reasons why, leaving Javid looking somewhat more stupid than usual.

There was also the news this week that those responsible for the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol were found not guilty of criminal damage despite their actions being filmed and broadcast all over social media. It seems that we now live in a country that allows the destruction of public property as long as you are doing it for a purportedly noble political cause.

So it was no surprise to hear that a man was allegedly attempting to destroy the statue on the outside of the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London. This presumably as the statue of Prospero and Ariel was created by sculptor Eric Gill who, in his own diaries admitted to having sex with his sisters, his daughters and the family dog.

This being at a time when we are regularly being reminded of alleged sexual misdemeanours of, shall I say, the powers that be, and how it is all hushed up making it all the easier for them to carry on with this abuse.

And on a totally unrelated subject of course, there was the news last night that Prince Andrew has had all of his military titles and royal patronages taken away and will no longer be called His Royal Highness. Oh dear, how sad, never mind!

 

So on to the main subject of this podcast “NHS Complaints”. For far too long now the general public have placed medical professionals, the police, politicians and the judiciary on pedestals, giving them the greatest of respect due to the positions they have in society and the belief that they are there to keep us all safe and well.

Over the last two years I believe this has changed and any respect we once had for any of them has very much diminished to the extent that many of them need to be brought to book for their abuses of power. These people need to be challenged where it is thought that they have done wrong.

Having worked in the NHS for 20 years, I have always felt strongly that when people have a grievance, as a result of an experience they have had, when they are possibly at their most vulnerable, they should make a complaint, be it about their GP, consultant, nurses or admin staff.

Sadly most people are not aware that they can do this, nor how to do it should they wish to. It is also widely believed that anyone complaining will have a ‘black mark’ placed against their name and be subject to a worse service.

Well it may be interesting to know that by law, all health and social care services must have a procedure for dealing efficiently with complaints and that you, as a patient, have a right to complain should you feel aggrieved.

All medical establishments will have a published complaints procedure and must provide you with this on request.

Unfortunately these are well hidden on the establishments web-site but should also provide you with a paper copy on request by telephone or in person at the reception desk of GP surgeries, hospitals and so on.

Patients can also complain via the Patient Advisory Liaison Service, also known as PALS, at their hospital if hospital related, to their Primary Care Trust, the name given to the organisation that was once known as the local health authority, or to the CQC, the Care Quality Commission who are there to ensure that all health establishments meet certain basic standards. It is also possible to complain to NHS England, the body that has responsibility for primary care in GP practices, dental practices, opticians and pharmacies, as well as secondary care in hospitals.

 

So, how do you complain? Often patients are advised that most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily often at the time the problem has arisen and with the person concerned. However, if you feel that your issue is more important to you than a quick apology then you need to fully record what you have experienced.

You also need to know, and this should be detailed in the complaints procedure of the establishment to which you are complaining, who to write to and what they will do once they receive your complaint.

It is important to ensure that if you receive treatment or care that you feel isn’t what you’d expect then you need to write down what has happened, when it happened and who you dealt with. Then you need to compose a letter, often referred to as a formal complaint, and send it to via route that you have chosen to complain through. It is important this is done quickly so that the events are fresh in everyone’s mind. Sometimes they may ask you to complete a complaints form but I would suggest that you do not do this as it is designed by those about whom you are complaining and it is probably in your best interests to write a letter in your own words.

One thing that may add more pressure on those dealing with your complaint is to send a copy to your local MP and advise in your letter that you are doing that. If your MP is at all competent they will reply to you saying they have noted what you have said and offer you help should you need it. However, they will be unable to discuss this with anyone unless you give them permission to do so.

By involving your MP, believe me, those you are complaining to will ensure they do everything possible to deal with your complaint as best as they can.

If you need help with your complaint or would like someone else to deal with it on your behalf then you must write a letter to the establishment you are complaining about, saying that you give that person permission to do that as they are bound to strict medical confidentiality without your permission and cannot discuss your situation otherwise.

Sometimes they may invite you in to discuss your complaint and this may make you nervous but if that is what they suggest then you need to attend, but if you do go to a meeting take a friend or family member who can provide you with moral support so that you do not feel intimidated.

Often and particularly during this so-called pandemic, they may not offer this option and will deal with your complaint in writing. They should initially acknowledge your complaint and will advise you in this acknowledgement letter that your complaint is being investigated and when you should expect a full response.

So, once your complaint has been investigated they may want to discuss the results with you or write to you. If they want to speak to you always ask them to put it in writing.

They may also ask you what outcome you would like from the complaints process. It may be that you want an explanation of what went wrong and an apology and this is most often the outcome of complaints. It may be that you feel that financial compensation is what you deserve, however, if that is what you re after you should really go to a solicitor in the first instance and ask for their advice.

If you are still not satisfied when you have a response then you need to contact NHS England and explain the circumstances of your complaint and also why you feel that it has not been dealt with to your satisfaction.

If that is the case then you need to write to:

NHS England,

Customer Contact Centre,

PO Box 16738,

Redditch,

B97 9PT.

Other useful sources that can offer help are:-

The NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy

who can provide you with practical support and information regarding making complaints and the process that follows.

And should you feel you have exhausted all of these routes and still do not have the answers you seek then the

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

are there to make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS.

Details for all of the above mentioned organisations are available on the internet and a good complaints policy document will also contain the appropriate details.

Finally on this subject, certainly in respect of a GP practice, they must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records must be kept separate from patients' medical records. There should be nothing added to a patient’s medical record to suggest that a patient complaining is a nuisance or similar. If you have concerns about that, then include these concerns within your letter of complaint as they will have to address that point.

So I hope that has been helpful. If you have any comments or queries regarding NHS Complaints then please add them i nthe comments section and I will attempt to help.

Next week, as well as briefly touching on the news events of the week, I hope to talk about how GP surgeries are financed so hope you can join me for that.

In the meantime, trust nobody and keep holding that line, the truth will come out in due course.

Keep out of mischief and I hope that you can join me on Friday 21st January. Bye for now.

Friday 7 January 2022

“But I Don’t Have The Internet!”

Hello, it’s Robert Baggs here and thank you for joining me for this, my first podcast of 2022 and I would like to wish you all a very happy new year if that’s possible under the circumstances.

I’d also like to say that I’ve had a change of mind as to where this will appear and have decided that it will be on the Robert Baggs Blogspot and this podcast only, so I won’t be doing a video log as it’s a bit too much for me to commit this text to memory and I also don’t want to just read from a script.

Well, we were permitted to have a pretty normal Christmas this year after Prime Minister Johnson announced in a tweet on the 21st December that he “… wanted to confirm that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans.”

I don’t know about you but no-one gives me permission to celebrate Christmas in the way I want to so I did just that, celebrated Christmas exactly as I wanted to and essentially that’s how I live my life now, that is, I do what I want, when I want, no permissions necessary thank you Mr Johnson.

Johnson did go on to say that they were keeping an eye on things, a threat that further restrictions would be placed if he felt that it was necessary and so left an air of uncertainty hanging over the Christmas and New Year for those people who still live their lives in fear because they believe the Government are doing it all in their best interests.

Well it certainly was not in the best interests of anyone involved in the hospitality business many having to deal with large scale cancellations of meal and party reservations. All of this because the fear had been instilled in them that they would be in danger of exposing themselves to OMICRON, the latest covid variant, known to many of us as ‘THE COMMON COLD’.

And what is it with people that they are forever self-testing even when they don’t feel ill? Is this how they intend to live forever? No wonder the NHS is falling apart with so many staff isolating as they’ve tested positive but have nothing wrong with them.

So there’s a booster that seems to be the only way out of this … but that’s for now, our government is already talking about a fourth jab, how many jabs are people prepared to take I wonder. I foresee quarterly jabs being the way forward so it’s no wonder the NHS is under pressure.

Prime Minister Johnson seems to be ok with it but I wonder what Keir Starmer thinks, having caught covid in October after his two jabs and now contracting it again after his booster alledgedly?

And finally on this issue that dominates the media and general public conversation – why is it that those jabbed are so angry with those not jabbed? Do they or do they not believe the jab protects them? There is no logic.

So, on to what I had planned to talk about this week which unsurprisingly begins with a few comments about the so-called pandemic!

The last two years have increasingly seen the most authoritarian control over the British people that we have ever seen. Our freedom to manage our own lives and welfare has been taken away for nothing more than a bad outbreak of the flu, rebadged as covid-19 and now with the latest variant omicron, a rebadging of the common cold.

What has been most surprising is how the majority of the British public happily accept and embrace this control without question, resulting in the vulnerable, and those sick, from other than covid of course, suffering more than had this disease been allowed to run its course without restriction.

However, this remodelling of our society by the government has not only just begun. For several years, even before covid, the attack on the vulnerable and elderly has been taking place, but it is only relatively recently that we see how bad it has become and for that we must all bear some responsibility, even those of us who believe we are enlightened.

The covid restrictions have forced a massive move to forcing society’s reliance on IT, the track and trace app., the requirement of card only payments at many retail outlets, the purchase of non-essential items on-line and also access to medical services, unless, as said, you have covid of course, all these being examples of how we have been directed to using these services on-line.  

This is all well and good if you have access to, and an understanding of IT, the internet, modern phones and computers or tablets, and that is where we bear the responsibility for this. It has been all too easy for those of us who have embraced the pre-covid-19 IT revolution, to carry on with life because it is easier to do so on-line.

As an ex-NHS employee of 20 years working at all levels in the NHS, I know all too well the hoops through which we must jump to gain access to health services under normal circumstances. With covid-19 these hoops have become smaller and further apart and I have become angered on hearing about poorly elderly relatives seeking medical assistance during this politically created pandemic and the problems they are faced with in doing that.

These relatives in their 80’s and 90’s, have given up seeking help from their GP surgeries when they are faced, on telephoning, with messages advising them that “…. we are extremely busy, due to covid, please book an appointment on-line…”, to the extent they believe they have been written off and so no longer bother to seek medical advice or help when needed. Similarly another relative needed to deposit cheques in her bank account but as her local branch had closed rang seeking advice on what to do about the situation and was told that the bank only accepts cheque deposits via the on-line function.

With regards my relative’s health worries I wrote to the then Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, expressing my concerns and received no reply, not even an acknowledgement!

Consequently I wrote to my MP on the subject but included concerns over the broader access issues and stated in my letter the fact that “….there are almost 9 million people in the UK over the age of 70 and suggested that a great many of those are not IT literate and are actually frightened by it… going on to say …..  as well as those under 70 who do not have access or the ability to use an IT solution…” and that being with all things, not just medical care, but with banking, home-schooling of children, and even the correspondence we all received regarding the completion of the last census advising they preferred completion on-line, (although to be fair they did say that where this was not possible we should email or telephone for a paper copy to complete!).

The question my letter essentially asked was “What steps are being taken by the government and other authorities to ensure that those people, the vulnerable and elderly, who do not have appropriate IT access or the necessary skills to cope with that process, what steps are being taken to ensure they are not being disenfranchised from living normal lives?”

Instead of answering the general query, my MP sent the letter to the NHS, so the reply only referenced the NHS aspect of this issue. This is an extract from the letter I received by way of a response and I read it because I believe it important to allow the reader or listener to make their own assessment as to whether the function of government is to serve the people or serve their own ends.

This is what they wrote :-

“General practice is open and has been throughout the pandemic, and people should continue to access services by telephone, online or in person. GP practices have a vital role in the response to covid-19; they have worked tirelessly to identify and offer proactive care to shielded and high-risk patients, and continue to be there for all of us when we have health concerns.

We remain grateful for the extra efforts GPs have made to support all patients. General practice has rapidly adapted in response to covid-19, transforming the way its services operate.

Practices are providing remote consultations, as well as face-to-face appointments, in order to serve as many patients as possible while protecting staff and the public from the risk of infection. In some cases, GPs may deem it necessary to offer patients a telephone or video appointment prior to a face-to-face appointment to manage the risk associated with covid-19.

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) have written to GPs and their commissioners to reiterate the importance of providing face-to-face appointments for those who need them. NHSE&I also shared a communications toolkit to help GP practices communicate clearly with patients about how they can access services. A £150 million fund became available in March 2021 to expand general practice capacity, address the continued needs of patients as practices respond to covid-19, and to deal with the backlog of care and improve services.

It is in addition to the previously agreed covid-19 support fund that helped practices with costs incurred during the first wave. There have been big changes to the way that healthcare operates, but I would like to reassure Mr Baggs that general practice stands ready to see, treat and vaccinate local populations”.

So there you have it, not being content with attempting to brainwash the British people regarding this flu outbreak, they seem to have brainwashed themselves to the extent that nothing else matters but covid-19!

So remember, when you carry out an on-line activity, that you are privileged to be able to do so and then think about how you would achieve what you have done without your mobile phone or laptop. Millions of our people are being swept aside as if they no longer matter and it is a disgrace.

Thank you for listening and I hope this has struck a chord with you. Next week I hope to talk about the NHS complaints process.

In the meantime, trust nobody and keep holding that line, there are more of us out here who actually REALLY care about our fellow man than those who simply care about themselves.

Keep out of mischief and I hope that you can join me on Friday 14th January. Bye for now.

 

 

Monday 20 December 2021

Baggsy's Blog Returns!

 

Hello, it’s Robert Baggs here.

As we’re all aware life has been dire over the last few years for a variety of reasons, not least, as a result of the extreme and, in my view, unnecessary actions of what has become a totalitarian government. These actions in response to a so-called ‘pandemic’ have caused adverse effects, far outweighing the effects caused by the events leading to this imposition upon our lives. These effects will be seen for many years to come, the scientists themselves suggesting at least 18 months more of the same whilst the government have mooted a possible further 5 years!

Henry Ford once said “Show me who makes profit from war, and I’ll show you how to stop the war”. Replace the word ‘war’ with ‘pandemic’ and we can see this isn’t intended to end.

Believe me, this only ends when we make it end, through resistance and non-compliance. However, if you want to carry on with much of the same then don’t complain when it drags you down!

Anyway, this was intended as a brief introduction to my blog, which will resume in the new year with much of the same content also appearing in a podcast and a vlog.

I have been dormant for too long but am no longer able to remain silent and ignore what is happening in this world, and particularly in this once great country of ours and to our people.

The content of these broadcasts will be varied, ranging from the overtly political to personal gripes that I have with society as well as my take on issues of the day. It will be aimed at those of you who are free thinkers and so you may disagree with some of what I have to say and hopefully sometimes you might even agree. You may even find the content upsetting because of the overly sensitive world in which we now live and I make no apologies for that, nor will I be issuing advance warnings or offering counselling should you need it. No, I will be telling it like I see it.

Feel free to let me know what you think although I won’t be spending time debating the issues, and to reiterate, you’ll have to accept that my words provide my personal world view, nothing more and nothing less.

Also let me know if there is a subject that you would like me to cover and I may give your request some consideration.

I hope this may become a regular event with uploads occurring on Fridays, starting on Friday 7th January, so watch this space and I hope you can join me.

Finally, I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and a better 2022 than your 2021.

Friday 2 November 2018

The Street Was Empty ....

The street was empty, no-one had heeded the warnings and then they came. They came and they grew and they took, took everything that was worth having, leaving nothing left that was recognisable nor of any value.

It was all once so vibrant, the sense of community a source of pride and all that had been built up over so many years was testament to the resourcefulness of the people, their ingenuity, their sense of invention, in fact, their general greatness, but now sadly, the wisdom and trust that developed had proven to be faulty.

Not everyone shared the same values and principles and everyone laughed and pointed fingers when the warnings came. Even the leaders were told, eventually, but reluctantly, discussing and debating and promising to take action on the warnings. They did nothing, those with power to help did nothing and the warnings proved right and the leaders wrong. What had taken so many years to establish was destroyed in less than a generation, but they had been warned.

What a sad, sad outcome for what had been such a wonderful life, a wonderful place, a wonderful time. Now there is just sorrow and regret and sadness, sadness that it has all ended. Would the like ever be seen again? Not for a very long time, if ever, it was gone and it was too late, such a shame.

There was nothing left now, a great history destroyed and a great people all gone, the street was empty…

Friday 13 January 2017

2016 Great? - 2017 More Than Great!

I can’t really remember thinking about how 2016 would turn out this time last year, but for many reasons, some personal and some general, it was a great year. Looking back now at the general reasons, top of the list must be the vote for us to leave the European Union (Brexit), with the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA a good second. The picture of Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, taken after their meeting not long after Trump’s success in the American presidential election, has to be the photograph of the year being as good as a two-fingered salute to the liberal left wing types who love all the PC stuff and welcome never-ending immigration, blind as they are to the negative effects of both.

These two events are indicative of the general feeling that the “people” have had enough of the powers that be treating us as if we are a commodity, with no concerns regarding the feelings we have of being placed second all of the time. Political Correctness and the accelerating Islamification of our nation has brought us to a tipping point. However, there is still much to do, but with the “people” realising that they can make a difference, by making the effort and challenging the “big” people, who knows what can happen in 2017!

So, what needs doing?

Well, for one, we actually need to remove ourselves from the EU. Our Prime Minister, Theresa May has promised she will, by 31st March 2017, invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which is fairly straightforward and is as follows:-
1. Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

2. A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, (a qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.

3. The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period.

4. For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it.
Yes, that’s all. However it does seem that a lot more is being made of this process than is actually necessary. Why we cannot simply tell the EU we’ve voted to leave and that’s it we’re off, I fail to understand? We shall see what develops over the next three months. In the meantime those who voted against us leaving the EU are still wailing about how we must have another referendum and that the country will fall down the toilet as a result of us leaving. We used to call these people “bad losers”. Sadly for the bad losers we live in a democracy and, so far, the Brexit result is being upheld.

UKIP, with Nigel Farage as leader, can certainly be very proud of their involvement in the achievement of Brexit but until we are definitely out they need to stay alert to foul play such that a full and complete break is not achieved.
Certainly many of us are very much looking forward to our total separation from the EU and the removal of all symbols of it!



But that’s only the start, other events to look forward to in 2017 include the collapse of both the Labour Party, partly as a result of Jeremy Corbyn’s abysmal leadership and partly through its failure to address the concerns of the traditional working class support, and also the collapse of the Liberal Democrats, who seem to have largely disappeared down the same hole as their Mr Nobody leader! Then, if Brexit goes according to plan, UKIPs work will be done and their support will fall away rapidly leaving many without a political home.

So what then? The hope, in Nationalist circles, is that such a mass will work together towards a Nationalist agenda, which hopefully will be tailored to the needs of the 21st century and not that of the 20th. The latter would be a big mistake and not a feasible way forward. There are many problems from which Nationalism currently suffers and these need urgent attention in overcoming, not least is some unity! However, until sensible people sit down and discuss sensible solutions to these problems rather than dwelling on their own little empires and beliefs, which are, frankly, time-expired, then there will be no progress. We will not win this war by whinging on Facebook or Twitter etc. Ego’s and petty squabbles need to be left at the door and an agenda, a manifesto for the 21st century needs to be drafted, discussed and agreed whilst ensuring it is rasoned enough to appeal to the concerns of the general public and not just to hardcore Nationalists.

Sterling efforts are being made in Nationalist circles to begin this process via the London Forum and lately the South West Forum but more needs to be done with some form of timetable and basic plan of what needs to be achieved and by when. The time has never been better for us to take the initiative and move this forward before it is too late. Hopefully more met will be put on the bones of these hopes in the months to come, so keep an eye on this blog.