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.
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