Mandy O’Keeffe

West Midlands Paediatric Registrar. Interested in adolescents, child mental health, medical education and wellbeing. UCL Graduate #RUMSforever

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

This morning Conservative MP and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride said that GPs will no longer determine whether a patient gets a sick note, and that WorkWell will make the assessment.

Who is WorkWell? After a quick search online:

➡️ WorkWell is a series of partnerships across the country delivering a service

➡️ They will evaluate 59,000 disabled people, and people with health conditions

➡️ £57 million will be allocated to 15 areas

➡️ One example of this is a contract issued by Greater Manchester Health Authority for a 2 month contract. It was given to the firm PWC for £91k

This model will be replicated across the country

So instead of your GP determining whether you, their patient, are well enough to work, or not. Various private firms will be paid to make these assessments

One of the reasons why the government is doing is this is because its cheaper to hire external assessors than it is to hire more GPs.

Another, is that it's cheaper to do this performative role than it is to address the underlying issues of long waiting lists on the NHS.

14 years of austerity have decimated the NHS, covid didn't help, nor did Brexit, and instead of having a plan that will actually work to bring people back to better health, time and money is wasted on these types of initiatives to give the impression that something is being done, when in reality, the cause for the hardships and difficulties facing many people are a result of the 14 years of Conservative party policies and plans.

[Shaun Lintern @ShaunLintern]

🚨 BREAKING: @nottmhospitals has tonight declared a critical incident with 220 people in its A&E and 120 waiting to be admitted. Patients are in ambulances who cannot be safely off loaded:

[Rob Galloway @DrRobgalloway]

We need to solve the overcrowding crisis in A&E. I may have the solution!

It came to me whilst reading my son " A squash and a squeeze" by Julia Donaldson (author of the Gruffalo)

A&E Squash and a Squeeze, adapted by Rob Galloway

A little old A&E, lived all by itself , with cubicles and chairs and a water jug on the shelf.

A wise old health secretary heard her grumble and grouse, “There’s not enough room in my A&E house.

Wise old health secretary, won’t you help me, please? My A&E house is a squash and a squeeze.”

“Take in your drunk and disorderly patients” said the wise old health secretary man

“Take in my drunk and disorderly patients? What a curious plan.”

Kept in A&E, instead of a cell, they vomited on the rug,

And flapped round the cubicle, knocking over the jug.
.
The little old A&E cried, “I implore? It was poky before and it’s tiny for more.

My nose has a tickle and there’s no room to sneeze. My A&E house is a squash and a squeeze.”

And she said, “Wise old health secretary, won’t you help me, please? My A&E house is a squash and a squeeze.”

“Take in your awaiting medical bed patients,” said the wise old health secretary man.
.
“Take in my awaiting medical bed patients? What a curious plan.”

Well, the awaiting medical bed patients pulled back the curtains and trod on the bed,

``then sat down to eat via her long term peg.

The little old A&E cried, “Glory be! It was tiny before and it’s titchy for more.

The drunks attacked the awaiting medical bed patients and the awaiting medical bed patients got fleas. My house is a squash and a squeeze.”

And she said, “Wise old health secretary, won’t you help me, please? My A&E house is a
squash and a squeeze.”

“Take in your awaiting mental health bed patients ” said the wise old health secretary man.

“Take in my awaiting mental health bed patients ? What a curious plan.”

So she took in awaiting mental health bed patients who kept pressing the alarms in cubicle ten

And raising everyone’s blood pressure again and again.

The little old A&E cried, “Stop, I implore! It was titchy before and it’s teeny for more.

Even the mental health patients in the cubicles agrees, My A&E house is a squash and a squeeze.”

And she said, “Wise old health secretary, won’t you help me, please? My house is a
squash and a squeeze.”

“Open an urgent care centre,” said the wise old health secretary man
.
“Open an urgent care centre? What a curious plan.”

Well, the urgent care centre attracted the 111 referred worried well,

Whose long waits created an unpleasant waiting room smell

The little old A&E cried, “Heavens alive! It was teeny before and it’s weeny for more

I’m tearing my hair out, I’m down on my knees. My A&E house is a squash and a squeeze.”

And she said, “Wise old health secretary , won’t you help me, please? My house is a squash and a squeeze.”

“Take them all out,” said the wise old health secretary man.

“But then I’ll be back where I first began.”

So she persuade the police to remove the aggressive men

“That’s better – at last I can sneeze again.”

They opened up ward beds and she gave a jig

“My A&E house is beginning to feel pretty big.”

She persuaded the 111 patients to self discharge where safety would allow.

“Just look at my A&E house, it’s enormous now”.

“Thank you, old health secretary for saving the day, Our A&E is so big now, our staff might just stay.
.
There’s no need to grumble and there’s no need to grouse. There’s plenty of room in my A&E house.”

And now she’s full of frolics and fiddle-de-dees. It isn’t a squash and it isn’t a squeeze.

Yes, she’s full of frolics and fiddle-de-dees.

It isn’t a squash or a squeeze.

[Rose @RoseEmpower]

She sat at the back and they said she was
shy
She led from the front and they hated her
pride
They asked her advice and then questioned her
guidance
They branded her loud then were shocked by her
silence

When she shared no ambition, they said it was
sad
So she told them her dreams and they said she was
mad
They told her they'd listen then covered their
ears
And gave her a hug whilst they laughed at her
fears

And she listened to all of it, thinking she
should
Be the girl they told her to be, best as she
could
But one day she asked what was best for
herself
Instead of trying to please everyone
else

So she walked to the forest and stood with the
trees
She heard the wind whisper and dance with the
leaves
And she spoke to the willow, the elm and the
pine
And she told them what she'd been told, time after
time

She told them she felt she was never enough
She was either too little or far, far too much
Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak
Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek

Then she found a small clearing, surrounded by
firs
And she stopped and she heard what the trees said to
her
And she sat there for hours not wanting to
leave
For the forest said nothing, it just let her

breathe

******

Becky Hemsley 2021

[Dr Rachel Clarke @doctor_oxford]

This is terrible news. @CochraneUK is the world-leading, gold standard in evidence-based medicine. Why on earth would the government not ensure its funding continues??? Such a loss & false economy.

[Cary Cooper @ProfCaryCooper]

What damage the Conservatives have done to the UK over 14 years is summarised by this Newsnight panelist

[James Steen @BMA_James_Steen]

The audacity of this guy.

He paid c£500,000/yr.

That’s 15.98 x average wage.

That’s 26.37 x minimum wage.

Someone on the average wage earns 6.3% of his wage.

Someone on the minimum wage earns 3.8% of his wage.

But it’s our pay that he claims is unsustainable?! 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[Supertanskiii @supertanskiii]

Don’t want to watch GB News? Don’t worry, you can watch @MarinaPurkiss destroy Jacob Rees Mogg here 👇🏼

This is actually the closest I’ve ever come to pitying him.

Ps: Wonder if he supports fracking due to his alleged financial interests in the fossil fuel industry via Odey?

[Resident Doctors @BMAResidents]

Today it has been reported that during our first round of action in England mortality rate was 11.1% above the 5 year average.

What they haven’t reported was that in Wales, where no strike action took place, mortality rate was 14% above the 5 year average. 1/3

[Dr Adam Rutherford @AdamRutherford]

Woman disappears - she had a drinking problem.

Man murders woman - he was a competent tennis player, and she did him wrong anyway.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but t’s so interesting what is considered important information.

[Dr Matt Morgan @dr_mattmorgan]

After a year of working in Australia 🇦🇺, here are my top 5 things the NHS 🇬🇧could replicate to help prevent a fatal haemorrhage of staff alongside pay restoration 🧵#medtwitter #NHS

[Shaun Lintern @ShaunLintern]

For a @10DowningStreet spokesman to deny the NHS is in crisis today is objectively bullshit of the worst kind. You can argue about funding and policy but let's not start dismissing people's actual avoidable deaths and horrible experiences waiting for care.

[Dr Richard Daniels @DrRDaniels]

Hi @thetimes, this is not true and will cause HUGE public anxiety and unnecessary burden on services. Please correct ASAP. I'm sure anyone from @RCPCHtweets @rcgp @RCEMpresident or @RCPhysicians will be happy to counter this

[Dr Rachel Clarke @doctor_oxford]

Please, everyone, if you read one thing this weekend make it this. Thank you @meropemills for sharing the heartbreaking story of how the NHS failed your beloved daughter Martha. As a doctor, it is deeply painful to read, but every word so vitally important.https://t.co/V9szwuiV6S

[Will Hutton @williamnhutton]

On Thursday the European Research Council terminated 115 grants offered to UK based researchers as UK breaks international law over NI. Science super-power? Forget it. UK science minister in dispute with Treasury over post-Brexit funding via @FT
https://t.co/yJPVTRQ5LV

[Zohra 💙 @Zohra_Qureshi1]

@RNOHnhs how can you justify your no visitors policy. Aware of a person with life changing injuries whose heavily pregnant wife can’t even see him. @sajidjavid how can such variability in visiting policy across the country be allowed? #covidvisiting #RNOH #spinalinjury

[Helen Miles @HappyFamilyDoc]

I don’t understand why this isn’t being reported more widely.

[Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health @JohnsHopkinsSPH]

"This is my body, I have to defend it!" 🏠

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[Mandy O’Keeffe @mandylokeeffe]

#choosepaediatrics. Because in 48 hours we have had a nespresso machine and pizza delivered to the office from the consultants