The Secret Doctor

May 2018 has brought you the BMA’s *brand new* Secret Doctor - blogging about the everyday in the NHS.

[The Secret Barrister 🦋 @BarristerSecret]

The CPS did not cut 21,000 police officers.

The CPS did not choose to have its budget cut by £500m.

The CPS did not choose to lose a quarter of its staff.

The CPS did not choose to starve the courts and cause a record backlog.

The politicians that Andrew supports did that.

[Dr Rachel Clarke @doctor_oxford]

If we really cherish the NHS - and want it to survive - we need to confront its current, slow, engineered collapse. We no longer have universal health care, free at point of use, because the rationing is too deep, too rife.

My piece for @thesundaytimes.
https://t.co/7wZWCZh8cb

[The Secret Doctor @TheSecretDr]

@sajidjavid This really is a very bad take

[The Secret Doctor @TheSecretDr]

@DrLindaDykes Oh, they know they're talking nonsense. They just don't care 😕

[The Secret Doctor @TheSecretDr]

Seriously?

[Hugh Pym @BBCHughPym]

Downing St says NHS pay award in England should be funded from within NHS budget and states that it won’t affect frontline services

[Nancy Peach @Mumhasdementia]

Currently:
Memory Clinic- not accepting referrals as no staff (i.e. all dementia diagnoses on hold)
Neuro- no referrals for headache, suspected MS, neuralgia as no staff
Gastro (staffed but swamped)- 1 year wait for new abdo pain with markers of suspected inflam bowel disease (1)

[Prof. Christina Pagel - @chrischirp.bsky.social @chrischirp]

No they don't.

[Prof. Christina Pagel - @chrischirp.bsky.social @chrischirp]

"urge people to take things steadily" - WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Are the ministers who proudly announced they'd never wear a mask again going to retract that?

[Shaun Lintern @ShaunLintern]

Have you ever wondered what the collapse of the NHS would actually look like? It's in the small things - my latest @Independent newsletter: https://t.co/Xg6u9Fu3Kw

[Dr Lucy-Jane Davis @Academic_owl]

How delightful; immunocompromised patients can contact me so I can explain what precautions they can take?
Mostly, my advice would be; don’t vote Tory
🤷🏼‍♀️
Callous. https://t.co/X0oqmy2Yza

[Ben Lovell @DrBenLovell]

Part of the problem is that we have not built any alternative pathways.

I don’t believe this (‘GP to chase XYZ’) happens because the d/c summ writers (let’s face it, jr docs) have an ingrained disrespect for GPs. They just have no idea how else to make things happen after d/c.

[Megan Powell @DrMeganPowell]

In light of the current NHS Doctor pay discussions, now might be the time to say that I am currently being paid considerably more per hour as an “unqualified covid vaccinator” than I will as an FY1 doctor. The government has the money….

[Sarah Hallett @DrSarahHal]

@HannahPopsy Indeed, though from what I've seen in the past I'm not sure they even get a full day induction!
(Speaking of which, surely as someone involved with the NHS they should have to do the statutory and mandatory training? 7 hours of e-learning about manual handling right away.)

[Andy Cowper @HPIAndyCowper]

MASSIVE FUCKING LIE ALERT: "the backlog is a result of the pandemic", Alan asserts. No it isn't. Work of @kingsfund @NuffieldTrust @HealthFdn has tracked its growth over many years.

[Ben Lovell @DrBenLovell]

“As jr docs your ABSOLUTE PRIORITY is to do d/c summaries *1st thing* to ensure quick d/c.

Also, it’s your ABSOLUTE PRIORITY to do specialty referrals *1st thing* or pts won’t get seen

And remember, it’s your ABSOLUTE PRIORITY to request scans *1st thing* or they won’t happen”

[Tim Coats @TJCoats]

I have been misled into thinking that a huge backlog of NHS work was created by Covid-19. Looking at this @BBCNews graph - there is a very small Covid effect - but the current record waiting list is in fact simply a long term trend since the bankers took all of our money in 2009.

[Ami Jones @JonesTheBosher]

This is an exceedingly harsh headline. This chap was one of the first paramedics on scene and did exactly as he was meant to in terms of triaging and communicating. “Paramedic follows major incident guidelines effectively” would seem fairer