Two weeks ago I had surgery on the NHS. They performed abdominal and pelvic surgery to excise endometriosis, scar tissue and adhesions (caused by endo) and to unstick my bowel from my left ovary (but that's another story).
On arriving at the hospital I was told the ward I was meant to be on had closed due to lack of staff (everyone had gone off sick), they had rearranged myself and the other admits to go to different wards so the surgery could go ahead like planned. All of a sudden the ward I had been reassigned to had a full house as opposed to the eight patients they had been taking care of. The staff never moaned once, settled us in, did their preoperative checks and were as sweet as they possibly could be - that was 7.30am.
By 6.30pm I was fully around from a three hour surgery and was being looked after by the same nurses and health care assistants that had admitted me that morning. Chatting to the lead nurse I discovered she hadn't had a break, she seemed relieved that at some point she 'managed to grab some water', she had even been dragged off her position of duty and put into theatre for a short while to help out. My consultant couldn't come to see me post surgery to discuss how it had gone because he was going to be in theatre late into the evening.
These people are medical professionals that can't stop when it's home time, they have to take care of their patients and if there is an emergency they put their own lives on hold and they stay. They don't just save lives medically and mentally, they listen, they counsel, they stretch themselves thin, they hold their bladder, they go without breaks, they cry for us, they get abused and are rarely thanked. As good as they are, the staff are still human and cannot be expected to work like robots.
So why aren't we cherishing these people? Why are budgets getting cut? There are staff shortages, stress related absences are up, it's no wonder people are getting sick and it's no wonder mistakes are made. Junior Doctors are having to strike because they are not being listened to - desperate times call for desperate measures. Staff are underpaid, undervalued and overworked. As members of general public we are all concerned as individuals as we want the best care because for ourselves and our loved ones, we own the NHS - it is what makes Britain 'Great'.
So with all this in mind the Government want to squeeze these people even tighter? It's almost like they want the NHS to implode so they can, ya know, maybe privatise it, give jobs to their friends? Take care of the rich and screw the poor? Just a thought...
Please Britain, wake up and make a stand, take care of the people who take care of us.
The future would look very bleak without the NHS.
PS Thank you to all the staff who took care of me at Wolverhampton New Cross, you made it as painless as possible and I appreciate you x