Given up?

Am I downhearted?

L

Perhaps a little.

I spent a happy afternoon at my local Café Nero in Egham, where they still tolerate me. I was making a cappacino go a very long way (Thanks, really – it means more than you will ever know) and using their Wi-Fi.

I thought I’d be clever (see last Blog) and quickly look up the Quarterly Accident and Emergency statistics for St. Peter’s to extract how many poor souls had waited for more than 4 hours but less than 12 hours at the A and E. That’s the information the hospital wouldn’t reveal when it was requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

Of course, ‘to save money’ (like yeah, right) those figures have been discontinued by NHS England.

They are still available, for the moment, but to get at them you would have to open 52 separate, weekly, Excel spreadsheets for that year and scroll each one down to pick out one hospital, then do the calculations for yourself.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel so well.

I don’t have broadband and there just isn’t enough time. I can’t really express how angry it makes me feel – because these quarterly figures are what the hospital trusts are judged on by the Health Ministry, not the weekly stats which are there for everyday management information. It’s the quarterly stats that matter – what I mean is, they are being collated anyway, they just aren’t giving them to us in the hope that we will go away.

Last year, I wouldn’t have given up, and I’m angry with myself for being so weak.

Given up? You think?

I’ll be back.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

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