Legal disclaimer

The opinions expressed by the authors on this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Freedom2Choose organisation or any member thereof. Freedom2Choose is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the blog Authors.

Friday 12 June 2009

If all else fails, ignore


I don't know much about epidemics of swine flu in Scotland, a few cases of an over-inflated scare story, which doesn't appear more dangerous than the flu we already have, isn't too inspiring to be honest.

There does seem to be an alarming epidemic of righteous fuckwititus north of the border though.

Scotland is first with many of the loony initiatives which gravitate south, and it seems there is no let up as the term 'public service' up there is fast proving to be an oxymoron.

The method usually works. Create a scare not backed by any science; issue a 'public' consultation which is hidden from the public; if those who do disagree find it, airbrush out their responses; if caught out, lie.

NHS Grampian must have done something drastically wrong then. Their consultation on banning smoking in all NHS grounds came up with entirely the wrong conclusion, as detailed in their report. Here are a few snippets.

Nearly 500 responses were received during the consultation period, with just over half from staff and nearly three quarters of respondents stating they were non-smokers.

87% of respondents thought there would be problems going completely smoke free. The most commonly cited were:

- Smoking going “underground” leading to a fire risk
- Non-compliance with the ban
- Infringement of human rights/ personal choice
- Rise in aggression, abuse and increase in levels of stress
- Difficulties in enforcing and policing the ban

The most frequently suggested way to deal with potential problems of implementation was to have a designated area for smoking away from hospital entrances.

Well, that seems eminently fair, does it not?

Agreement with the plan was 46%, so there is considerable doubt as to its wisdom. Maybe a middle ground could be trodden?

Or maybe not.

Smoking to be banned at hospitals

NHS Grampian decision comes despite opposition claims that rule will be difficult to enforce

NHS Grampian’s director of public health Dr Lesley Wilkie said: “I am totally in favour of a smoke-free NHS. We should show some leadership on this.

“We want to introduce policies that work and we will look at how to make this work, but we are a health organisation and we need to set an example.”

Leadership? The scottish government has shown leadership and there ain't nothing about smoking in the open air in the already ridiculous Health Bill of 2005. Grampian's 'ban' is entirely unenforceable, as their report acknowledges. As for setting an example - such incredible arrogance by Grampian. They are public servants, no more. Paid for by the public. The public have said no.

Grampian NHS have spent bucketloads of cash on this unenforceable 'ban' (so therefore voluntary) on the whims of Dr Wilkie and a few of his holier-than-thou friends. When the responses, three quarters of which are from non-smokers, show dissent, this public sector organisation simply ignore the public ...

... and the unions too!

[Unison] warned: “It is unrealistic to expect fair and consistent enforcement of a more stringent restriction.”

Taxpayers pay for the wages of these self-important, idealistic, delusional fucknuts, but Grampian NHS have, as is increasingly apparent in the oxymoronic 'public' sector, brushed aside the views of those who pay for their service in favour of their own bigoted and unworkable crusade.

Now, Derby NHS Trust are much more enlightened. They are acutely aware that they are accountable to the taxpayer. Same dreary result, though.

Smoking costs the NHS around £1.5billion a year. As a public service, funded entirely by the tax payer, we cannot condone smoking in our hospital grounds.

If the taxpayer also gives Derby a big thumbs down, do you think they will reconsider? We know the answer to that one, don't we?

So the last word must be left for the Grampian report.

A few respondents commented on the consultation itself, feeling that it was a “done deal” and NHS Grampian was conducting a “paper exercise”.

Now, considering no-one asked for this voluntary 'ban'. That a 'public' consultation provided ample evidence that the public were uneasy with it, that there was a consensus which agreed there were better alternatives, and that the proposals were unenforceable in law, yet they passed it anyway ... perhaps those who commented as such had a very valid point.

There is nothing public about the public sector when it comes to the NHS, merely a cabal who spend our money without recourse to listening to opposing views. And, with the health system currently operated by an authoritarian Department of Health, there are numerous ways for a few righteous morons to inflict their personal preferences on end users, whilst merely paying a passing lip service to public consultation. And if all those methods fail, they can simply stick their fingers in their ears and ignore ... as they tend to do.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The time has come when the employers of the NHS made some executive decisions!

Firstly dismiss the current administrators for gross incompetence and neglect of their customers. Over £27 million is thrown away on propaganda to stop peopel indulging in a legitimate pastime, patients are left on guernies because there is no money to keep wards open, patients are dying because of the extra milage ambulances have to travel to find a casualty centre,patients are at more risk of contracting diseases in hospitals than they are out of them all because of administrative mismanagement!

That is before Staff shortages and long waits in casualty centres where the results of Friday and Saturday night's sessions almost stop treatment of accidents not related to alcohol even on quiet nights thew waiting time is little better.

This was not what Florence Nightingale had in mind, a return to similar standards at Scutari because the the cleaning contract went to the cheapest labour and not a company that knows how to clean a hospital.

Write to the NHS trusts, tell them to stop the persecution of smokers to save statistical live tell tell them to pay the nurses more, get more of them, open some wards and casualty centres then buy some new equipment, then finally get cleaners who actually clean! £27 million will go a long way to solving these problems.

The choice is theirs either do as required by your employers or not do so and find their politcal masters fired and themselves along with them!

Pissed off Taxpayer said...

CONSULTATIONS,
REPORTS,
ALLIANCES,
PARTNERSHIPS.

All used by the Anti-Smoking Nuts, and what does it all add up to:-

CRAP

Kin_Free said...

"NHS Grampian’s director of public health Dr Lesley Wilkie said: “I am totally in favour of a smoke-free NHS. We should show some leadership on this."
I think this gives us a clue.

Wilkie has NOT shown 'leadership' - he has only shown compliance to what is almost certainly a government diktat from the favourite to take over from Gordon Broon; the now Home secretary, Alan Johnson, who has been at the forefront of most smoker de-normalisation projects. He in turn cannot really claim 'leadership', he is merely complying with the demands of ASH, who now seem to control the, euphemistically termed, 'public health' of Britain today.

The 'demand' is 'a smoke free NHS' which will soon be followed by 'a smoke free' park, street, garden and eventually 'smoke free homes' - There is NO leadership from those who should be leading just passive compliance! Every hospital in the country is going through the same process, all following the orders of ASH!

This 'consultation' has been termed a 'paper exercise', a 'done deal', a 'show trial' and I have to fully concur. The same 'paper exercise' was carried out in the Scottish consultation on the game of hide and seek cigarettes where not one piece of credible evidence was put forward to support the 'proposal'. ASH it would seem has directed this farce too and got just what they wanted. No wonder this government is so hated and has not one ounce of credibility left. ASH is the cuckoo in the tit’s nest demanding ever more sustenance and favour of its surrogate mother (our unwitting government)!

The same will be true when the hide and seek cigarettes game is played out in parliament later this month – Regardless of what evidence is placed before them or how valid the arguments put forward, this is also a ‘done deal’ and a ‘paper exercise’. Our negligent, passive, broken MPs will be bullied to comply – and will do so with not so much as a whimper in protest. As a democratic nation – we are knackered!

Kin_Free - not on your Nellie!

B7 said...

Are they are after the no smoking anywhere gold award that is the brain washed standard in England.

In simple terms they have a rigged survey, hide behind statements such as its our job to protect everything including squirrels, birds and low flying aircraft from smoke.

They are not interested if you are dying, distressed, stressed or infirm all they care about is their precious gold awards.

Gold award bagged they slap themselves on the back unaware they have slapped there fellow man in the face.

Atila the Hun had more compassion.

Fredrik Eich said...

I took someone to an NHS A&E a couple of months ago.I was delighted to see that the smoking ban was bieng ignored by staff and customers alike! In fact it was bieng ignored by security staff as well and I would think that it is these people who are supposed to enforce these stupid policies.

Unknown said...

Look around you Fredrik, everybody smokes, from the lowly to the lord! Smoking prevelance may be on the decrease in the UK but there are still 12 million of us, many who have led good lives over the past decades despite our 'junkie' status by the pig ignorant.

The anti house of cards will fall, I promise you that.

opinions powered by SendLove.to

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Pages on this blog