RABYGATE

The above photos are phone ones taken in-between trips back and forth from the RVI High Dependancy Unit in Newcastle. They aren’t particularly special, but they acted as a kind of therapy over the 2 weeks. I sincerely hope the way we were treated as a family, and the way they treat the patient - a young mother who’s the sole carer for her one year old daughter, is indicative of the demoralisation that NHS staff have had under this coalition government, and that of the parasitic neo liberal sham that was new Labour, and not because the nurses, neurosurgeons, ward receptionists are incompetent jobsworths who care more about themselves than those of the patient, those of the family. I do not believe in Karma, neither do I believe in “making your own luck” I honestly believe that the only guiding forces in this world are knowledge and information. There are people who want as much knowledge and information as possible and there are those who only believe in their knowledge, their outlook. Unwilling to share, unwilling to understand others knowldege, outlook, unwilling to admit error, unwilling to do anything outside of the rigid frame work of their job role. These people seemed to have designed most of our institutions. They seem to have design modern life. They have taken inspirational ideas and manifestos, and ground them into the dirt while telling you its for your own good. they are the “experts” they know everything so don’t question them. These people also seem to have polluted our world so much that thats the right way to do things. Its not worth your job to question what your doing. I can remember someone asking me why I was questioning my job when I worked for darlington council as a detached youth worker. It had become short hand for insubordination, for biting the hand that feeds. My job was to respond to the needs of our service users, not to those of management, but to ask why can’t we do something was not viewed as a constructive discussion, it was rabble rousing, it was confrontational. I’m not a confrontational person, if anything for the best part of my life I’ve been an absolute coward. But if I’m employed to do a job, and some one relies on me for that to happen, I’m not going to stand there and shrug my shoulders when it doesn’t because its not my area, It’s not itemised as one of my 12 roles and responsibilities in the union approved job description.

To operate on someones brain, give the family no information, then to think its acceptable to have one student doctor looking after 4/5 wards “because its bank holiday” and all the surgeons and senior doctors have gone on holiday for FOUR DAYS is unacceptable. It’s disgusting. To then tell the family to stop calling the ward as they didn’t have time to find a doctor who could explain what had happened was morally repugnant. I have family who work for the NHS, and friends who have mothers, fathers, partners who do so. I lost my job due to council cuts. I know its hard. I know people have bad days at work make mistakes, but this could never be excused by any of those reasons, this is a systematic flaw, both operationally and in the mentality of staff.  I really hope its just this one ward, that we just got a unfortunate rotation of people at the end of their tether, that this isn’t something institutionalised into our countries fifth biggest employer, the people that we rely on to care for us. I really hope I’m wrong.