Fiddling the Figures - Panaroama...

Former Member

Did anyone see this programme?

Obviously I have a lot to say about it, but wondered if anyone had seen it before I said anything...

What did it say to you?

Former Member

I'm afraid I didn't... Was it about Iraq? The NHS?

Former Member

It was about the NHS. I caught only a brief bit of it (sorry MoK) and didnt have the interest to really follow it.

Interested to hear your view on it though as an insider to the system.

Former Member

It was about how some Trusts use underhand tactics to avoid "failing" targets.

A few things struck me as I watched...

One was a factual error (not that we can expect that from the BBC eh? ) around reporting cancelled operations. Had they done their research they would have found that this part of their story was redundant and had been for some time.

One was a comment about an Orthopeadic consultant. Insider view, based on knowledge of "the system" suggested that he was actually complaining about not being able to operate on enough of his "specialist" interest patients, instead he was having to operate on other emergency cases. You need to have watched the programme, if I am to explain that a little more.

One was about how a certain Trust had an "ambulance Waiting Area". Quite rightly the CEO is no longer employed by that Trust and he should hang his head in shame.

One was a CEO who smiled and s******ed when admitting that athough a target was achieved for a particular period (when her star rating was up for grabs) but the Trust has failed to achieve since. Have a feeling that this may have just cost her a career, or at least career progression.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited to say that the * in the above passage hide the word s-n-i-g-g-e-r-e-d - isn't it PC to use that expression?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Another was about sample size. Three Trusts were at issue. There are three hundred across the country, so was the sample reflective of the NHS as a whole?