Less is More ( for the NHS ? ) - Are You Nuts ?

"All emergency and inpatient care in South Wales should be carried out at the University Hospiatl of Wales", a controversial plan says. Controvertial ? People from St Davids, Fishguard, Merthyr Tydfil and Caldicot, having to travel all the way to Cardiff for A&E care, or to visit sick relatives after major surgery ? This is Bevan to Bedlam, if implemented, but nobody sane could even think of such a 'plan' - could they ?

Madeleine Brindley reports ( Echo, 9th June ) that a consultant obstetrician and gynacologist, named Chris Overton drew up this 'plan' on the basis that everyone in Wales would be able to reach one of seven A&E departments within the 'Golden Hour'. Well of course they could - at 3.00am in an ambulance being driven by Louis Hamilton - maybe. Clearly, this astute West Walian has never tried to drive from Dinas Powys to Cardiff ( 8 miles ) between 7.30 and 9.00am, on any weekday. He can't possibly have travelled on the A470 or the A48 either, so maybe this is yet another an opium-induced pipe-dream from the Universally Inept Health Board's 'planner and Deputy Chief Executive' ? And, reassuringly, the Welsh Government claim "There are no plans to downgrade any hospitals in Wales ( Yeah Right ). It gives you a warm glow all over - like septacaemia from a bad infection that missed that li'l old 'Golden Hour - just hearing this garbage from our insincere government. Why, even one of their very own 'spokeswoman' ( She of no name ) is quoted as saying, "The pressing need for change is well documented ( is it - where ? ) and we are pleased consultants in Wales recognise the status quo is not an option".

Does anyone out there know which particular status quo she's talking about, or does every rationalisation and centralisation that has been made over the last 15 years count as The Status Quo of today )? And just precisely how did ONE solitary pot-head of a consultant suddenly becomes 'consultantS in Wales' ? Personally, I don't know a single consultant, or GP, that doesn't think that this current re-incarnation of NHS Wales is the worst ever. Experience shows that you'll be lucky if you see an ambulance within an hour, once you've dialled 999 for a sick relative ! If you are lucky, you then get to wait in the trolley queue, before spending 24 hrs in Assessment, waiting for a bed. And what happens when UHW is 'closed for admissions' because of the lack of beds ?
How could any sane person, even consider implementing such a plan, when the they know that deaths of patients 'in transit; will increase exponentially ? The elderly are being denied care as if the Master Plan considers them worthless in society. Perhaps the eventual purpose of this cruel, plan will result in new euthenasia clinics - The Nazis wanted a purified race, perhaps the Universally Inept Health Board and the autocrats within NHS Wales and our dictatorial government want a Welsh-speaking 'Master Race' too ? History has a habit of repeating itself and, as with the Third Reich, money became more important than lives, and these historical events occurred in times of financial collapse. How close are we to looking for a new Hitler to provide jobs in the factories of weapons of war ? It may be utter madness but, at least stop and think about how the Health Service is deliberately being degraded. Is this what 'Fit for Purpose' means ? As Stalin once said, " People are the problem so, no people, no problem" R.W.