Flogging a dead horse?

While once again waiting for all the poor cripples attending an emergency extra extra extra surgery for I have run out of my pills or had this for 3 months and it is now a Gordon surgery we were busy surfing the net for tips on improving our golf and we found this little gem on the continued war of liberation of the NHS here.

There is quite a lot here to read and you can go to the original source material here which we only glanced at this afternoon - particularly like the Stargate like mystery knob design diagram (Fig. 1 section 2.6 if interested) and there is also  a reasoned editorial about the conflicts of current NHS IT policy.

The sentence that really caught our eye was this one:

"The DH is even looking at giving patients direct access to Choose and Book though NHS Choices so they can book their own appointments."

Comrade Marshals Dave and Nick bring this on ASAP to liberate the people from their chains! To do so will be to the medical profession the equivalent  of the tanker drivers winning by the mere threat of a strike but without them actually striking.

Think about it.

All patients have to have 4 hours training to use Choose and Book.

(That will delay all referrals to at least the next financial year or next Government).

In order to make it secure all users will have to be photographed and have a Smartcard issued taking 10 minutes each and needing 2 referees.

(A back door identity card scheme should be good for outing a few illegals and winning votes).

They would then need a PC and a card reader to get onto C&B.

(Equitable access you need a computer to get on line and then pay extra for a state sponsored Smartcard reader. All good deficit reduction via voluntary contributions to Party sponsors.)

There would be loads of playing guess where to find a service games. For example would gallstones be under:

General Surgery > Hepatobilary surgery > Gallstones

or would it be

Gastroenterology > Hepatology > Investigations

first and then the one above

or the local Soviets only dysfunctional hierarchy

surgeon >something >general dustbin> I feel lucky option.

(Playing such games would be bread and circuses to distract the people away from the economy for months).

If the patients get any problems there will always be a helpful PCT IT technician to guide them through their problems with words like "there is an issue with C&B we know about it".

(Or more likely by either not returning their calls or not answering them at all).

Having selected themselves from a huge secure database of John Smiths can anyone see what would happen? Wrong patient wrong clinic you can see it now can't you?

This is a challenge to the Party. We have not yet read the whole of the liberation document but if as Pulse says this is your idea then implement it ASAP with extreme prejudice.

If Choose and Book is as good a system as you say let the people decide!

The Party would know very quickly if it was sh*te NHS IT or merely illiterate GPs and their staff obstructing the Party's magnificent software. Patients are used to shopping on line, emailing, betting on line, booking car services, etc. with far less hassle than anything the NHS offers and more importantly getting something as a result.

Power to the people! Let them have true NHS "Choice".

Now.

Praise be to the Party for allowing a potential solution to a problem that GPs, their staff and their patients have endured on a political whim for years.

Choice has always been available on the NHS so please let the people decide if the alleged instrument of Choice is indeed that or merely the Party's instrument of control.

48 hours of patient power would be all that is needed . . .