NHS Service in Caithness

[Alice in Blunderland]

No you are trivalising my experience and what is no doubt the experience of others when they have agreed with me on here. You are nothing but a troll who takes pleasure in putting people down. As always unless it affects you people should just put up and shut up in your opinion. Very Very Sad!!!

Really unless it affects me ......wind your neck in and get back on track with the debate the word troll gets tossed around on this site far too often. Yes it is Sad very sad that the NHS in this area finds itself in the spot its in just now.

[weeker2014]

Really unless it affects me ......wind your neck in and get back on track with the debate the word troll gets tossed around on this site far too often. Yes it is Sad very sad that the NHS in this area finds itself in the spot its in just now.

Oh no I am in no doubt you are a troll. I may forgive as a first offence, but your latest outburst is far from it and you have directed it at me as well as many others before for sharing a genuine experience.

[Kenn]

Oh for goodness sake, stop bickering like children at a kindergarten and start fighting for the survival of our general hospital and all the services it should provide for the local community.

[Alice in Blunderland]

Oh for goodness sake, stop bickering like children at a kindergarten and start fighting for the survival of our general hospital and all the services it should provide for the local community.

Really Lizz I ignored the last response from Weeker 2014 knowing that the spat between us is not going to go anywhere.However to now be told to start fighting for the survival of our hospital when I have been actively doing this off this message board for a while is a bit rich.

[Scunner]

Go buy today's press and journal for an update.

[Mother Superior]

Oh for goodness sake, stop bickering like children at a kindergarten and start fighting for the survival of our general hospital and all the services it should provide for the local community.

In my final NHS job before retiring I worked in another hospital, not CGH or Raigmore. New young managers would arrive straight from college or university clutching their certificates in pen pushing. They had no idea about the NHS and were too young to have experienced serious illness and the consequences for the patient and the families. The collective incompetence of these managers resulted in them blundering from one mistake to another and trying to 'protect each others backs'. If a member of staff pointed out a mistake, or how something could be improved, it was taken as a criticism. A culture of bullying and victimisation ensued.

One incident saw our Chief Executive ignore warnings from staff about a particular manager. Those of us who had reported the manager had a torrid time and many of us were victimised to the point of resignation and left. When the CEO eventually realised that we had been telling the truth over £100k had been misappropriated and the manager dismissed on the spot. But too late for many of the staff who had left their jobs. The CEO issued letters ordering that no staff should speak to the press and that the matter was closed. There was no prosecution. Of course, the CEO did not wish to have bad publicity for the hospital on her 'watch' nor have anything detrimental on her own CV. The 'books were cooked' to cover the manager's tracks.

I tell this story by way of saying we are all different . We all have different experiences. My story explains why I will post a fair amount of cynicism where managers are concerned. But I also try and introduce some humour because they deserve to have some fun poked at them. My humour is not meant to trivialise the problem we are discussing. Perhaps one or two posters have lacked a little compassion of late but, as I say, we are all different and we all want to see the same thing which is an improving service from our local hospital.

[gerry4]

As I keep on saying this is not just about CGH but about getting medical staff, doctors, nurses, GP's etc into rural areas. Look at Thurso Health centre, had to be taken over by Highland NHS as they could not find doctors. Is not the problem at Wick health centre that they can't get enough full time GP's, most are part time & so getting an appointment is bad.
GP surgeries on the West Coast & Western Isles have huge problems finding GPs. I am sure the same happens in rural areas in England & Wales. It is not a problem with any one NHS district. Therefore we need to know why medical staff are reluctant to go to rural areas, not just Caithness.

I know our concern is Caithness and rightly so but if we find the reason they won't come we may solve the issue of understaffing. Its not just money as extra money in rural areas has been tried

[Mother Superior]

As I keep on saying this is not just about CGH but about getting medical staff, doctors, nurses, GP's etc into rural areas. Look at Thurso Health centre, had to be taken over by Highland NHS as they could not find doctors. Is not the problem at Wick health centre that they can't get enough full time GP's, most are part time & so getting an appointment is bad.
GP surgeries on the West Coast & Western Isles have huge problems finding GPs. I am sure the same happens in rural areas in England & Wales. It is not a problem with any one NHS district. Therefore we need to know why medical staff are reluctant to go to rural areas, not just Caithness.

I know our concern is Caithness and rightly so but if we find the reason they won't come we may solve the issue of understaffing. Its not just money as extra money in rural areas has been tried

Just wondering if anyone is able to elaborate on what incentive packages, whether they be financial or otherwise, have been offered to GPs and Consultants in the past in an effort to persuade them to relocate?

[Alice in Blunderland]

There is a standard relocation package on offer within the Highlands.

http://www.scotmt.scot.nhs.uk/media/...-highland2.pdf

[Alice in Blunderland]

I was also noticing the comment on GPs mostly working part time. I am sure that if you calculate it out they are similar to some hospital staff who can actually cover their hours in a shorter period as in 8-6 is ten hours a day worked over three to four days they will have worked slightly more than part time or indeed full time depending on how many days per week they work. We are desperately short of Gps.

[weeker2014]

In my final NHS job before retiring I worked in another hospital, not CGH or Raigmore. New young managers would arrive straight from college or university clutching their certificates in pen pushing. They had no idea about the NHS and were too young to have experienced serious illness and the consequences for the patient and the families. The collective incompetence of these managers resulted in them blundering from one mistake to another and trying to 'protect each others backs'. If a member of staff pointed out a mistake, or how something could be improved, it was taken as a criticism. A culture of bullying and victimisation ensued.

One incident saw our Chief Executive ignore warnings from staff about a particular manager. Those of us who had reported the manager had a torrid time and many of us were victimised to the point of resignation and left. When the CEO eventually realised that we had been telling the truth over £100k had been misappropriated and the manager dismissed on the spot. But too late for many of the staff who had left their jobs. The CEO issued letters ordering that no staff should speak to the press and that the matter was closed. There was no prosecution. Of course, the CEO did not wish to have bad publicity for the hospital on her 'watch' nor have anything detrimental on her own CV. The 'books were cooked' to cover the manager's tracks.

I tell this story by way of saying we are all different . We all have different experiences. My story explains why I will post a fair amount of cynicism where managers are concerned. But I also try and introduce some humour because they deserve to have some fun poked at them. My humour is not meant to trivialise the problem we are discussing. Perhaps one or two posters have lacked a little compassion of late but, as I say, we are all different and we all want to see the same thing which is an improving service from our local hospital.

Oh from reading what you just wrote along with other posts you are a pro in victimisation and bullying. I don't think anyone deserves to have fun poked at them. That's a rather childish approach.