A documentary called The Cure, based on the inspiring real-life story of Julie Bailey, is the story of an ordinary woman who exposed one of the worst hospital care scandals in the history of the NHS. This documentary is available for a few more days here - channel4.com/programmes/the... - you will need to register.
Another documentary about the NHS is called The Dirty War on the NHS. This is available for a few more days here - itv.com/hub/the-dirty-war-o... - you will need to register.
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I watched the Cure. It reminded me of 3 recent hospital stays I had in 2018. My treatment my appalling. The Drs had no clue what was wrong with me.
Eventually I went private where I was swiftly diagnosed.
I would never have believed the way some people are treated in our NHS. I do now though. It makes me concerned for others and if I ever have to go to my local hospital ever again. The NHS wastes so much money it’s no wonder it’s on its knees.
It is bad what happened at Stafford Hospital and I am sad because I used to work there before all the problems arose. Now the hospital has a limited A and E and nobody wants to give birth there. Doctors don't want to work there either because of what happened. I do realise the lady was doing the right thing but she has made this hospital a no go area for local people and everyone is either taken to Stoke or Walsall now because people are frightened to have treatment there. Very sad .......
I'm sorry you used to work there, it must have been very stressful, I would definitely not be able to witness these awful things and keep quiet, but Julie Bailey did not cause the problems, she merely brought them to light, and if it wasn't for her and others that had the decency to come forward, many more innocent lives would have been lost or damaged.
I think the way she was treated was both appalling and terrifying. I have no idea how she coped with all the abuse she received. Of course I feel sorry for anyone who has to work in such awful conditions, and once upon a time people were proud to work in our health service, but the problems we have now are coming directly from the top. It is they who have made this hospital and others, not fit for purpose, and unless something changes dramatically, the NHS will be privatised "by stealth" and we will lose it forever.
When I worked in the NHS other Doctors were afraid to report other Doctors because they knew they would not be employed by the NHS again and would probably have to work abroad because that is what would happen to whistle blowers. I am not saying it is like that now but look at what was happening with Dr Paterson who was misdiagnosing breast cancer patients and has now been jailed. I find it hard to believe other people did not know what was going on because we would talk about different doctors and know who were good and bad.
Most private Doctors work for the NHS ... I thought you knew this. If you had any problems you would be straight back into a NHS hospital because private hospitals do not have the resources of a Intensive Care Dept. When I worked at the Royal Shrewsbury a friend of mine paid to have a hysterectomy privately and she developed complications so she was transported to RSH Intensive Care for treatment. I would never pay for private treatment if it was a serious operation and would only use private care for minor procedures. I am about to have cyst removed by a private hospital because the NHS regard it as cosmetic even though it is growing near my eye and I am worried it will eventually become bigger and block my eyesight.
I do know NHS Drs also work privately. I went private only. The NHS would not prescribe the much needed medication I should have had the first time I was admitted. I got it privately from Germany. A year later after much heartache with my health the NHS finally decided to prescribe me. They should have done this a year earlier. But left me in a wheelchair and housebound from working in a full time job. I lost my brilliant job and a year of being abandoned by my local NHS.
I am very sorry to hear that .... read my story I have been to hell and back because of misdiagnosis by Doctors and the NHS
I am not blaming her and I believe she now has a good job because of what she did but the fact remains that Stafford now does not have an A and E and people in that area have to go to either Stoke, Walsall or New Cross hospital at Wolverhampton. This is making the traveling time longer for patients with life threatening conditions in Stafford. I do hope one day the hospital will once more have a full operational A and E. I was actually one of the patients who was misdiagnosed by Stafford A and E. Having been a receptionist on A and E at Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield when I worked for the NHS in the past I could see that staff had been inadequately trained. I remember waiting to see a Doctor in A and E (my second visit to them because I was in pain with undiagnosed kidney stones) and a woman came in with her family and the receptionist did not ask her what was wrong just told her to take a seat. I could see she was very upset and had been left waiting a while so I asked her what was wrong and she told me her husband had been brought in with a heart attack. I then knocked on the reception glass and told her that she needed to let this woman and her family through because her husband had been brought in by ambulance with a heart attack. She then did as I asked because usually relatives are allowed through to a different waiting area when this occurs.
My husband was a Patient Services Officer and dealt with complaints. He worked himself up from the age of 19 when he was just a clerk and worked in many major hospitals up and down the country. He was good at his job but left after over 20 years because he could not get any further with his career. Younger Managers were being brought in who had degrees to be his boss even though they had less experience than him.
Here is a link about her
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie...
I was misdiagnosed by Stafford A and E in 2006 and sent home 3 times when I had kidney stones. I eventually was taken by ambulance to Stafford in horrendous pain because of this. I did not know this was going on at Stafford and wish I had complained about my treatment. I had complained about the GP who misdiagnosed me at first but I realise I should have taken it further because I could have died. Luckily I was younger and fitter then.
I just read this article in a local newspaper about the programme and it shows how differently people view it.
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