Our "wonderful" NHS... yet again

It was two years ago yesterday that all over-70s were told to stay at home for their own safety because of a dangerous new virus... subsequently called Covid-19. The following week everyone was told to stay at home. So began two very long years of lockdowns, rules and regulations.

Recently all the ludicrously disproportionate restrictions brought in to contain this "dangerous" virus have been ditched; Boris says we have to live with it. Great... about time, too; pity he didn't say it sooner. 

To all intents and purposes Covid is over, so why is the NHS keeping up the charade? Hospitals are still restricting access to visitors; people still have to wear a mask to enter its sacred portals; many wards are still closed, allegedly because of a shortage of staff who are off sick with Covid (why, when they're all masked and jabbed and in every other workplace there's no staff shortage at all?); GPs still won't allow patients to book face to face appointments and hospital waiting times for treatment are growing longer by the day.

The NHS lives in its own little world - covering up its many inadequacies by keeping people at arm's length. There's no accountability, no responsibility. The longer they can keep people out, the longer they can perpetuate the lie that they're working desperately hard and absolutely run off their feet. The actual fact is somewhat different - we have a health service which is letting down the nation, it is not fit for purpose. It's a money pit - politicians keep throwing our taxes at it, saying how "wonderful" it is, but there is no discernible improvement in the service offered. It's a conspiracy of silence.

I spoke to someone today whose relative is in hospital. An appointment has to be made before visiting and only one named person is allowed to visit. One hour, once a day. Problem is, no-one ever answers the phone to enable an appointment to be made! Said relative was in A&E for a day and a half waiting for a bed and has now been in hospital for five days - without once being helped to have a bath or shower! Just one small example of the "caring" face of our health service. It's outrageous.

Covid has become very convenient for the NHS - they won't let this virus go without a fight. It's their only cover against people seeing how crap it really is.

I previously said the actions of the NHS regarding Covid were a pointless pantomime - it's worse than that, it's a cover-up of mammoth proportions where people are suffering at the hands of the very institution that should be helping and protecting them in their hour of need. "Shameful" doesn't even come close.

NHS theatre

I'm still wittering on about Covid even though, as we know, it's yesterday's news. It's over. So why is the NHS continuing to behave like it isn't?

Yesterday, I had an appointment at the local hospital - an investigative procedure for something that could have been very nasty but, thankfully, turned out not to be.

I wasn't asked if I'd taken an LFT (No), I wasn't asked whether I had any Covid symptoms (No) nor was I asked if I'd been vaccinated (emphatically, No!) I had to wear a mask and wash my hands at the door. I was then seen by five different masked medics who were all within inches of my face. There was no other PPE or special safety measures used by them, nor were they wearing gloves. I was fine with this. It's clearly not the very dangerous disease they've been telling us, then?

So why had most of the chairs in the waiting area been removed, leaving several people with nowhere to sit while they waited to be seen? Those chairs that were left were placed singly, two metres apart. Some poor souls had to stand and were leaning against the wall. 

This is a major hospital in one of the richest countries in the world. How on earth is this acceptable?

The NHS has clearly not seen the date. It's March 2022 not March 2020. Someone send them a memo... You can stop the pointless pantomime, we're done with Covid.

March 1st

A busy Tuesday. 

St David's Day, Pancake Day and the first day of Spring (meteorologically speaking). Sadly, no-one told Spring that today's the day it has to leap into action, hence it's cool and cloudy with a faint drizzle going on!

The rest of the world looks dire at the moment - just seeing the headlines today makes me want to put my head back under the covers. No sooner does Covid push off than Putin starts up. So sad for the Ukrainian people.

I think I'll concentrate on Welsh Cakes and Pancakes rather than the wider world. I know where I am in the sanity of my own kitchen.

Right... the frying pan is calling me!