Once upon a time (1955), about this time of year, I was in hospital having an operation on the little legs. Apparently, they were both growing in the opposite direction, and needed a swift chop and restitch, to stop the confounded walking in circles syndrome...
Of course, the butchery was a complete success, and from there on in, there was never a problem, with twelve good years of rugby, golf and cricket followed by the occasional walk home on my hands and knees...
Although I was only seven, I was in The Royal East Sussex Hospital in Hastings for six weeks, and it's not difficult to remember the total love and kindness of all the nurses, doctors, senior staff, and cleaners etc, who buzzed round the Children's Ward 2 all day and night. There were so many people to talk to, all dedicated, and busy making everyone better.
Of course, at that tender age, I would never have understood the mantras of 'administration', 'budgets', 'politicians' etc. etc., but I got the best care in the world.
Listening to that prat Andy Burnham yesterday, (four months 'work experience' with the NHS Federation when he was 27, and now Minister for Health), it isn't difficult to understand why the NHS suffers from the utter waste dumped on them by politicians with their incompetence in dealing with the business of making people better. Because most politicians have never been inserted into the real commercial world, it's not surprising that they spotted long ago, that the NHS was a breeding ground for the very types who should be kept away from it - i.e. themselves.
Perhaps the NHS should become it's own political party, but run by people who work in medicine without a single politician allowed anywhere near. I'd vote for them.
BTW, I'm the lad in the wheelcair on the left with the Ian Botham hat and the new walking plasters, the other lad, Stephen, was worse off, he'd spent months in the RESH, and was almost a member of the family there. I hope he's alright now...
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25 comments:
Well said, Scrobs.
The surgeons and supporting staff of St George's hospital in Tooting literally (and I do mean literally) saved my life in 1960 when I was just 17 and a bit. It really was was touch and go and they told my parents that my chances of survival were something under 50%. But you can't get rid of me that easily!
To this day I remain grateful to them for what they did for me.
wv: hiphizes - is this the procedure Elby had a few weeks ago?
I agree, Scrobs.
Aww, they let you go outside, that is such a good idea. They wouldn't do that nowadays, or couldn't in these 'super hospitals'. NuLab seemed to dislike small service and prefer huge institution.
I thought Paul Goodman had some interesting things to say in his notice to quit, and Dan Hannan is becomming a favourite of mine.
So glad your op was a success.
Kidderminster has a doctor independent MP.
Sooooo Schwwweeet! Weren't you a little poppet?
Interesting wheelchair, if I may say so. Single small wheel at the back. The reverse of what they use for wheelchair racing now.
Were you a whizz at racing around the corridors and gardens?
The hat is more flowerpot men than Botham, I'd suggest.
Evening Reevers!
Elbey will confirm the exact decription; all I know is that it needed copious amounts of Lils to get him through - and he did!
Glad they did you proud at St Georges - you're my era too...
Nulab have poured money into the NHS, but in their bungling way, it pays for the wrong people, rather like we have to pay them.
Freeloaders like Nulab's 'army' are expert at saying they're doing everything, learning lessons etc., while all the time they're punching clouds.
Hats, I was thinking about that when I wrote the post.
Maybe I'll ask him?
Many happy returns to Mrs Scrobs. Hope you have a lovely evening.
Lils - yup - er - contd p94...
Iders, I reckon you were James Bond once!
All those statements are correct - the wheelchair races I had with Stephen caused William Hill to reappraise their whole business plan!
We'd go everywhere on these. In fact, the one you see in the pic wasn't the 'Special' design, of which there were two for kids only. These were the bee's knees, and we'd thrash along to Ward 4 in seconds, unless there was some poor sod being carted back to his bed, deeply unconscious, when we got a flea in our ears!
As for the hat, well, that must have been a present from one of the pretty nurses! Mind you, Botham could have been there had he been born at the time...(Was he, Ed??)
Pips, thanks so much!
We had such a good lunch that Ryvita Futures have gone through the roof this evening!
You OK our Kid?
I'm splendid, Scrobs. Thanks for asking. So glad you had a lvely time and I trust you are spoiling Mrs S as I type.
I too believe that Idle has a license to kill. I've been worried recently that he might only have a license to deliver; Parcelforce in a polo neck. So glad to have it confirmed he's the real deal, as I suspected. I was shaken for a moment, but not shtirred.
Ha ! (The photo)
I expect you were smiling because you'd managed to get away from the smell of the kitchens.
I remember a stay at the Wilson hospital in Mitcham. (Soon to be closed) I was five and having my adenoids removed because they were making me hard of hearing (???)
It would have been a terrifying experience but for the staff. The quintessential British nurses and doctors, a proper matron - spotless wards and genteel patients.
Doubtless I wouldn't have needed a hospital stay for such an operation nowadays. Doubtless your chances of surviving something serious are better nowadays. But Oh ! If only they could have combined then and now and cut out those very expensive middle men.
Idle - I favour the bed for a downhill competition !
Elecs, you're not wrong there actually...
The niff of mince and cabbage still ligers somewhat!
Funily enough, once in a blue moon, I can still sometimes recall the cloying smell of a biscuit tin which had some sort of sweets in it at some time, and I'm right back there with Nurse Bird (sic)!
You went through an lot for one so young.
have a great summer. I go around in circles a lot. I haven't figured out the GPS yet. Also being retired. I have no need to be anywhere on time.
Tarfers - how are you?
It really didn't figure with me as a seven year old sprog; it was probably just something dumb little kids like me just accepted...
Up to then, my Mum used to take me to the RESH three days a week for physio, but even then, everyone put up with it, and it was no great shakes!
I went in at Whitsun and still remember a family friend laughing about the fact that I would not have any lessons...
It might have been serious - who knows; what worries me is that there are so many families with much worse conditions these days, and you can directly blame government bureaucracy for that.
I feel so sorry for families struggling with a cancer in the room, and how they'll ever survive. That really worries me - for them at any rate; I'm older and don't have kids as dependents.
NuLabour have decimated the National Health Service, they've been rolled over by almost everyone , and who loses out...?
Got it in one!
Kev, My younger brother had his tonsils out at the Wilson too in 1951. Small world isn't it!
Do they still do that procedure these days? Happily mine remain intact. It seemed to be the op to have when I was young, and as I recall the only thing anybody could recall about it was the lashings of free ice cream the kids got fed..
I left a comment here yesterday but it seems to have gone AWOL!
Dr Lakelander nad I were watching Andy Burnham being interviewed on television the other day.
It makes you want to despair when the NHS is the responsibility of such a lightweight as this man.
Hopefully, in the little time that he'll be in the job, he won't be able to do too much more damage to the service. We can only hope...
rvi - yes it was a popular op, but I've been told that without tonsils a woman cannot properly pleasure a man. So look what they did to an entire generation!!
Pip: Over the past 50 years I have travelled the world from the southern tip of NZ to about 200 miles from the North Pole and most points in between - and I can honestly say I have never heard about that. Maybe I need to get out more!
Pips! Wash your mouth out!
Killers and Reevers...
Tonsils transplant is rather like having your piles renewed...
Sorry, Scrobs. Twas a comment on my blog from a contributor who obviously knew about such things. I was, of course, devastated and sought consolation in directing my fantasies towards learning to knit.
I occasionally toy with the idea of quilting but let's keep that between ourselves ;-)
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