I have another YouTube video out this morning. In this one, I argue that Wes Streeting thinks the NHS is riddled with obedient compliance that lets wrongdoing happen. He's right, except that he's wrong to say this is an NHS problem. It's a problem of a class-ridden society where everyone is told they may not question their ‘elders and betters'. He won't solve anything by trying to change the NHS. He needs to start by getting rid of the monarchy as the symbol of a hopelessly outdated class system.
The audio version is here:
The transcript is as follows:
Wes Streeting is wrong.
He has said that the management of the NHS is not adequate because it doesn't listen to whistleblowers.
Look, that might be true to an extent, but if they don't listen to whistleblowers, it's not the fault of the management of the NHS. It's a fact that nobody listens to whistleblowers in the UK. And the consequence is that we have had more than our fair share of scandals in this country.
We undoubtedly do seem to have more failures in the NHS with regard to people who go rogue - GPs who kill patients, nurses who kill patients, or conspiracies of silence around certain forms of medical failure - than is normal in other countries.
But you've got to ask why, when people have doubts about all those people in advance of them being discovered, they don't scream and holler and shout, and the world doesn't notice. And I think there's a particular problem that the UK has, which has nothing to do with the structure of the NHS, or education, or any other part of the civil service, or political parties, where there seems to be a problem of abuse as well.
There is a problem of hierarchy in this country.
Let's start from the top. It's always a good place to go to. We have a royal family. They are there on the basis of privilege. We are meant to exalt them. We call them their royal highnesses. They are apparently untouchable. They are the model for everything.
Now I'm afraid to say they are just human beings, as on occasions they are wont to demonstrate. So, they are not paragons of virtue.
But based upon this assumption that we have a whole hierarchy of tiers of persons of authority who cannot be questioned, because like the royal family, they're beyond that, then we end up with this deference to power.
And that deference to power is why whistleblowers who know that things are going wrong in the UK don't shout about it because they believe two things will happen one.
They will be not listened to - and frankly, it is highly likely that will be the case, because those in power don't want to be told that they're doing anything wrong - and two, nothing will happen even if they do report, or if it does happen, they'll get a backfire onto them, because how dare they challenge the structures of power which are in place?
And that's why we get scandals. But unless we change the whole structure of British society, which says those at the top, starting with the royals, are absolutely beyond the reach of criticism, then there is no way that we can change this problem.
Wes Streeting is actually, partly right. There is a problem in the NHS with regard to the reporting of whistleblowing problems which require to be disclosed.
But he's wrong, because it's not peculiar to the NHS.
What he should be talking about is why is British society organised around hierarchies of power which are wholly inappropriate to 21st century society?
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Rowson did a cartoon in the G. One of his better ones.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2024/may/21/martin-rowson-on-a-litany-of-very-british-scandals-cartoon
It shows a pattern: initially deny there is a problem, when the noise becomes too much do something, when it becomes even more too much, initiate long winded gov’ enquiry looked over by a safe pair of hands. At the end of the process wring hands, croc tears, promise reform,lesson learned,… do nothing, job done.
Silly Streeting is part of that system. Lets assume he lets private health rip into the NHS. As sure as the sun rises in the morning there will be a scandal (profit befor patients – one can see the headlines now), gov enquiry, lessons learned etc. Whistler blows is a symptom of a malfunctioning system – incapable of internal reform = no feedback.
As for the royal family – pack them off to the USA/Hollywood and turn Buck Palace into a homeless people refuge.
Oh & my own full title is: “God Emperor of this Part of the Galactic Quadrant” – 🙂
A very bad but popular press & Royal Courtier example regarding the Royal Family: Whatever the outcome was, I never understood and still do not understand why the investigation report into “Meghan’s bullying of staff” was never released.
If Meghan is innocent then she deserves to be vindicated and the public deserve and have a right to the truth.
If Meghan is guilty then she deserves to “face the music” and the public deserve and have a right to the truth.
Again, I do not understand why the investigation report into “Meghan’s bullying of staff” was never released.
Given that, as far as I am aware no other nation has anything structured like the NHS, ie a single national healthcare organisation I suggest that it is probably easier to finger it over a particular issue than in nations with more decentralised healthcare
The rather sad list below – admittedly topped by Shipman, and also including the likes of Allitt and Letby (we know the names: this is rare) – shows that doctors and nurses killing patients is very much not just or even especially a British thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_by_number_of_victims#Medical_professionals_and_pseudo-medical_professionals
The Insitute of Govt proposals for constitutional reform is a starting point – but only about structures and procedures – not practical proposals for early gains.
Specially protected ‘constitutional acts’ would be good – for example enshrining human rights and freedoms – including rights of whistle blowers. These could not be changed on a whim by the elected dictatorship.
The government and indeed most institutions in the country should take a lead from the aviation industry by adopting the ethos where mistakes, accidents and failures are openly and honestly admitted to without fear of reprisal (barring malicious intent of course) so that continuous refinement and improvement are the order of the day.
Agreed
The NHS has been turned into a bizarrely dysfunctional internal market by the Tories an New Labour. This means that the trusts are in competition which implies that reputation trumps openness. Thus extreme reluctance to admit errors with suppression of whistleblowers.
Neoliberal ideology does not fit well with good health care. Wes Streeting should know this but clearly doesn’t
Martin Hime
> There is a problem of hierarchy in this country.
I was talking about your blog today, and I said “he may criticise financial capitalism but Richard Murphy is no socialist”. Now, this! I might have to reconsider my opinion, particularly in the light of Labour’s lurch rightwards… ✊
Is being Republican the same as being a socialist?
Or is it just being in reasonable denial of eugenicism?