Health Cttee is grilling Sir D Nicholson

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Valerie Vaz is pinning him down..... were you there what did you see ... who did you speak to ...

here

[eighthobstruction]

good....

[Resurrection Man]

Mmmm..I have to confess that that was my initial reaction but there was an interesting piece in the paper yesterday saying that it would be wrong to single him out for the simple reason that everyone loves to blame someone..and if he went then many others equally as culpable in senior NHS Management would breathe a sigh of relief and nothing would change.

Have to confess that there does seem to be something inherently wrong in the NHS (and probably has been for many years and spanning both Labour and the Coalition). This mania for 'measurement' and 'ticking boxes' is not the way forward IMO. The mania just as applicable to other 'softer' environments such as social services and the police.

[eighthobstruction]

He's coming a across very well I think at the moment....

[ahinton]

Mmmm..I have to confess that that was my initial reaction but there was an interesting piece in the paper yesterday saying that it would be wrong to single him out for the simple reason that everyone loves to blame someone..and if he went then many others equally as culpable in senior NHS Management would breathe a sigh of relief and nothing would change.

Have to confess that there does seem to be something inherently wrong in the NHS (and probably has been for many years and spanning both Labour and the Coalition). This mania for 'measurement' and 'ticking boxes' is not the way forward IMO. The mania just as applicable to other 'softer' environments such as social services and the police.

Whilst I'm uncertain as to what it might be about those other environments that could be described as "softer", I agree broadly with both of your statements here; the "tick box" and "targets" mentality and culture is usually a defensive compliance-based one designed with a view to controlling the outcome of any blame and establishing in advance some kind of damage limitation exercise rather than for the specific tangible benefit of the public that the organisations concerned is charged to serve.

Scapegoating is indeed an all too prevalent practice, for the very reasons that you suggest here.

[eighthobstruction]

this evidence certainly changed my view of the man....lets see what the daily mail and bbc come up with in their editorials....

....Valerie Vaz (keiths sister) is a very interesting person [via wiki]....Barbara Keeley too....neither of them career MPs