Yesterdays' noisy outburst by leading consultant Dr David Nunn during a visit by David Cameron and a possee of attendants and journalists did the NHS no good at all. It seems likely that indeed some, although seemingly not Prime Minister's group itself, may not have prepared and washed their hands as is required but there are alternative discreet and courteous ways of dealing with this. It is also reasonable to say that the hospital managers should themselves have ensured this happened before the obviously high profile session began.
The doctor's robust intervention and ordering the whole party to leave smacked of territorial "I am the boss here" grandstanding. One was left wondering what would be the fate of a junior staff member or patient who displeased him. What sort of atmosphere normally surrounds him on a working day? Was this a one off explosion or has it got form? The NHS establishment has been fighting a furious rearguard action against almost any change or threat to its hierarchies and ways of working in what has been portrayed as a defence of the patients' interests against the bogeyman "competition". This in turn has been painted as something almost evil and maliciously life threatening. How something designed to increase patients choice and the ability to select where and by whom they are treated is an unexplained mystery.
The unpleasant and unnecessary scene yesterday should remind the NHS' customers that while many things about it are excellent and good, some are not. Overbearing staff at any level and consultants in particular are in the latter box. Many will have met them in the past and perhaps thought that their era was over. Sadly in some cases it seems not. Yesterday will have left both patients and staff embarrassed and concerned. It would have been less likely to happen if both had a real choice of going elsewhere. In just a few seconds the tip of a rather worrying iceberg came into view. Any monopoly supplier is in danger of behaving badly and this was the supply side of the organisation shown at its worst. The government should not shrink from the task of reforming where reform is needed. It does though need to explain better the rationale and in terms everyone understands and can identify with. It has just been presented with a startling "For example....." with which to start doing that.
