Knit a boob for the NHS

Such is the funding crisis, that some NHS services cannot afford to buy fake boobs to teach new mothers, particularly mothers of premature babies who have difficulties feeding, how to breast feed.

So - now they're knitting their own. I kid you not - read the full story here!

Anyway, speaking of boobs in the NHS, if you're not impressed with the current Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt then you can sign the petition to have her sacked here. I wouldn't normally sign something so negative - I try to see the good in people and recognise that people have hard jobs to do and have to make tough decisions (nothing could be more true of current NHS staff, might I add, working in the face of government targets and beaurocracy, job cuts, recruitment freezes etc. One service I know of had 2 senior OTs leave, one through ill-health, and one because she sadly died from cancer, leaving one experienced, but relatively junior, OT to manage a very busy service single-handedly. Did they recruit anyone else? NO - recruitment freeze. Did they reduce the service's workload - NO - government targets must be met, and more importantly a lot of people needed OT input.)

But, Patricia Hewitt's grip on the NHS has led to the lowest morale ever amongst NHS staff, I have never heard such anxiety or angry frustration amongst people who are usually pretty robust in the face of challenges and change. Never before have large numbers of newly qualifed staff, particularly newly qualifed nurses faced the possibility of unemployement after graduation. Although it doesn't make headline news - newly qualified clinical psychologists have faced similar difficulties - incidentally, after the government (i.e. tax payers) have spent £100,000 each on our training! Never before has a health secretary been booed by nurses or pushed nursing unions so far that they threaten strike action. And still, this woman has the unbelievable audacity to say "2006 was the best year ever for the NHS". She is either lying or living on another planet - perhaps both.

This is an official petition, and you must be a UK citizen to sign it...so have a think about whether you think Patricia Hewitt's record with the NHS just isn't good enough for our national health service and sign your name here if you think enough is enough.

My only worry is who might replace her...