Two patients limp into two different medical surgeries with the similar complaints.
Both have a great deal of trouble walking, both are in considerable pain and appear to need a hip replacement. This is later confirmed following all of the relevant examination processes.
Patient 'A' is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the very next week.
Patient 'B' sees his family doctor after waiting over a week for an appointment after a telephone consultation. Then waits four months to see a specialist, then after another 3 months gets x-rays completed. These aren't reviewed for another 6 weeks and finally surgery is scheduled for 9 months from that time.
Why the different treatment for the two patients?
Monday, 8 October 2007
Saturday, 6 October 2007
Economy.
I have recently visited a large organisation and sat a while in the plush surroundings awaiting the arrival of one of the directors for a bit of a chat.
We talked at length about the macro economy, micro economy and the social economy.
This guy had a degree in economics or someting technically superior to my grasp of reality. I found out that almost all of the consideration for most decisions was given to the first two and the social effects of many of these policies did not warrant full consideration.
The savings gained by employing less well trained staff turned into a financial loss which more than doubled that saved in the initial one off saving. This was by the increased training needed, new corporate uniforms, their inability to deal with a lot of the work they should really be able to do and as a result an increasing workload was placed on the shoulders of other employees, sometimes other departments, they even got new vehicles for christ's sake.
I found out that the Chairperson has become concerned about the job of her ordinary employees becoming submerged under a heavy bureaucratic burden.
She ( a she for the plot) has made several publicised statements explaining her desire to remove these unnecessary burdens in the hope of making things more efficient by removing this problem. She does not appear to have made this clear to her Directors and regional managers.
The Directors and regional managers still seem more concerned with statistics and targets as well as the heavy bureaucratic burden of multi-duplicated adminstration
that goes with such an important process. They regularly inform their staff of the importance of such targets and the deadlines for submission so that they can discuss these at their meetings.
I learnt that in the despatch department they were failing to meet their performance targets. They were all roundly flogged and a new and dynamic method was put in place to help their strategic strategy. They decided to increase the number of deliveries for the delivery department so they could be seen to be up to the mark and hitting their targets. The Director of the depatch department would get the credit for this dramatic increase in performance and service delivery.
At the next monthly meeting of the Directors, the Director in charge of delivery was roundly chastised because his (a he just for the plot) department had failed to meet their target and deliveries were delayed and some long overdue. He raised the issue of an increased delivery workload with no additional staff or vehicles. He had new adminstration systems put in place that he had not yet trained his department in. He agreed to see what could be done to increase his departments performance before the next meeting to ensure he was seen to be promoting the brand and the strategic corporate goals.
At the next meeting he announced that he had improved his performance target figures everyone seemed happy. He had done this by restricting his delivery staff to their old style of service delivery, in so much as their did one job at a time, did it well and with great care for their customers. His satisfaction figures were also back to their former levels. Even though the director had to take staff away from their prime functions to gather this statistical information, analyse it and forward it to other departments he was still able to improve his department's performance because his staff were dedicated, loyal and hard working. They covered for the loss of staff and made his department a success. The director got great praise from the Chairperson and a financial bonus as well. Well done.
Sadly, the despatch department incurred the wrath of the Chairperson as they had, again, fallen behind against their performance targets. I understand that they are thinking about reorganisation with their department as this is another new and radical way to sort out their problems. I believe that they may even consider a merger to help cut costs and make a considerable efficiency saving.
Does this sound at all familiar ?
As Einstein said, "Not everything that can be counted counts. And not everything that counts can be counted."
On my way out I saw that this company were recruiting, I also saw several vacancies advertised in the local press. I though about a bit of a career change but as I looked I saw that none of the posts were for the jobs I had expected from such a large organisation. They offered wonderful conditions but the prospect did not really appeal to me. I could facilitate, administrate, monitor a whole range of things, advise, ensure compliance of a whole range of other things, support and assist in other areas, work with multi-agencies, record things and work in a dedicated team managed by a team leader. Sadly none of this was what I really wanted to do.
Suddenly my interest faded and I tried to find my car in the vastness of car park central. Some jobsworth had put a ticket on my screen because I had allegedly parked in the wrong place even though I was at the car park extremities and there were actually some spare places, even on a Wednesday. CCTV would be examined and I would be informed of the consequences.
We talked at length about the macro economy, micro economy and the social economy.
This guy had a degree in economics or someting technically superior to my grasp of reality. I found out that almost all of the consideration for most decisions was given to the first two and the social effects of many of these policies did not warrant full consideration.
The savings gained by employing less well trained staff turned into a financial loss which more than doubled that saved in the initial one off saving. This was by the increased training needed, new corporate uniforms, their inability to deal with a lot of the work they should really be able to do and as a result an increasing workload was placed on the shoulders of other employees, sometimes other departments, they even got new vehicles for christ's sake.
I found out that the Chairperson has become concerned about the job of her ordinary employees becoming submerged under a heavy bureaucratic burden.
She ( a she for the plot) has made several publicised statements explaining her desire to remove these unnecessary burdens in the hope of making things more efficient by removing this problem. She does not appear to have made this clear to her Directors and regional managers.
The Directors and regional managers still seem more concerned with statistics and targets as well as the heavy bureaucratic burden of multi-duplicated adminstration
that goes with such an important process. They regularly inform their staff of the importance of such targets and the deadlines for submission so that they can discuss these at their meetings.
I learnt that in the despatch department they were failing to meet their performance targets. They were all roundly flogged and a new and dynamic method was put in place to help their strategic strategy. They decided to increase the number of deliveries for the delivery department so they could be seen to be up to the mark and hitting their targets. The Director of the depatch department would get the credit for this dramatic increase in performance and service delivery.
At the next monthly meeting of the Directors, the Director in charge of delivery was roundly chastised because his (a he just for the plot) department had failed to meet their target and deliveries were delayed and some long overdue. He raised the issue of an increased delivery workload with no additional staff or vehicles. He had new adminstration systems put in place that he had not yet trained his department in. He agreed to see what could be done to increase his departments performance before the next meeting to ensure he was seen to be promoting the brand and the strategic corporate goals.
At the next meeting he announced that he had improved his performance target figures everyone seemed happy. He had done this by restricting his delivery staff to their old style of service delivery, in so much as their did one job at a time, did it well and with great care for their customers. His satisfaction figures were also back to their former levels. Even though the director had to take staff away from their prime functions to gather this statistical information, analyse it and forward it to other departments he was still able to improve his department's performance because his staff were dedicated, loyal and hard working. They covered for the loss of staff and made his department a success. The director got great praise from the Chairperson and a financial bonus as well. Well done.
Sadly, the despatch department incurred the wrath of the Chairperson as they had, again, fallen behind against their performance targets. I understand that they are thinking about reorganisation with their department as this is another new and radical way to sort out their problems. I believe that they may even consider a merger to help cut costs and make a considerable efficiency saving.
Does this sound at all familiar ?
As Einstein said, "Not everything that can be counted counts. And not everything that counts can be counted."
On my way out I saw that this company were recruiting, I also saw several vacancies advertised in the local press. I though about a bit of a career change but as I looked I saw that none of the posts were for the jobs I had expected from such a large organisation. They offered wonderful conditions but the prospect did not really appeal to me. I could facilitate, administrate, monitor a whole range of things, advise, ensure compliance of a whole range of other things, support and assist in other areas, work with multi-agencies, record things and work in a dedicated team managed by a team leader. Sadly none of this was what I really wanted to do.
Suddenly my interest faded and I tried to find my car in the vastness of car park central. Some jobsworth had put a ticket on my screen because I had allegedly parked in the wrong place even though I was at the car park extremities and there were actually some spare places, even on a Wednesday. CCTV would be examined and I would be informed of the consequences.
Friday, 5 October 2007
A SENIOR MOMENT
A group of young students were on a bus discussing the burden placed on society by the older generation of pensioners. One of the pensioners took great exeption to some of the comments and stated that he thought it was impossible for some of the older generation to understand todays younger generation and vice-versa. Things had changed so much during the years between their ages. As he was explaining the student interrupted him.
"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one," the student said, loud enough for all his friends and most of the other passengers to hear.
"The young people of today grew up with colour high definition digital television, high quality music on CD's and MP3 players, jet travel, space travel, trains that have never travelled faster, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing and ..."
The pensioner interrupted him and said "You're right, son. We didn't have those things to enjoy and marvel at when we were young.......so we invented them. What are you doing for the next generation?"
The applause was resounding...
"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one," the student said, loud enough for all his friends and most of the other passengers to hear.
"The young people of today grew up with colour high definition digital television, high quality music on CD's and MP3 players, jet travel, space travel, trains that have never travelled faster, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing and ..."
The pensioner interrupted him and said "You're right, son. We didn't have those things to enjoy and marvel at when we were young.......so we invented them. What are you doing for the next generation?"
The applause was resounding...
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
A,B,C, its as easy as 1,2,3.
Well its interesting when you speak to colleagues from other areas or Forces and see that itis not only you that has a rather large volume of paperwork that you feel is irrelevant, unnecessary and adds to the burden of paperwork you already have to do as part of your effort to justify yourself. The management line appears to be that this is highly relevant to do and is essential. Essential for who ? Essential to what goal ? Certainly not to anyone who has to complete them, apparently.
I now understand what the unwelcome envelope that arrives for some contains, when they dare open it, not an invitation to a late night candlelight supper or free cinema tickets but something else, a little more daunting and unwelcome. The additional level of time taken to complete said forms always seems to go down very well with the protagonists. Unlike the 5 minutes a day itis alleged they will take.
Its as easy as 1,2,3. Do you believe that ?
I now understand what the unwelcome envelope that arrives for some contains, when they dare open it, not an invitation to a late night candlelight supper or free cinema tickets but something else, a little more daunting and unwelcome. The additional level of time taken to complete said forms always seems to go down very well with the protagonists. Unlike the 5 minutes a day itis alleged they will take.
Its as easy as 1,2,3. Do you believe that ?
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
INTERESTING STUFF ?
In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
-----------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. If you were to spell out numbers in English, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
-----------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. If you were to spell out numbers in English, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
Monday, 1 October 2007
Thanks
I have been deeply touched by the numbers of responses to my 90 minutes post. This post was real and was spawned by the demise of my ex-partner who enjoyed a short retirement of only a couple of years with me before illness dictated the unfortunate course of events. Now over 60 comments is a record, for me anyway, this far exceeds anything else I have received.
I would like to thank all those who took the time and effort to visit, especially those from the Gadget pages following the post there.
Anyone who has forged a close relationship with one of our canine friends will understand the deep feelings towards an animal that asks nothing but gives everything
for seemingly little or no reward.
Anyone who has had the good fortune to work closely with such an animal and spend more time with it than you spend with your family will understand my sentiment.
Anyone who has had the even better fortune to work with a colleague who will follow blindly and is willing to protect you without question will understand the trust and depth of working relationship we have with our dogs.
We are lucky, lucky people. I have been very fortunate indeed to have been in such a position. I have parted company with other dogs, but not in the same emotional way.
Some dogs are special. This one was definately was.
I have been, shall we say, out of circulation and it was the Gadget post on the enormous and willing support we get from our 'non-police' support/admin colleagues that has drawn me back to the keyboard.
I would like to thank all those who took the time and effort to visit, especially those from the Gadget pages following the post there.
Anyone who has forged a close relationship with one of our canine friends will understand the deep feelings towards an animal that asks nothing but gives everything
for seemingly little or no reward.
Anyone who has had the good fortune to work closely with such an animal and spend more time with it than you spend with your family will understand my sentiment.
Anyone who has had the even better fortune to work with a colleague who will follow blindly and is willing to protect you without question will understand the trust and depth of working relationship we have with our dogs.
We are lucky, lucky people. I have been very fortunate indeed to have been in such a position. I have parted company with other dogs, but not in the same emotional way.
Some dogs are special. This one was definately was.
I have been, shall we say, out of circulation and it was the Gadget post on the enormous and willing support we get from our 'non-police' support/admin colleagues that has drawn me back to the keyboard.
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
90 Minutes
I hear the phone ringing, I wait for an answer. My mouth is dry and I don't want to speak. I can't remember dialling the number. Eventually it is answered just as I am about to hang up and delay the inevitable. My misplaced human sentiment rises to the surface again. I try to talk and explain who I am, what the problem is. The voice on the other end is calm, politely reassuring and knows how I feel. They have seen and heard this a hundred times. I get my time and the count down begins.
90 minutes is an awful long time.
The journey is only a fraction of that. 90 minutes is about as long as a football match. No time at all if your side is 3-0 up but an eternity of torment if your side is 3-0 down.
My 90 minutes of torment has begun.
Every second seems like a minute, seems like an hour, a day, a week.
My friend is not well. He is very not well.
We have seen lots of things together.
We have done lots of things together.
He has saved me from many things and ensured I
returned home. I owe him a lot.
Now I must take him for his last journey.
I cannot explain how such relatively short and slow journey turns out to be such a blur.
I enter the place that has made my friend better on several occasions but that will now stop his suffering because they cannot make him better any more.
They know. They take me to a small room when I walk in and close the door.
They are sympathetic. They care about what they do.
It doesn't take long but it seems to take forever.
My friend is gone. I'm going to miss him, a lot.
90 minutes was an awfully long time.
90 minutes is an awful long time.
The journey is only a fraction of that. 90 minutes is about as long as a football match. No time at all if your side is 3-0 up but an eternity of torment if your side is 3-0 down.
My 90 minutes of torment has begun.
Every second seems like a minute, seems like an hour, a day, a week.
My friend is not well. He is very not well.
We have seen lots of things together.
We have done lots of things together.
He has saved me from many things and ensured I
returned home. I owe him a lot.
Now I must take him for his last journey.
I cannot explain how such relatively short and slow journey turns out to be such a blur.
I enter the place that has made my friend better on several occasions but that will now stop his suffering because they cannot make him better any more.
They know. They take me to a small room when I walk in and close the door.
They are sympathetic. They care about what they do.
It doesn't take long but it seems to take forever.
My friend is gone. I'm going to miss him, a lot.
90 minutes was an awfully long time.
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