Letter: Speedier treatment on the NHS
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Clifford Graham, in his obituary (29 March) of Sir Roy Griffiths, the inventor of health service 'reform', writes that 'in the late 1980s, Griffiths was proud to demonstrate that 'it took a grocer (he came from Sainsbury's) to teach a grocer's daughter the difference between price and cost'.
Alas that there was no one there to demonstrate to the two of them that medicine is not grocery, that a hospital is not a supermarket, that a GP's surgery is not a corner shop, and that 'the people in charge' should, in each case, be the responsible professional: the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the charge nurse, whoever. Anyone who thinks it has to be a 'manager' should go back whence he came.
Griffiths also believed, according to the obituary, that 'manpower is simply a function of management', which showed indeed that he was one of Thatcher's 'one of us': 'manpower' is the same kind of thing as 'horsepower' and 'water power'. You use it as 'management' decides and that's it; there is nothing special about it.
There is no such thing as 'society', is there? And people who aren't 'one of us' don't quite count as 'people' at all - a pity they have votes. Better think of them all as 'consumers' - as Mr Waldegrave was recommending last year when charged with the 'democratic deficit' in the rise of quangos and decline in elected local government.
Yours faithfully,
ELIZABETH YOUNG
London, W2
30 March
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments