I have to apologise to my patients. Mostly on a daily basis.
'I'm sorry it was difficult to get an appointment with me'
'I'm sorry to have kept you waiting'
'I'm sorry you didn't understand what the doctor said at the hospital, let me explain it to you....'
'I'm sorry that your colonoscopy was so painful'
I had to apologise to a man last year who is undergoing treatment for colon cancer. I wanted to refer him a month before I did but he talked me out of it.
'I'm sorry that you didn't have your test sooner, we might have got to the diagnosis earlier'
'I am sorry that morale in the NHS is the lowest it has ever been'
'I'm sorry about the way in which recruiting for training posts for junior doctors has been such a catastrophe'
'I am sorry that there are too many managers and not enough frontline staff'
'I am sorry that I have allowed the PFI to bankrupt parts of the NHS'
'I am sorry that we have allowed a specialist surgeon to restructure general practice and make a foul-up of it'
'I am sorry that I am the worst Chief Medical Officer in living memory'
These are apologies that are specific to you, Liam: I look forward to hearing a heartfelt apology.........
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5 comments:
I'm afraid Sir Liam Donaldson has been spending too much time with Ministers - never admit you are wrong, never apologise, and if at all possible put the blame on someone else who is not in a position to defend themselves.
Why, despite the feelings of large sections of the medical profession, is he still in post? Well the "Sir"is probably a clue. He didn't get that for being nice to doctors! Knighthoods are in the gift of someone else entirely.
"There is no getting around it, making an apology is a tough thing for a doctor or nurse to do.
They may fear the patient's or relative's reaction. They may think it makes them more likely to be sued. They may simply not have the communication skills necessary to deal with such a highly charged, emotional encounter."
Or maybe the doctors and nurses are just sick and tired of apologising for shitty situations that they have absolutely no control over...even if it was their own mum in that bed.
My apologies start out with "I am sorry that management...."
However I have had no problem giving a heartfelt apology when I really have screwed something up that was in my control.
Lets start with old Liam D apologising to me for the shit he and his minions have written about Ward 87 on their internal DOH documentation.
Lets start with the GMC apologising to me.
Rita
Apologies are all very well, and if given in time, rather than mealy mouthed and per force, offer some settlement.
In the case of the appalling leadership(?) associated with the MMC/MTAS disaster, the apologies from Patsy down were there, but clearly the responsibility for the mess was not accepted by the managers involved, chief of whom was Donaldson.
The dreadful effects on training are already evident and the mere millions or low billions associated with the exodus of our bright and expensively trained juniors may now seem minor in comparison to recent squanderings of taxpayer's money, but there are those who would like to remind Donaldson that HE is held responsible by the public.
Less preaching and a rapid goodbye would be welcome and far more appropriate!
Totally agree with you David L Cox, except that I don't really think the public are aware of how much damage has been done by this man and his fellow government camp followers.
Lets face it, our rather supine broadcasting services haven't exactly been shouting about it have they?
Too busy parroting HMGs latest propaganda against GPs.
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