Robin Bew, Chief Economist & Editorial Director of The Economist, tells us the report on abuse in NHS hospitals (particularly Mid Staffordshire) is "truly shocking". He says that the biggest problem is a lack of accountability. I think we must also cite a lack of empathy by the nurses for the people they are caring for as one of the most concerning aspects of this dreadful mess.
On the Today programme this morning there was a discussion about "culture" in the NHS. They were referring to the organisational culture. However I think culture in a more general sense might be worth considering. Nurses are imported from all over the world to work in the NHS, mainly because they are cheaper than recruiting local people. Is it possible that this is a false economy? Perhaps locally-recruited nurses, drawn from the same locality and culture as the patients, would have more empathy for the patients rather than a mercenary force that might be technically well-trained but just sees the patients as "product".
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