NHS under scrutiny

Jan 8 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THERE are always going to be unfortunate stories involving the NHS.

And today’s tale of the couple who complain about a blood-stained delivery suite at Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax is indeed unsettling.

It does seem a major lapse for which our local health trust seem to have put their hands up.

We would like to think it won’t happen again, for it undoubtedly spoiled what should have been an exhilarating experience.

But the reality is that if it’s not that, it will be another thing. Something major or minor will always go wrong in an organisation as big as our health service, although we should not become complacent about it and must always guard against it.

Flick forward a few pages in today’s Examiner, though, and you will see the result of a survey in which people who were asked reckon the NHS provides value for money and high-quality care.

That the survey was carried out by the NHS should be put at the back of the mind – for the findings are largely true.

After all, it’s not that long since Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust was given a top mark in ratings by the Healthcare Commission.

The addition of the NHS Direct phone and internet service can only be described as a triumph – giving enquirers quick and easy access to information with the need for putting a strain on hospitals and GP surgeries.

Some have suggested there should be a new bank holiday on July 5 – the anniversary of the birth of the NHS.

Certainly worth a thought.