Quintin Jardine's blog

I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.

In any organisation as massive as our NHS there will be incidents of mistakes and mismanagement. It’s all too easy for ambitious politicians and profit seeking media to seize on these and highlight them for their own gain. I can only speak as a lifelong user of the service, and my experience may not be mirrored by others, but it has been excellent, beyond reproach and on a few occasions life-saving.

Eighteen years ago I collapsed, for no obvious reason, and was taken to hospital. There I had another incident; I was wired up at the time, and the cardiologists were left with a nice record of me flat-lining for a few seconds. Very quickly it was established that I had a condition called sick sinus syndrome. A pacemaker was fitted and I was able to resume my abnormal life.

More recently, my wife has had two Brushes with Death, to borrow from the title of my new book, (published yesterday and available in all good book stores). Each required major surgical intervention, the kind that has you holding your breath until you have the good news call from the team. Twice her life was as in serious danger, twice she survived, thanks to people who will forever be heroes to me.

I am in the fortunate position of being able to thank them publicly by dedications in books, (back to A Brush with Death, and Private Investigations) but mostly voices like mine are drowned out by the cacophony of negativity that dominates today’s society.

Yes, the NHS could be better, and it knows it. The day it stops striving to improve we will have cause for concern. But that mustn’t blind us to the truth that for the majority of us who shelter under its umbrella, it is already excellent.

If you agree, feel free to share this. If you don’t, all I can say is that I hope you never have cause to realise that I’m right.

The Herald Digital
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