I completely agree with Dr Rachel Clarke’s article (As a doctor, I’m no apologist for Wes Streeting – but here’s where he’s right about the NHS, 25 September). I retired from the NHS earlier than I intended because of dealing with a ridiculous workload and feeling undervalued.
I see increasing disaffection among senior doctors. One of the many factors contributing to the decline of the NHS, and one that does not require lots of money to fix, is the changing culture created by the insidious shift of major decision-making from senior clinicians to managers. This has led to staff losing enthusiasm, simply doing their day-to-day work as best they can and not feeling that they have a role in improving service delivery.
Modern healthcare relies on effective teamwork. A little time spent building happy, cohesive, empowered teams would transform the service. Happy, productive teams gladly put in extra hours to provide the best possible patient experience. Instead, there is an atmosphere of fear – put your head above the parapet and get referred for disciplinary action or a referral to the General Medical Council.
As Dr Clarke says, recent scandals have shown management teams can worry more about reputational damage than the welfare of patients. Instead of being supported and given the opportunity to learn, staff can face demoralising, traumatic and counterproductive bureaucratic procedures leading to reduced efficiency.
I would say to the government, of course the NHS urgently needs more money and technological resources, but changing the culture so that clinical staff feel they have a stake in the service, helped and supported by managers, would pay far greater dividends than simply pouring money into what can become a bottomless pit.
Dr Meher Pocha
Letchworth, Hertfordshire
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