Treat NHS like Roylety
Thanks to Gold, on Sunday I had the pleasure of rewatching one of the finest pieces of television ever made, The Queen Of Sheba episode of The Royle Family.
And Nana Royle popped straight back into my head yesterday as I watched the first episode in the new run of BBC2’s incredible documentary series, Hospital.
It featured 86-year-old dementia patient Mavis, who couldn’t leave hospital as there was no care home for her to go to. Obviously, the sentimental side of me wished her family could set up a bed in their living room and look after her there.
This was real life, though. And what Hospital does is show you real life and force a reaction out of you – from shock, anger and frustration to awe, elation and hope.
If the sight of a big city’s A&E being clogged up by tens of patients on trollies waiting for unavailable beds isn’t proof enough that the NHS is in real crisis, nothing ever will be.
If our Westminster servants are ever brave enough to ask us to pay an extra quid a week in tax they only need to do one thing if anyone asks why. Send them a link to this series.