Could JFK save the NHS?

As the world pauses to remember the day President Kennedy was assassinated, I reflect on the speech he made in his inaugural address to the nation.

He famously challenged the American people with the following words: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country". It was a brilliant speech and set the tone for a Presidency which would be cut short all too soon. His speech also featured a quotation from the prophet Isaiah. It vwould be difficlult to imagine any current political leader daring to refer so openly to a religious text. That illustrates well the difference between life in 1961 and life in 2013.

But back to those words which I quoted. As our current NHS continues to dominate our headlines for most of the wrong reasons, it seems to me that the majority of oprobium has been directed at healthcare workers. This has not been without some justification as the aftermath of the Francis Report continues to exert itself within hospitals and primary care settings. I certainly don't intend to take issue with Lord Francus because his report was badly needed if only to identify those areas where we neede to improve. There is no room for complacency and even less room in healthcare where people's lives are on the line.

That does not cover the other half of the equation though - patients. Recent statistics revealed that up to 40% of patients presenting to A and E should not be. These patients were identifies to have problems for which A and E is not intended. As has been pointed out recently, the clue is to be found when we dismantle the acronym. Accident and Emergency is supposed to provide assitance for those two eventualities and while it has a role to play in variour locations during out of hours, it is not there to deal with trivia. Sadly, the latter turns up at our A and E departments all too often.

At a time when the NHS seeks new ways to become more efficient with it's limited resources, now would seem a good time to go back to the words of the late American President and remind people that evrybody has their role to play in sustaining the NHS. It does not run on fresh air and every penny counts. There would be no harm (no pun intended) in reminding people of their responsibilities to one of our most vital assets. If that 40% was removed, the benefit to hospitals the length and breadth of the country would be felt by all concerned.