I may stir up a bit of controversy but here goes.
We were asked to clap to celebrate 72 years of the NHS. Don’t get me wrong of course we should be proud and grateful for the NHS, as I have said a number of times without it I would not be typing this.
I don’t remember celebrating 70 years of the NHS or 50 or 60 or 25 for that matter. A pandemic sweeps across the world and suddenly we are celebrating 72 years of the NHS. Now I get it. It’s been a tough time and it will never stop. The real test of how well the government values these hero’s is when they announce their pay rise and do something about the intolerable pressure they are under all the time. When they realise that targets are irrelevant and that health is not a spreadsheet!
The greatest support we can give the NHS is to behave in a responsible manner now and in the future, to take care of ourselves so as we do not require any treatment. Illness and disease will always strike that is the human condition and they are there to help when they do. Accidents happen are they are there to help when they do! Acts of violence and deliberate harm are always with us and they are there to help when they do! They are not there to fix people who damage their own health by doing those things they know will harm them but of course they help when we do!
I have nothing but admiration for those dedicated health professionals that give their time and expertise but 72 years is just a publicity stunt by a government that knows it is deflecting the public by celebrating with applause to mask their neglect of actually radically changing the service for the better!
A word about social distancing. There are those who still take note of it and I suspect they are the majority. You do not get reports of people practicing social distancing (at whatever distance is now acceptable?) Naturally you do have reports of crowds who are blatantly breaking the social distancing guidelines. People who crowd onto beaches or fill streets whilst having a night out, go to raves and house parties are those who have the attitude that “it won’t happen to me”? We have all said it many times it is not “me” it is “us” a collective responsibility to care for each other. I am all for fun and enjoyment but sometimes you have think of the greater good. I understand that we have been restricted for a long time. It is frustrating, boring, interminable, I understand for many the future is uncertain and different from before this started. I get that we want to see our families and loved ones, friends. Not doing those things and taking risks could have a very serious consequence for everyone!
A small example. As you know I play golf. I play at Brampton Heath in Northampton. The vast majority of the members are over 60 and the bulk over 70. The club has been very good with its guidelines and instructions. When I finished my round on Thursday last as I walked towards the clubhouse there were a number of people standing and sitting outside, without exception there was no one under mid sixties and no sign of any social distancing. I understand at our age measurements are hazy!
Stay well!
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