Stop messing with patient records, just fund the GPs instead.
We need to mandate that all GP practices have a robust, fully integrated electronic patient record system that talks seamlessly to secondary care. This isn't about abstract data concerns; it's about making sure the right information is where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. For years we've been using clunky, disparate systems. If a patient comes into A&E, or gets admitted to hospital, the clinicians there often have to call us to get basic details, or they just don't have them. That delays everything and sometimes leads to mistakes.
This isn't some newfangled technological fix. It’s basic infrastructure. We've had the technology for decades, but successive governments have failed to properly fund its rollout and maintenance across the entire NHS. The idea that a single patient record will save 20,000 A&E visits sounds like pure fantasy conjured up to avoid the real problem.
Sticking asylum seekers on old military bases is just kicking the can down the road, and it’s bad medicine.
I had a patient in last week, Mrs Henderson, she was worried sick about the plans for a new site near Thetford. Not that it’s in our patch directly, but it’s not far, and she was talking about how it would effect local schools and doctors. She’s right to be concerned, it always comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it? We’re already running on fumes most days, and that’s before you start adding thousands of people who often have complex health needs.
The idea of just sticking people on these big, isolated sites always strikes me as incredibly short-sighted. It saves a bit of money on the face of it, maybe, but what about the long game? You’re housing vulnerable people away from any real community, making it harder for them to learn English, get any sort of skills, or just feel like a person again.
Fix Our Broken Voting System Already
I'm fed up with the way our electoral system is stacked against anyone who doesn't toe the party line, it's like they want to squeeze out any independent thought. As a GP I see the effects of bad policy every day, and it's clear that our voting system is a major part of the problem. We need a system that actually represents the people, not just the two main parties.
I'd change the system to some form of proportional representation, it's not rocket science, other countries manage it just fine. This would mean that smaller parties and independents actually have a chance of getting elected, rather than being squeezed out by the big two. It would also mean that our politicians are more representative of the people they're supposed to be serving, rather than just being yes men for their party.
The current system is a joke, it's all about who can raise the most money and shout the loudest, rather than who has the best ideas.
Why are we still pretending sanctions actually work? Time for a different tack.
When did we decide that crippling a nation's economy with sanctions was somehow a more effective tool than, say, talking to them? It feels like we’ve been doing this for decades with predictably dismal results, only now with added complexity thanks to global finance. We sanction Russia, they find other markets. We sanction Iran, they develop their nuclear program anyway. It’s like trying to treat a persistent cough with leeches.
My proposal is simple, though admittedly less dramatic: a renewed focus on direct, high-level diplomatic engagement. We need dedicated envoys, not just ambassadors, whose sole job is to build relationships and find common ground, even with adversaries. Think less about punishing and more about persuading. This would involve setting up permanent, discreet channels for dialogue on key issues, from arms control to climate change, even when relations are frosty.
Stop Propping Up Dictators with Our Aid
I was at a medical conference in London last year and met a doctor from Yemen who told me about the devastation caused by the ongoing civil war. He described how hospitals were being bombed and medical supplies were scarce, and it struck me that our government was still providing aid to some of the countries involved in the conflict. It's madness that we're giving money to regimes that are actively working against the interests of their own people.
I think about the patients I see in my surgery every day, people who are struggling to get by on limited incomes, and it angers me that our government is willing to send millions of pounds overseas to prop up dictators and authoritarian regimes. We need to take a long hard look at our foreign aid policy and start making some tough decisions about who we're supporting and why. It's not just about the money, it's about the message we're sending to the world.
What do you think?
Vote on individual policies, adapt them, or write your own alternative. Good ideas should be tested.