Wow, it's been over a month since I last posted!
Well I wasn't supposed to leave it that long, but never mind, I'm here now!
Well I'm back in the UK. Malawi was AMAZING! I can't believe it's already been a month since I'm back. Still can't get used to the cold, the way water is available straight out of a tap, no one greets you in the streets, driving is a relatively risk free activity (as is being a pedestrian/cyclist!)
The flight back was relatively entertaining (afterwards of course!) Got delayed in Joberg due to mechanical fault on plane, which meant that AFTER sitting on the plane going nowhere fast for 4.5 hours, the captain let us off to the nearest airport hotel for 2 hours sleep in relative comfort before having to be back at the airport to check in again at 6am! All this meant I was delayed by 12 hours, but luckily since Loughborough is on a mainline rail track, there was a train out of London to home at 10pm!
Well now I'm in Liverpool, home of the mighty Reds (who just sold Torres to Chelsea - traitor! Grrr!) I start my diploma in tropical medicine on Monday, so have a weekend to settle in. The flat is nice as student accommodation goes, but for a postgrad who's been out of uni for 3 years it's weird being back amongst students! Seem to have the flat to self at the moment anyway, which is cool.
I had interviews at both Yorkshire/Humberside deanery, and West Midlands deanery for surgical training posts starting in August, will find out at the end of this month if I get to have a surgical career in the NHS - big prayers please! :-)
If I don't get a job then I'm highly tempted to emigrate to New Zealand where they actually appreciate young surgical doctors and give them jobs. I imagine it's going to be even harder now to get jobs as doctors in the NHS due to the government screwing with us, but look on the bright side, at least we have free healthcare to offer the peasants, even if it does cost us in taxes. I love the NHS and what it's done for this country, but it's increasingly difficult to stay positive with all the changes at the moment. Take me now while I'm still young and enthusiastic NHS, there aren't many like me, I don't grumble about my work, I love it and wouldn't change it for the world, even if I end up working over my regulated 48 hours a week for free. This is what we do - we heal, and care, and no government should want to put boundaries and hurdles in place to prevent us from doing that!
As for putting GP's in charge of the money - idealistic is the word you're looking for. Yes a good idea, in principle, but if the GP's are in charge of the money, when the hell do they get the time to do their primary job and care for their patients?! The PCT jobs of managing the money, handing it out in relevant proportions to the GP's is a FULL TIME job, as is caring for the patients. So Mr Cameron, you're going to give TWO full time jobs to ONE person (and probably not give them any increase in pay)?! I thought you wanted to CUT DOWN on clinical errors?!
Meh! Rant over!
Looking forward to finding a new church this Sunday :-) Praise God, for He alone is worthy, and He alone has a plan for my future, a plan to prosper, and not to harm. AMEN!
H x
