Sarah Kuteh loses Appeal

I'm sorry to relate that Sister Sarah Kuteh has lost her appeal in the case of her discharge from the Darent Valley Hospital in Kent, see here for background: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2016/12/nurse-sacked-for-praying.html. After her dismissal in 2016 Mrs Kuteh appealed through the NHS trust system and then initiated a lawsuit. The court heard that the intensive care sister endured numerous complaints about her "religious preaching". One patient described her behaviour as being "like a Monty Python skit". Despite the fact that with full training and over fifteen years of experience, she should have been an invaluable member of the hospital personnel, she was sacked. I can't help wondering if she wasn't a Christian, would this aversion be reduced? I recall from my own service that there is a wide variety of religious opinions, including non-belief, in the NHS. Some people liked to speak openly about their faith and others were more private. This sometimes included discussions with patients. I myself had some amazing conversations with patients about all kinds of subjects. The complaints made against Sister Kuteh do not appear to be that serious. The worst thing anybody said is that her actions were "very bizarre". Not "harmful" or "abusive"; just "bizarre". That doesn't sound too bad to me. What's more, the statement: "She spent more time talking about religion than doing the assessment" is mere hyperbole. How long did she spend on each? Did you time it? Give it to me in hours and minutes otherwise it is meaningless and should not be submitted as evidence. In her defence, Mrs Kuteh brought up human rights laws about religion that I discuss in the background links below. Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7053709/NHS-nurse-offered-Bible-cancer-patient-LOSES-unfair-dismissal-appeal-tribunal.html. Actually, even if the court correctly interpreted the Nursing and Midwifery Council regulations, the point hanging over this whole matter is that the NHS is incredibly selective in what it chooses to react against. My own case was similar to Sister Kuteh's except that it involved behaviour off duty, yet I was spat out with all the urgency of a mouthful of hot lava. At the same time, the health services shrug their shoulders at far more serious matters, such as appallingly low standards of performance and conduct from operatives. As I said before, my advice to anybody in the NHS is: DO NOT be good at your job. That is unless you want a very short career. Not only will they fail to respect you, they will hate you for it.

See here for background: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/discrimination-against-christians-2.html.

And: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/oxford-bans-christmas.html.

And: http://hpanwo-tv.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/andrew-copson-at-greenwich-sitp.html.

And: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/council-prayers-banned.html.

Peter Mayhew Dies

I'm very sorry to report that the great hospital porter Peter Mayhew has passed away. The enormous seven-foot-three-inch actor was the man inside Chewbacca, the giant "wookie" alien in the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith in the prequel trilogy and The Force Awakens from the new trilogy. He was also acted as an assistant to Joonas Viljami Suotamo, the actor who played Chewbacca in The Last Jedi. By then ill health meant he couldn't don the furry suit himself for that final epic. His co-stars Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, as well as the director George Lucas, are very sad at their loss and paid tribute to Mayhew, saying that he was as warm and loving as his character. When he was portering at Kings College Hospital in London they had no uniform in stock to cover his huge frame and he had to wear a special suit. A ward sister from Kings Tweeted: "Star Wars colleagues talk about sweet-nature of Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) who's just died. In 70's I was a ward sister at Kings College and remember the giant porter who was gentle and kind to our patients. I also recall wonderment on their faces as Peter arrived with a wheelchair!" Source: https://twitter.com/JennyDarnley/status/1124219985335848960. Other NHS veterans, as well as actors, have sent their respects. He wanted to be an actor, and appeared briefly in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, but thought that his career would be limited by his significant stature. How wrong he was! Peter Mayhew, On Eternal Nightshift. Rest in Peace, Brother Porter.

St Theo's Day 2019 Fliers

The fliers for this year's St Theo's Day are finished. Pretty soon I shall print and distribute them. This year, as with last year, I have produced two different fliers, one for the Oxfordshire hospitals on my doorstep; and another to be distributed to other institutions around the country. I will send the second national flier by post, addressed to the porters in those institutions. Apologies for the long delay between St Theo's Day 2019 and the St Theo's Day 2019 official get-together. This is due to staff availability.

St Theo's Flyer 2019 (N... by on Scribd

St Theo's Flyer 2019 (JR) by on Scribd

Irish Healthcare Abortion Rebels

See here for essential background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2018/05/irish-pro-abortion-victory.html.  

Did they really think it would be so easy? Ireland recently lifted the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution allowing terminations of pregnancy. However, despite the likes of Peter Sutherland and George Soros rubbing their hands together with glee and thinking that the job was done, they did not count on that famous Irish warrior spirit. Several hundred nurses and midwives have petitioned the Irish health minister Simon Harris to open talks on provisions for conscientious objectors to the new abortion legislation. They are led by a Mary Fitzgibbon. They even demand the right not to deal with termination patients at all in any way, including referrals to complicit colleagues, see: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/abortion-legislation-nurses-petition-harris-on-opt-out-1.3712239. I really don't see how they can force healthcare professionals to perform abortions against their will. They are already in trouble for carrying out disciplinary action against a serviceman in County Mayo who dared to speak publicly about his opposition to legalizing infanticide, see: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/hospital-worker-faces-disciplinary-action-after-speaking-out-against-abortion-in-online-video-37744645.html. I have a feeling that this brave individual is a porter. I can tell because the media always uses the words "employee" or "member of staff" when referring to hospital porters. I salute my EP&DBP in Ireland! I can sympathize with him even more because I know how it feels to be a healthcare prisoner of conscience, see: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-year-on.html. Terminations in the United Kingdom have been legal since 1967 and they are performed at my hospital, the John Radcliffe in Oxford, but I was never involved with that myself. Quite the opposite, for nine years of my twenty-three year career I served in the delivery suite in maternity. Abortions were done in the gynaecology centre which was close to maternity, but the departments were kept strictly apart. I am very proud of my Irish colleagues, both portering and civilian, for their courageous stance. Who knows how many people in the future might owe their lives to these heroes of healthcare. The struggle has become much more intense recently, and not just in Ireland. In the United States of America, the abortion regulations have been horrifically eased, especially for third trimester terminations, see: https://www.humancoalition.org/2019/02/01/new-york-is-celebrating-abortion-up-to-birth/.

See here for more information: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2016/12/nurse-sacked-for-praying.html.

And: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2016/08/nhs-whistblower-branded-too-honest.html.

Social Media and the NHS

My "agent on the inside" has sent me the interesting and disturbing image you see above from my old hospital. It is particularly disturbing when you consider my own fate, see: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-year-on.html. In just the seven years since my discharge the culture online and its relationship to "meatspace" has changed beyond all recognition. What was done to me in happier times has now become normal practice and there are countless other examples. A slip of the finger on your keyboard can literally destroy your life. Even prominent celebrities can be blacklisted if they commit the most minor or inadvertent contraventions of the mainstream conventional mindset, for instance see: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2017/07/richard-dawkins-banned-again.html. The John Radcliffe's management has decided to warn staff about this peril. It is strange that the poster advises staff on how to remain safe, yet its tone assumes that the ethos behind the peril is perfectly legitimate and just. Points 1 and 3 are obvious; these are part of the standard NHS policy on confidentiality. This states that everything that happens while on duty relating to patients and people are top secret and cannot be divulged with anybody who does not have a need-to-know... Yes, if there was a UFO crash in the ambulance bay I promise I would not breathe a word... Well, maybe I'd say just a few words. What does Point 2 mean? "Positive" can have many definitions, but the poster does not clarify them. As for Point 4, what do we need to be protected from? Are there pixels coming out of the monitor that are armed and dangerous? We see here another vague insinuation without explanation. It's as if they're hinting at something that they don't want to state openly. Point 5 is saying that we should not be allowed to say anything about our job at all anywhere? In that case shouldn't Dr Evan Harris be sacked? I do not vote Lib-Dem so would "not feel comfortable" with one of them treating me. You see how ridiculous that is? Point 6 is just a general innuendo of insecurity and guilt. This is the Orwellian world we live in where post-modern allusions are considered official instructions. If I were still in portering and I read that notice I would not feel in any way protected or enlightened about what my rights and obligations were on social media as an NHS serviceman. Maybe that's the way it is meant to be. There is a scene in the dystopian science fiction TV series Blakes 7 where the heroes are incarcerated aboard a prison spaceship. The warder tells them: "There are other rules, but you'll find out what they are when you break them.", see: https://youtu.be/vpqQPKjs27o?t=240.

See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2016/05/is-ken-livingstone-nazi.html.

And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2014/05/andy-nowicki-thought-criminal.html.

And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2015/05/twitter-joke-trial.html.

And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2013/11/school-calls-8-year-olds-racist.html.

Porters- First Series

I have now watched the other two episodes of the pilot series of Porters. See here for essential background: http://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2018/10/porters-returns-to-dave.html. I originally only saw Episode 3, but I've watched 1 and 2 now. I can't add much to what I said in the background link. My continued viewing of the series has not changed my mind very much. I cringed slightly at the dynamic between Simon and Lucy a few times, simply because it is so true to life; and, without going into details right now if you don't mind, I have experienced something like it myself. I have even had some of the "nightshift dreams" that he enjoyed... or endured. That wasn't the only aspect of the programme that struck a chord with me. I was halfway through Episode 1 when I realized something about Tillman. He is me...! I mean it. He is my alter ego in a parallel universe, thirty years from now, if I had stayed in hospital portering. I would have become the same crazy old man that he is, whacking people with golf balls and kidnapping suicidal patients to torture them. There is some excellent satire in the series, primarily in Episode 3 relating to soft kill bureaucracy and the Big Brother State, see here for more details: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2016/10/hypernormalisation.html. However humour is always the best solution to evil and the irrepressible Frankie finds a funny way to fool the system. All three episodes of Porters- Series 1 can be watched here: https://uktvplay.uktv.co.uk/shows/porters/watch-online. I look forward very much to the second series. Production has begun on it, see: https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/3181/porters_series_2_cast/. Most of the Series 1 cast will return, but they're not yet sure about Rutger Hauer. I hope he does come back. It wouldn't be the same without him.

See here for more information: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2013/08/portering-hits-hollywood.html.

Porters Returns to Dave

Porters is a situation comedy on the Dave TV station. I have mixed feelings about it, which is strange considering my very stark and inflexible condemnation of how hospital portering is usually portrayed in the media, see: http://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2016/12/hospital-porters-in-media.html. Many of the criticisms applied to those other examples also apply to Porters, for example the central character is a wannabe doctor and is on a quest to steal valour from them. However the light-heartedness of the tone neutralizes the poison somewhat. There are also some positive portrayals too. What's more it is at times extremely funny and perceptive. I can tell that the production team have researched the subject, although I've only watched one episode so far. Some of the jokes are very dark, which is typical of hospital culture. The acting is first rate and the characterization well developed. It has a powerful supporting cast that includes Tanya Franks and Susan Wokoma. Rutger Hauer is a very famous a cinema actor, but he transfers well to the small screen to take the role of the senior patriarch, a classic figure in any lodge. After a successful pilot series of three episodes, Porters is returning for a full five episode season, see: https://dave.uktv.co.uk/shows/porters/ and: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6937242/. I'm glad. I will look forward to it and I hope readers, both portering and civilian, will enjoy it.

See here for more information: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2013/08/portering-hits-hollywood.html.