Thursday 8 September 2011

Filming in courts; news from Pembrokeshire, and public health priorities

Yesterday's recommendations to film inside UK courts didn't go unnoticed by Caebrwyn, who feels yet again that there is no excuse not to allow the filming of local Councils. I would have thought that filming court proceedings, even if it just the judges remarks/sentencing, would involve a fair degree of caution, not least of all the risks of sensationalism and theatricals - definitely not something which should worry most local Welsh Councils.

Following on from 'Pembrokeshire Council Slated', our neighbouring Authority are in the news again with the Chief Executive surviving a Vote of No Confidence on Monday (the point being that they actually held one) and yesterday's news that the Wales Audit Office are launching a 'special investigation';
'The WAO said the weaknesses highlighted were particularly in the areas of leadership, political oversight, management and human resource management.
It said the failures were of such a scale and significance that there was a risk the council was failing to comply with legal requirements. The WAO said it would complete its inspection by the end of the year as "a matter of urgency". (BBC Wales)

When they've finished in Pembrokeshire, can I suggest they pop over the border to Carmarthenshire? Also as a matter of urgency?

I see that Public Health Wales are offering a 'free' 'Health Walk Leader' training day to various health workers, charity leaders etc etc. Nothing wrong with a good brisk walk of course and I am sure the sentiment is well intentioned, although whether we need 'Leaders' is debatable, and of course it is not exactly free, it is funded through health resources.
This 'offer' also found it's way to a retired GP who, after a recent experience at Prince Phillip hospital in Llanelli, clearly felt strongly that resources could be better prioritised;

"I was admitted to the Clinical Decision Unit at Prince Phillip Hospital with atypical chest pain last Friday at 4pm. After 4 hours I saw a junior doctor: and after 7 hours, a registrar (after announcing that I would discharge myself at 11pm), being in the fortunate position to read my ecg tracing. I am not dead yet, and tomorrow never comes. I took off my monitor several times to go to the toilet and the monitor bleeped, no-one appeared to be the slightest bit interested. A consultant did a ward round at 6pm, I was not presented to him. I might have had a coronary thrombosis, or another serious cause of chest pain, dissecting aneurysm, pulmonary embolus etc------which is why I was there.
Then consider walking therapy, join the ramblers!! at no cost to the NHS

WHAT A LOAD OF B------T THIS IS WHEN THE MOST BASIC OF SERVICES LANGUISH FOR LACK OF INTEREST!"

1 comment:

Cneifiwr said...

Pembrokeshire is so far performing exactly as you would expect any public body to behave in modern Britain. Nobody has been sacked, and only one person (the chair of the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee) has resigned - not because of anything he did or did not do, but because of "family commitments". The Independents all rallied behind the chief executive to save his job.

You may have also noticed today that the case of Baha Mousa, the Iraqi hotel worker beaten to death while in the custody of British troops, has again been in the news. The only person to emerge from this with any credit was the corporal who admitted to taking part in the savage beatings of Baha Mousa and other civilians. He was jailed for a year. Everyone else, including their officers, was found not guilty. And that's official.

Will The Sun/Mail/Express etc. use the phrase "our boys" if they get round to reporting on this?