07.28.07
It just goes on (and on)
The PCT continues to be reorganised; this is pretty much the longest period of sustained change I have witnessed in my 20 odd years of NHS service and to my mind the fall out continues. Every week now, I hear of people taking early retirement or leaving to go to a new job, colleagues are wondering if a job in M&S or Waitrose (this is an upmarket supermarket and they are upmarket people) would be a viable and more pleasant alternative to nursing or nursing management I(and they are only half joking). Morale in the provider arm of the PCT seems to have dipped so low it can now barely be seen. Managers have had their power and authority removed, and can no longer sign off invoices, the decision for recruitment rests at the highest level and staff not surprisingly are leaving. What then does the PCT do? It decides to employ some external consultants of course and those consultants will we working on change management with staff (give me strength!) plus there is to be a programme of culture change (whatever that will involve!). The higher management tell us they want to listen to us, they tell us they value us, but I wonder what your average nurse, doctor or indeed manager will be saying as they read the latest email telling them of change management consultants and culture change when staff are exhausted beyond belief and morale no longer exists.
Having said all of the above, I am actually ‘all right jack’. I am working for the commissioning part of the PCT and most of the current changes are about the provider part. I guess this doesn’t prevent me having to have my culture changed, and having to watch as others have to go through the uncertainty that I have been through myself during the CaPLNHS process but I do consider that I have had a lucky escape because quite honestly my sanity is beginning to suffer from all of this!
