Trust in the future?

In the fictional (so far) NHS portrayed by Wendy Lee in Radio 4's satire, “Trust,” surgical directorate managers bid at auction for patients. The manager of the surgical directorate of the Bottomley Memorial Hospital is a used car salesman, Mike Blunt, appointed to the job by his uncle Nigel, who also happens to be the trust's chief executive. Those of us who have conact with hospital managers will take delight in Keith Allen's wickedly over-the-top portrayal of Mike Blunt.

Mike Blunt's priorities are simple: he wants to make money, float his hospital on the stock market, and pioneer “bargain basement surgery.” Scruples are something that Mike would tell someone to wipe off their shoes before entering his showroom, and he has no qualms about bugging staff …