Judy Jones1 report on the continuing clamping down on the givers of
bad news is disappointing after the promises of the Labour party.
When I was interviewing staff for my book on this 'secret life' in the NHS
I found that managers' stories were very similar to those of consutants.2
(I met one senior manager who lost his job after agreeing to what a very
persistent minister was asking for, and told the truth.)
If doctors knew more about the distress of managers, perhaps together they
could try to change this destructive climate. Would Judy Jones like next
to write a paper about managers?
Peter Bruggen retired consultant psychiatrist
1 Jones Judy. The secret life of the NHS. BMJ 2000; 320: 1457-9.
2 Bruggen Peter. Who Cares? True stories of the NHS reforms. Charlbury, Oxfordshire: Jon Carpenter Publishing, 1997.
Rapid Response:
Secret life of NHS
Judy Jones1 report on the continuing clamping down on the givers of
bad news is disappointing after the promises of the Labour party.
When I was interviewing staff for my book on this 'secret life' in the NHS
I found that managers' stories were very similar to those of consutants.2
(I met one senior manager who lost his job after agreeing to what a very
persistent minister was asking for, and told the truth.)
If doctors knew more about the distress of managers, perhaps together they
could try to change this destructive climate. Would Judy Jones like next
to write a paper about managers?
Peter Bruggen
retired consultant psychiatrist
1 Jones Judy. The secret life of the NHS. BMJ 2000; 320: 1457-9.
2 Bruggen Peter. Who Cares? True stories of the NHS reforms. Charlbury, Oxfordshire: Jon Carpenter Publishing, 1997.
Competing interests: No competing interests