Focus Pocus

Bloggerinas,

How is it going? (I bet some of you said 'ok thanks' at the screen just then!)

The Focus Group was interesting...It was a bit of a bind filling up the car with oxygen and overnight stuff (in case we got the call)...but we trundled off.

There were about 15 people...most of them elderly. and we were asked about different aspects of the NHS in general and Heartlands Hospital in particular....

The postives took about 15 minutes....the negatives about an hour....

I didn't know where to start....The Health Care Assistants taking unable to read sinple medical intruments, me being given wrong drugs, doctors not speaking English.

Apparently it was all in aid of this Choose and Book system...whereby people choose what hospital they have their operations in...

The more people choose Heartlands, part of a 'Foundation Trust', the more cash it gets.

People will choose hospitals the way we now choose universities or holiday venues...

I read a story in Private Eye this week that the system is only a computer network as yet..and that is already in overdraft!

Hope your are all well?

My new home page is still taking shape.

Click on the link and enjoy! CLICK

While we are on the subject of websites my lovely ex Paula has a new one for her alternative therapy centres.... Take a look....(and see a pic of her too!) CLICK

On Friday we had a visit from H and I and their Spanish student Andy.

H was brought up with Dad as their mum's were best friends in the war (or something like that)...We went to the PG (surprise surprise) and had lunch.

Then I went to New Life (not somewhere to literally get a New Life but a clothing warehouse place where big name stored donate clothes and then the public buys them at knock-down prices for charity...)

On Saturday we went to Lichfield (saw Miss J at H & B) then to Cannock...I don't yet know when the first of my columns is going in the Express and Star so I am buying the Cannock edition every day.....

Well done to Emma today who was doing the Great North Run! I think I saw you...If you were wearing a yellow top and holding hands with another girl in yellow going through the start!

Off to write my 'Village News' bit for the Mercury now...ta ta!

*It is Jo+56 long-term Bloggites and day 539 for me on the transplant list....

PSL You have to laugh at all the fools who queued for hours to fill up their tanks only for prices to fall the next day! DOH!

Book: Gridlock by Ben Elton
Music: Nine black Alps, The Editors, Clor