Is the Secretary of State insane?

Battle of Stalingrad

I do not know if Patricia Hewitt is kind to animals.

Adolf Hitler, a well-known German vegetarian and Führer, was very kind to animals. I have been having one of those silly, late night, “should not have had that last glass of wine" arguments with Wat Tyler. He maintains here that the best analogy for the current state of the NHS is the Battle of Stalingrad.

As always with Wat’s arguments, even the late night ones, it has much merit. But I think he is wrong. The better analogy, if we are to take one from World War II, is to be drawn from Hitler’s last days in the bunker.

Last week, I watched an excellent German film called Downfall. It gave a not unsympathetic portrayal of Hitler. This is not to say that the film was in any way an apologia. Far from it. The occasional flashes of humanity that he showed, his gentle and friendly treatment of his secretary, his courtship of and marriage to Eva Braun and, yes, his love of animals served only to emphasise the evil within the man.

Downfall

The beleaguered Führer’s behaviour was suggestive of manic depressive psychosis. He issued orders to deploy battalions that did not exist. He decided to execute one of his generals but then changed his mind and instead promoted him. He blamed his own SS. He blamed the ordinary soldiers for not fighting and was prepared to sacrifice them all. Finally he condemned the German people themselves. Between rages, he continued to court Eva Braun and, as has often been said, he was indeed kind to animals.

It was particularly significant that, having shot a few generals, the Führer turned his attention first to the soldiers and then, finally, to the people.

The blessed Patricia has just shot Sir Nigel (elevation to the House of Lords) and is now turning her attention to the soldiers.

The on-line Telegraph reports here today that Hewitt is blaming the doctors for the failure of the NHS. The Health Secretary said part of the problem facing the health service was "clinical resistance" to change.

It’s all out fault. But what have we done wrong?

The GPs were set targets. They worked hard. They achieved those targets, indeed sometimes exceeded them.

And the hospital consultants? The blessed Patricia had been listening to the golf-playing, A+ merit award, white Anglo-Saxon slime balls who have her ear. She thinks all consultants behave as they do.

So she got the time-and-motion men in. Keep a note of what these lazy sods do. We will pay them for hours worked. Not a penny more. The problem is, Patricia, that ninety-eight per cent of doctors are hard working, conscientious people who are committed to patient care. Yes, they can be difficult. Yes, they are independent of nature. Yes, they resent being told what to do by people who do not have medical qualifications.

Mrs Crippen logged her work for a month, signed the new contract, and received an immediate £18,000 pay rise.

The reason the pay bill has gone up, Patricia, is because of your cynicism. Because of your lack of understanding. Because of your assumption that all doctors are lazy. Because you judged the behaviour of all doctors by the behaviour of the rotten apples in the barrel. You should change your advisors.

Only last week, The Times suggested that the blessed Patricia is mentally ill.

Ann Treneman said :

PATRICIA HEWITT is suffering from a medical condition in which she says the opposite of what is true. Those close to the Health Secretary accept this and have learnt to cope. So when Pat says “the sun is shining” they know that, in fact, it is bucketing down and to take an umbrella.

Dr Crippen does not have a definite psychiatric diagnosis for the Secretary of State, but would be interested to receive suggestions. There is much about her behaviour, in terms of denial and loss of touch with reality, that would make a psychiatrist sit up and take interest.

Hitler’s bunker? The siege of Stalingrad? Who knows which is the better analogy? For a detailed commentary and a perhaps more telling analogy for Hewitt’s behaviour, look here.

So what is the beleaguered Patricia going to do now? She is going to do what she always does. She is going to introduce more targets, more measurements, and more boxes to be be ticked.

Tomorrow, a Government watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, will announce a two-tier rating system that will see hospitals given separate scores for clinical care and management of resources.

And what happens, Patricia, when you find out that all the hospitals providing good care are short of cash?

Who will you shoot then? You have shot the general. You are going to shoot the doctors. That only leaves the patients, Patricia.

Are you going to shoot them too?