Jealous + Cold

Ok.......to all out there, apologies from me too. I also neglected the blog, life got in the way, along with a few x-box games and the usual post-xmas slump. I'll echo the word of the good Doc though, in saying that I'll be making much more of an effort!

So, now back in the motherland, we're in the beginnings of the Irish springtime, its wet, mostly pretty cold and windy from time to time. Not at all like Oz.........its going to be interesting when Dr Thunder gets going though, and we can compare and contrast the differing healthcare systems.

Since the last run of posts, things have been fairly turbulent in the world of Irish healthcare.

We've had the embargo on hiring new staff to the service, with a few exceptions. This was supposed to finish in January, but apparently this hasn't happened across the board yet.

We've seen media reports of the health service needing to shave about €300 million off the budget inorder to get close to breaking even this year.

The nurses have been at it again..........the latest round of pay discussions about to kick off, following a governement sponsored report which gave pay increases to no-one apart from a lucky bunch of senior managers across the public sector, pharmacists and consultants are also getting in on the act, though, fingers crossed the consultants have gotten sorted.

And in the middle of all this we've had patients on waiting list for colonoscopies for months, dying in A&E departments while lying on trolleys, contracting MRSA and other hospital acquired infections in pretty overcrowded hospitals and generally making a nusisance by being sick and expecting a decent standard of healthcare services from their government. Some things never change!!

To hear me going on, you'd think it was all doom and gloom! But its not......no.....because, as luck might have it, Mary the health minister got to go to the Superbowl, and we all know how much of an American footy fan she is!

Seriously though, its not all bad. I've had, on a personal level a good couple of months. Wedding plans are proceeding nicely, and the missus hasn't gone mental with wedding stress yet, though I have a few rectal diazepam in a safe place for when it does happen. Work has been busy but good, lots of interesting stuff coming through the door, and not all in our normal speciality which has been cool, and I'm also starting to maybe get plans together for a US working excursion, so maybe in a year or so, your favourite nurse-blogger will be telling it like it is from the good ol US of A, cialis adverts and all.

Thats it for now, I'll be back at the weekend. i've something in mind for a post then,but until then feel free to comment or make requests!

Later