VIEWPOINT FOR 7 MAY 2009
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

Last week there was a well-deserved defeat for the Government over the decision about residence rights for Gurkhas who have served in our armed forces. 

Also last Thursday the House descended into farce. 
The Government climbed down over the Prime Minister’s proposal for the allowance for MPs to pay for their London accommodation to be based on their attendance at Westminster as the unsatisfactory nature of this arrangement in the European Parliament had been belatedly realised. 
So Ministers accepted a cross-party amendment that would appropriately, in my view, leave the question about all MPs’ expenses to the independent review that Mr Brown himself has ordered under Sir Christopher Kelly. 
Then inexplicably we proceeded to vote separately on each of these allowances that we had just agreed to leave to the independent review! How this was allowed within parliamentary procedure I am at a loss to know.
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This week the news broke that a foreign doctor employed by Take Care Now, the company providing out-of-hours care also in Worcestershire, killed a patient in Cambridgeshire from an overdose of Diamorphine. 
I believe this came out now because he has been sentenced amazingly leniently in Germany without consultation with the police or legal authorities in this country where the admitted offence took place. 

From the local point of view the exposure of this awful event in Cambridgeshire has prompted me to make sure that the large size Diamorphine ampoules, meant for the replenishment of syringe drivers for patients with chronic pain usually due to cancer, have been removed from the bags of emergency drugs carried by on-call doctors and that the offending doctor is no longer registered with the General Medical Council as fit to practise in the UK. 

I hope that the question of the assessment of foreign doctors, particularly from Europe, will now be addressed by the Care Quality Commission’s expected review of the case of this doctor.
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Yesterday I had a short adjournment debate on whistle blowing in the NHS. 
I requested this because of the apparent lack of staff whistle blowers in the Mid-Staffordshire NHS trust and the reasons for this that immediately became obvious when, at almost the same time, the punishment meted out to the whistle blower in Brighton was revealed. 
She was struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Register removing her future employment and earning prospects for ever. 

Whistle blowers’ policies must be more effective.
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I attended the Kidderminster Golf Club’s Centenary flag raising ceremony last Saturday and was delighted to hear how popular the Club is and how their members come from all age groups with emphasis on involving young people in this sport. 
Once enjoyed it can be continued into ripe old age by which time golfers have discovered that short shots down the middle are far better than exploring the surrounding woods, bunkers and water hazards with the gay abandon of youth.
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I also went to the Official Re-opening of Bewdley Museum after its extensive re-furbishment and development funded largely by the Lottery. 
I was bowled over by the extensive improvements that have been made to this unique establishment and hope it will have a record number of satisfied visitors this year.

R.T.

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