The Empty Truth of the Health Secretary's visit !

The University Hospital of North Staffordshire,
...  debt-ridden to the tune of £15.5 million 
...  & with plans to sack 1,000 staff
...  re-opened a eye theatre for the day 
...  which just happened to coincide with a visit from Patricia Hewitt, Health Secretary ........ !

Extra staff were drafted-in and machinery cleaned and made ready for use. Staff were reported to be 'furious' when news of the visit was revealed in an email from 'The Directorate Manager of Specialist Surgery' detailing an extra list of seven cataract operations and an extra loco-motor list (bone-related problems).

"For the first time in almost a year the theatre was used for eye operations ..... "

" ..... tomorrow, the next day, and for the foreseeable future, the eye theatre will be closed again."

Describing the idea that the extra work was designed to impress Miss Hewitt (and, least you get the wrong impression, she is a married lady) as 

"complete rubbish ..... "

a hospital spokesman was quoted as saying that .....

"..... we didn't want to show the minister an empty room ..... !"

during a promotional tour for the Government's programme to promote eye surgery.

Let's get this right: theatre opened for the day, extra staff drafted-in, extra patients wheeled-in on-cue, a 'photo-op' for the Minister; then everything closed down the next day ..... 
"Complete Rubbish" ........ RIGHT, of course it is ! [Ed.]

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