This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/may/21/hunt-wards-off-hospital-attack

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Hunt wards off hospital attacks with Möbius strip logic Hunt wards off hospital attacks with Möbius strip logic
(about 1 hour later)
Poor Jeremy Hunt. The health secretary always resembles a young man taking part in a school debating contest who fantasises that he is a really important government minister, running a crucial department. Then he wakes up and realises that he is! It must be terrifying.Poor Jeremy Hunt. The health secretary always resembles a young man taking part in a school debating contest who fantasises that he is a really important government minister, running a crucial department. Then he wakes up and realises that he is! It must be terrifying.
On Tuesday he was dragged to the chamber to talk about the crisis in A&E. His figures showed that the situation was getting better. Doctors' figures, used by Labour, suggested it was getting worse. All of which reminds us – you can never, ever believe any statistics about the NHS. They are all massaged as thoroughly as a Japanese Kobe bull the day before it's slaughtered.On Tuesday he was dragged to the chamber to talk about the crisis in A&E. His figures showed that the situation was getting better. Doctors' figures, used by Labour, suggested it was getting worse. All of which reminds us – you can never, ever believe any statistics about the NHS. They are all massaged as thoroughly as a Japanese Kobe bull the day before it's slaughtered.
Mr Hunt, with his piping voice and eager expression, decided to blame Labour. There was a surprise! It was all their fault for making it easy for GPs to avoid out-of-hours work. And to be fair there is some truth in this. The former Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt saw her job as giving the medical profession everything it asked for, and then some. For GPs, she filled a dumper-truck with money, pulled the unload lever, and told the doctors to say when. Mr Hunt, with his piping voice and eager expression, decided to blame Labour. There was a surprise! It was all their fault for making it easy for GPs to avoid out-of-hours work. And to be fair there is some truth in this.
On the other hand, the coalition has had three years to do something. And the NHS Direct 111 service, which puts you in touch with people who have a smidgeon of medical knowledge – "neither confident nor competent" in Frank Dobson's words – and who, I'm told, sound as if they would be happier offering you cut-price double glazing. For that reason, their default position is to say something on the lines of: "Oh, I dunno, why don't you just go to A&E?" where the patient will be lucky to wait for less than four hours. The former Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt saw her job as giving the medical profession everything it asked for, and then some. For GPs, she filled a dumper-truck with money, pulled the unload lever, and told the doctors to say when.
Andy Burnham, the Labour spokesman, was in a fine froth. "We asked him to get a grip, and his only response was to tour the TV studios blaming it on the 2004 GPs' contract!" On the other hand, the coalition has had three years to do something. And the NHS Direct 111 service, which puts you in touch with people who have a smidgeon of medical knowledge – "neither confident nor competent" in Frank Dobson's words – and who, I'm told, sound as if they would be happier offering you cut-price double glazing. For that reason, their default position is to say something on the lines of: "Oh, I dunno, why don't you just go to A&E?" Where the patient will be lucky to wait for less than four hours.
Andy Burnham, the Labour spokesman, was in a fine froth. "We asked him to get a grip, and his only response was to tour the TV studios blaming it on the 2004 GPs' contract!
"Cut the spin and get a grip!" he added, thoughtfully."Cut the spin and get a grip!" he added, thoughtfully.
Mr Hunt said that the 111 service had had teething problems. Labour MPs jeered happily at that. You could argue that, in the same way, someone who's been smashed in the mouth with a baseball bat also had problems with his teeth. Mr Hunt said the 111 service had had teething problems. Labour MPs jeered happily at that. You could argue that, in the same way, someone who's been smashed in the mouth with a baseball bat also had problems with his teeth.
The secretary of state produced a sort of logical Möbius strip, turned in on itself. After listening to the Labour party complaining for the best part of an hour about the collapse in after-hours care, he announced: "The party opposite have their heads in the sand about the lack of patient confidence in after-hours care.The secretary of state produced a sort of logical Möbius strip, turned in on itself. After listening to the Labour party complaining for the best part of an hour about the collapse in after-hours care, he announced: "The party opposite have their heads in the sand about the lack of patient confidence in after-hours care.
"We are going to sort out that problem, and if they don't want us to, they will just have to watch while we do it!""We are going to sort out that problem, and if they don't want us to, they will just have to watch while we do it!"
Or perhaps his inspiration was the artist MC Escher: all those people trudging endlessly uphill, never descending, never arriving.Or perhaps his inspiration was the artist MC Escher: all those people trudging endlessly uphill, never descending, never arriving.
Oh, and Mr Hunt pulled the old trick of accusing the opposition of failing to pay tribute to the marvellous work done by NHS staff. This is the last refuge of the cornered school debater, and it was used lavishly by Labour when they were in power. No, Mr Hunt, no one doubts their hard work or their commitment. It's you and your government they blame. Oh, and Mr Hunt pulled the old trick of accusing the opposition of failing to pay tribute to the marvellous work done by NHS staff. This is the last refuge of the cornered school debater, and it was used lavishly by Labour when they were in power.
No, Mr Hunt, no one doubts their hard work or their commitment. It's you and your government they blame.