I Survived!

The chocolate was appalling; this morning was difficult; but I survived. I was able to get to work and the migraine was containable. Nevertheless, I hope never to do that again. There is something deeply upsetting to the stomach about too much chocolate!

Much more importantly, I survived the day. We had another Away Day. I have become cynical about such things, but this one was useful. We talked with more openness than we often do, and I found myself drawn into the discussions and into the reality of the difficulties that we had to confront. The truth is, each of us in Public Health has to make some pretty tough decisions. Many of us are trying to decide whether to leave Public Health completely. A considerable number of us have already decided to do so. I do not know a single medical public health colleague who is not looking for an alternative.

Is this what the Government intended? Did the Secretary of State really want to get rid of many public health professionals, and certainly the majority of medical public health people?

Sadly, I don’t know the answer. I really do not know what is in the mind of our lords and masters. What I do know is that public health is facing a crisis far more intense than any I have known. The question that I should so like an answer to is: do they know what they’re doing? Or is this just a terrible mistake? If they know, it is unforgiveable. If it is a mistake, it strikes me as a Greek tragedy. Either way, the next generation will be deprived of the NHS that we have known. And that is a tragedy.