I kept hoping that this was a terrible mistake, and that the story would be retracted. Alas, it seems to be be all too real, and an insult to the Hippocratic Oath.
From the Telegraph (UK)
An elderly woman was ordered to find a new GP because the “carbon footprint” of her two-mile round trips to the surgery where she had been treated for 30 years was too large.
Avril Mulcahy, 83, was told to address the “green travelling issues” over her journeys from her home in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, to the West Road Surgery.
The letter said: “Our greatest concern is for your health and convenience but also taking into consideration green travelling issues. Re: Carbon footprints and winter weather conditions, we feel it would be advisable for patients to register at surgeries nearer to where they live. We would be very grateful if you could make the necessary arrangements to re-register at another practice.”
…
“To be treated like this, just because I live too far away or for what I feel is a reaction to my complaint, is disgraceful. It feels like they are just coming up with an excuse to get rid of me.”
Given the treatment I have experienced for my views, I wouldnot be at all surprised if this grows. As Andrew Bolt says: “They really are mad you know…“
Yes indeedy, they really have gone that far down “barking” territory! There has been mention from “NooLabour” days that Drs would talk to their patients about their carbon footprint. I look forward to the record number of demnds for Drs to be struck off, for their incompetence regarding things outside their domain! As if!
And in Westcliff-on-Sea some nasty little jobsworth will be congratulating himself on having saved the planet today.
The NHS is the UK have always been looking for an excuse to do even less than they get paid to do. Now they have the ultimate excuse to do nothing at all.
As the comments on the Telegraph put it … after New Labour bought of this last closed-shop trade union by dolling £billions on them, most doctors drive flashy sports cars.
I believe all doctors now abide by the hypocritical oath!
They don’t take the Hippocratic Oath any more Anthony. I suspect they found it’s commonsense far too restrictive on their activist public health beliefs and ‘initiatives’.
No surprise really. The NHS is another taxpayer funded body which believes it’s own press, accountable only to politicians and civil servants who don’t have the competence to be able to hold it to account. From my bitter experience, I say privatise it, and give me the choice to spend my money with healthcare providers whose poor performance can be challenged by walking away from them.
It would be interesting to know how many patients live more than a mile (2-mile round-trip) from their GPs. Rather a lot I would have thought! [I’m OK, though (sick!), I’m in walking distance.]
The amazing thing about the uK health service, incidently like most things UK, is that they think they are the best in the world and can’t do any better. Oh and privatization, forget it. The british have been brainwashed into thinking that ‘free at source’ is the only possible ‘free’ health service.
Having an extensive knowledge of medical practice (practical & theoric), I’m quite sure it is the 2nd intuition that is the right explanation.
Most people think that medical professionnal are incapable of malice since after all, their purpose is to help & relief suffering… Well here some news, they are human like every one else & quite capable at abusing of their power on the weak & sick.
CO2 et al. is just an excuse, if the lady has made some form of complain, this is just the “normal” reaction.
Also, she has probably been told the usual response: “you should instead thank us…”
Sorry if my description seem depressing, but AFAIK this is the way of typical socialist medical practice we are used to endure up here.
At least we still have law here to allow access to our medical record. For those of you w/t little knowledge of medecine here is a good one: A reputed competent urologist has prescribed an antibiotic for an infection, but the available recent antibiogram, signed by a competent microbiologist, clearly stated that the offending bacteria was “resistant” to this perticular prescribed antibiotics, and no it was not sample contamination… Why not fill a complain? Because its the best way to loose that urologist & it can take a waiting of up to half a year or more to see another one. See what I mean…
Proof, if any were needed, that a socialist medical system is run for the benefit of the practitioners and not the patients. The rest of the world should take note.
Next time you call for an ambulance it may be turned down because it is a too far ride ?
I can hear the shocked conversation:
-” No way man, we can’t go there, think of the carbon footprint!”
BUILDING FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE IN SOUTH EAST ESSEX
Dr Beverley Davies was involved in the 5 year strategy which “is far reaching and sets out an ambitious programme to genuinely improve the health of the local population, to increase patient satisfaction,”
http://www.see.nhs.uk/content/file/BuildingHealthierCommunities/Building%20for%20the%20future%20in%20South%20East%20Essex%208%20Jan%2008.pdf
“We are a major local employer and we have a responsibility to improve the quality of the environment within which we all live and work, and to reduce the effects of climate change. To demonstrate our commitment a member of the PCT Board has agreed to take responsibility for leading on environmental sustainability. We are currently developing a corporate environmental strategy. This will include a number of performance indicators so we can assess how well we are doing.”
Odds are the knothead that made that decision was not a doctor or a nurse. Merely a bureaucrat.
For those commenting below the line, do not tar all doctors with the same brush. This is a case of exceptional idiocy by this GP Surgery. It seems the patient had complained against one of the doctors. The correct response would have been to address the complaint properly, not kick the patient off the list on spurious grounds. There are no targets or incentives for GPs to encourage their patients to reduce their carbon footprint.
In my experience, those patients with the lowest carbon footprints are the ones most at risk of suicide or serious medical illness. This is because they are at home all the time, lying in bed in a state of severe depression. An increase in their carbon footprint is to be actively encouraged.
As to those commenting on the NHS from the United States, bear in mind that it costs less per head of population than Medicare/ Medicaid/ VA, provides universal coverage free at the point of access, and ensures the working poor/ uninsurable do not fall into a poverty trap if they become ill.
DOI – London GP.
My GP is a ten mile round trip; followed by a further 6 miles to the nearest pharmacy. The next closest GP is a 22 mile round trip. We have public transport on a Thursday, leaving a 3/4 mile walk up a 1 in 6 hill to the surgery. I now have to go more often because the greenie arseholes removed the CFC’s from my salbutamol inhaler and the new CFC free ones are about as effective as a cat’s fart.
What about the carbon footprint of the GPs. I’m sure they would be driving very expensive sports cars…
And this is the model the twits in the current administration hold up as an example of what health care *should* look like.
C’mon, November…
I’d be willing to bet the Doctor lives more than 1 mile from the practice…
I suspect the Medical Ombudsman is going to be kept busy with this one.
I live a 7 mile round trip from my doctor, but he’s also the nearest one! Luckily I seem to be in good health and haven’t needed to go for 2 years. In fact the last time I went he mentioned, a tad surprised, that I hadn’t been for over 2 years. I replied that I’d been quite well, thank you!
It seems they have used this excuse to get her off their list for ‘complaining’. They get very tetchy, even if a complaint is valid.
Where does the Dr live in relation to his practice and what is his mode of travel. It may be that, by the same argument (carbon footprint) that the good doctor should move.
Umm…. What happened to WUWT scepticism and the spirit of enquiry? The newspaper report says:
“Our greatest concern is for your health and convenience but also taking into consideration green travelling issues. Re: Carbon footprints and winter weather conditions, we feel it would be advisable for patients to register at surgeries nearer to where they live. We would be very grateful if you could make the necessary arrangements to re-register at another practice.”
That doesn’t read as if ‘green’ issues are to the fore. It rather reads as if they are looking for excuses to suggest that she goes elsewhere. There is a very telling comment in the paper, which I reproduce below:
“Please, people, dont’ be so gullible. Doctors don’t make money if they don’t have patients (even NHS patients). No business is going to ask a customer to go elsewhere just because they’re worried about greenhouse emissions. I think you’ll find that the lady has told you why she was asked to find another doctor. It’s right there in the article, and it’s got nothing to do with how far she has to drive. I’m guessing that they don’t want her business any more (for some reason). She’s not going to spell that out, and the surgery CAN’T spell it out (pretty much by law).”
I suggest that a bit more journalism needs to be done here, and this item (like many of the tree-rings papers) is interesting because of data it doesn’t contain….
Not necessarily unusual to ask a patient to visit a different clinic if they are too busy or there are other legitimate concerns. The “carbon footprint” excuse, though, seems to suggest that this poor individual came up against a Greenie. I suppose we will see more of that sort of strange behaviour in the future.
I nominate this for climate craziness of the week.
I hope Warmists are now proud of themselves. This insanity has to stop over man’s trace rise of the trace gas co2. On the other hand (give ’em rope)…. 😉
There are so many Carbon blinded jobsworths in the UK [many in the UK coalition government]
that it will be years before the waste of money Green Garbage Bandwagon finally shudders to its demise.
It should be happening today. Our grand kids are going to hate us for being so dumb!
83 years old Avril’s GP needs his/her lobotomy reversing.
I wonder how many GPs live more than a mile from their practices. Especially where those practices/health centres have many doctors based there. At my own local Health Centre, there are ten doctors and five nurses.