Reality check

While loitering in the media suite at the NHS Confederation's annual conference and exhibition in Manchester last week, I read an article that made me jump out of my seat in shock. Reality TV, it seems, has reached a new low in the USA (and I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually reached these shores): ‘Celebrity Rehab’.
Yes, it is exactly what it says on the tin. The ‘entertainment show’ takes drug-addicted celebrities and films them 24/7 throughout their treatment and ‘inspirational journey’.
I am positive that I am not the only person on the planet who finds this both shocking and slightly disturbing.
How is it that such a television programme can be labled as ‘entertainment’?
Having had first hand experience of someone in the throes of addiction, I can assure you, it is not a form of entertainment. Ever.
Addiction in itself is a worrying and at times, debilitating, illness. However, the rehab stage is just as bad.
I can’t quite comprehend just how this has been able to be shown on US television.
My worry is not only for the addict, who is no doubt going through the most physically and mentally trying time of their entire life, but also for the families of these celebrities who watch the suffering and struggle of their loved ones through the eyes and ears of the media.
This is Big Brother with a much more sadistic and cruel twist.
Television, and the media in general, should not glorify addiction, nor its healing processes. It is an arduous struggle that can go well for the patient, or horribly wrong, but programmes such as this may suggest that addiction can be easily cured when in fact, the reality is much different.
The patient and family live in a continual state of equilibrium that brings with it societal, economical and mental health issues for the patient.
Not only can the process be expensive, but there are often long waiting lists and many clinical and psychological assessments to be carried out before the residential rehabilitation even begins—not everyone can afford rehab (if needed) at the push of a button.
Oh, and did I mention who one of the celebrities is? Rodney King. Yes, that Rodney King.
Only in America.

The Future of Nursing.

As part of my incredibly interesting work experience at Health Service Journal, and I’m not being sarcastic, I attended ‘The Future of Nursing’ conference today.

It was actually fairly interesting, with a lot of big-wig types from the industry making presentations about the challenge of nursing, the opportunities it offers and the need to develop educational resources for example.

And then there was David Cameron…

In his address to the conference, Mr. Cameron asserted that the Conservatives would be making the NHS a political priority.

Nurses are the NHS he said, and if the government can get nursing right, then they will get the NHS right.

Healthcare in Britain is constantly changing and nurses play a huge part in every aspect of that change

Cameron said he believed that past governments have tended to approach the NHS like a machine, thinking that it can be reorganized without consideration for the people.

The conservatives will pledge “no more pointless reorganizations. No more restructuring at the expense of the people who work in the system.”

Currently, there is disillusionment with target culture which is endemic within the NHS, he said. Healthcare workers should focus on patients and not on government targets

Despite this, Mr. Cameron also said that he wants the NHS to exceed European averages in survival and recovery rates. Surely this is a political target, even though he said that he wants to take the politics out of the day-to-day running of the NHS?

Cameron also had some interesting things to say about employment in the nursing field, which can be seen at BBC online.

So to conclude, today was fairly interesting. David Cameron is a good public speaker and really engaged my attention. He was also wearing a nice tie. It was green.