Early in the morning, just as day is dawning.

I have to admit to feeling a little let down today.

You see today is the day when the discussions of the Heath Service become part of the ‘Big Conversation’, oh hang on, they changed the name didn’t they, it’s the ‘comrades junkets’.. no wait, citizens…erhhh… citizens’ juries, that’s the one, the citizens’ juries.

Now I have been waiting like a coiled spring in anticipation of our daily postal delivery (CWU permitting) for the last few weeks. Every morning I can hear our rusty gate being shoved open followed by the squeak of our letterbox and the reassuring thud of envelopes hitting the door mat. I have been quickly flicking through the delivery, bill, bill, Congratulations Mr Groindal you have won…,bill, To the occupier.., bill. But no invitation to become a juror to help our government to improve the NHS.

This is odd because I have tried to become involved.

I have written, on several occasions, to the CEO of our local Primary Care Trust to offer my views on the proposals to hack and slash our local Acute Hospitals (CCHQ were spot on regarding the situation in West Sussex!).

I have posted here or written letters about the ishoos with the various computer systems, the imposition of enforced diversity training, the disparity in pay expenditure between England and the celtic colonies, the debacle that is the Pay and Training Structure, the cost and use of management consultants, the wisdom of chucking money at an unreformed service and wondering why productivity is shot to pieces, why an Independent management board for the service as a whole might be a good idea and the fact that both clinical and non clinical staff work bloody hard and just want to be left alone to get on with the job, hopefully without having their income shrink as a result of sub inflation pay rises. And if we are really lucky without being used as a propaganda tool for the cycloptic one or his Orcs or having decisions about service cuts determined by ‘political heat maps’. Cui Bono? - quite!

So I really would have liked to have the chance to have a chat and offer some constructive criticism and possibly a few ideas on how to improve things.

Now I know in political terms that I am not in total accord with our Master on a few isolated issues but as this is the era of a ‘new kind of politics’ I would have hoped that the hand of friendship would have been extended. Perhaps if I had jumped up and down a lot and made comments about commonly used slang in Military circles I might have had an opportunity to get involved in the discussion.

I’m probably being unfair and the letter is actually on its way. Perhaps I will set the alarm for 04.30hrs again tomorrow and sit on the stairs in a state of nervous anticipation, gazing at the front door, awaiting the familiar sounds of the shove, squeak and thud.