A poem about the NHS

[robpage]

Written by Jay Hambleton.

Waiting in corridors, people sick in a bed
Some not so poorly, some look half dead
Doctors and Nurses all rushed off their feet
Clocking more miles than a professional athlete

Angry guy at reception, thinks he's fractured his arm
Screaming "get me seen now and then I'll keep calm"
"The staff are all busy" Is the receptionists answer
"Trying to save a man's life who's dying from cancer"

The girl who's hungover after way too much wine
Could of just slept it off and you would of been fine
But you came to emergency as you felt you were dying
Now the really ill wait for the bed you're occupying

People's tempers are fraying, after hours of waiting
Patients slagging of staff, who can hear all the slating
But they turn a deaf ear, as they have work to do
Carry on with a smile as they look after you

A mother says they should hang their heads in shame
For the wait she's endured, but who's really to blame?
On his own in the street, when your kid took a fall
But' we'll patch up your child and we won't judge at all

Your name gets called up and you're finally seen
Yet you carry on moaning about how long it's been
The nurse says she's sorry, all watery eyed
She was comforting a parent whose child had just died

Some folk are there, through no fault of their own
They've fell down the strairs or broken a bone
Some just have a cut or a graze to their head
Some OD'd on drugs, which one first gets a bed?

Ten hours into shift, staff not yet had a break
Hungry and thirsty and every limb has an ache
And the patients keep coming, though some needn't be there
But they won't turn you away, they'll continue to care

So next time you're all moaning about our NHS
Just remember it's not staffs fault it's in such a mess
They are doing a job that a lot couldn't do
Often working for pittance to help folk just like you

And remember if this was some other country
That don't get free treatment, then where would we be?
In times of an illness or when we feel in distress
We should all be so grateful for our NHS

������❤️

[Keith at Tregenna]

The Poem to Remember competition was launched to find a new poem to mark the opening of the DNRC, in what is the centenary of the end of the First World War. More than 5,000 entries were received and thousands voted in the public poll to decide the winner.

We are delighted that One for the Team by Debbie Lawson has won. Debbie, 63, is a nurse in the Accident and Emergency department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. For the last few years she has also been helping former servicemen and woman suffering from PTSD by volunteering as a counsellor.

It is an area where she feels a strong responsibility to help due to her own military links. Her husband served 42 years in the RAF and for much of their married life she lived on or near military bases. Her daughter’s fiancée has undertaken multiple tours in Afghanistan as he serves in the Special Forces of the Australian military, and she has a grandfather who served in both World Wars and an uncle who died in the Battle of Britain.

One for the Team is based on a true story. It came from one of the PTSD sufferers for whom Debbie has provided counselling. This former soldier, who she has asked not be named, was a member of a tank crew in Afghanistan when they were attacked and some of his colleagues killed. In the aftermath of the incident, he had to help carry the bodies of his dead friends to base. Now back in the UK and having left the army, he has struggled to move on and suffers the legacy of regularly believing he sees his dead friends.

Debbie says: “When this boy came home they held the ceremonies with the band and the handing over of the flag. But those who suffer PTSD cannot move on. I have shared the poem with him and he is very moved by it as he believes it will help always evoke the memories of his comrades. Hopefully it will help highlight to the public the awfulness that these people are left with.”

The winning poem reads:



One for the Team

By Debbie Lawson

I keep seeing you mate, intact and laughing,

holding up your baby to make us smile.

I keep hearing you mate, joking, urging, 'come on lads keep together, don't step on the cracks it brings bad luck’.

‘Keep it tight boys, we'll be home by the footy season’.

We carried you home, silent and broken, you really took one for the team that day.

Your dad stood with pride head high, don't cry, don't cry.

Lucy took the flag, a token for the broken. The baby will have it one day.

They'll go to the wall to see your name, a game, 'let's find daddy's name'

but I keep seeing you mate, my shrink says you're not there, that makes us laugh doesn't it?

What do they know.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Written by Jay Hambleton.

After listening to a news report about the pressures on the NHS, Jay was inspired to write about his experience.

After visits to accident and emergency at Royal Stoke University Hospital, Jay Hambleton decided to write a poem about his fellow patients and staff.

He said: “It took me about an hour and a half to write it and the words just seemed to come to me.

Royal Stoke University Hospital.Jay

[robpage]

#1.

Sad to see this attributed to Stoke Mandeville by a false, nameless person.
.

Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Admin - I posted this in good faith as a well penned accurate description , with the attribution given ,. now I seem to be accused of false intention so rather than cause friction can you remove or reattribute please

[Chris Allman]

No problem Rob - re-attributed - thank you for posting the poem.

[happy daze john in oz]

Rob posted this in good faith with no mention anywhere about any particular hospital.
Pity the one complaining did not take it at face value for what it is.

[robpage]

Stoke Mandeville Hospital has been absolutely brilliant to me 12 weeks as an inpatient in their superb facilities in 2017 follow that by 3 weeks this year means that I have an awful lot of contacts and it was sent to me by another inmate attributed to a Stoke Mandeville employee in A&E now I don't know any of the A&E department because I have always been in the national spinal injuries Centre so I did put it at the face value of being an excellent statement I know in talking to clinicians especially A&E the Nation's and paramedics they put up with an awful lot and in my local area where we have the Superb Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth the amount of abuse that they get from people who are in their solely because of their self abuse of substances it actually said an awful lot to me

I do try and avoid copy and paste of other people stuff which I know is the bread and butter of a few but on this occasion I thought it was worth it and Chris very kindly change the attribution for me that's why it appears not to mention my original foul and heinous crime of not correctly attributing it , and assigning 8 to an anonymous source

But thank you for your support John it's greatly appreciated

[Captain Kong]

we have the Superb Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth the amount of abuse that they get from people who are in their solely because of their self abuse of substances it actually said an awful lot to me . Rob


That is where my son is a Consultant , trying to help these alcos etc,and does get a lot of abuse off the very people whose lives he is trying to save. too often they come in too late to be helped.

[robpage]

Brian , they don't want to be helped , they just want more Vodka . Weed , Charlie , H , cider etc

[Keith at Tregenna]

Rob posted this in good faith with no mention anywhere about any particular hospital.
Pity the one complaining did not take it at face value for what it is.

Actually John you are incorrect on this, I did look into it as I pos know more of / on Stoke Mandeville than others and this was alien to me, it was near alien to them and they sourced the actual writer and asked me to ensure it was amended, which occurred. End of. It is important to show a source if possible and be correct, that is all whether a photo in a gallery etc.

The one complaining was not complaining just trying to assist the facts were correct.

All was corrected by the moderation team, any problem you attempt to see has been dealt with.

Apologies to Rob if thoughts were that anyone was laying fault or blame in anyway, never the case,
just I have near daily contact with some in the hospital teams of both Wycombe, Mandeville and even
the John Radcliffe and would ask all see things as they are and not in anyway derogatory etc.

Regards,

Keith.