The NHS

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Back in 2006 a friend and I started a small website and blog about the changes the NHS was going through at that time. Such as Job Losses, Bed Losses and Car Parking Charges.

It’s amazing after all the years in which we have had five different Prime Ministers and four different governments and massive amounts of money having been spent on the NHS; the very same problems of staff shortages, bed shortages and car parking charges continue to weigh down the NHS.

One of the reasons we started the website was that there did not appear at the time one central source where one could look at to get a snapshot of the then ‘current’ situation.

It took a bit of collating, but it was surprising how much information could be gathered over the Internet at the time. However, there were a lot of phone calls made and surprisingly we did gather a lot of data by simply ringing the hospitals directly and asking; and simply being given the info we asked for! I am sure today; there’d be lots of Freedom of Information (FOI) forms to fill out and lots of refusals given back to us.

We also set up a contact page on the website and received quite a bit of information that way, slowly building up the data across the three main areas of Job Losses, Bed Losses and Car Parking Charges (changes)

Sadly over time and due to both our jobs – we were independent IT consultants (not in the NHS) – suddenly getting very busy with new contracts (not with the NHS) so the website and the Blog started to fall by the side. We did look at raising money via donations, but sadly that did not happen. Not really focused enough due to our jobs I suppose. Today, ‘Crowdfunding’ might be the answer!!

However; I have kept the Domain name which I may revive (when I have time) at some stage when we see the current governments’ direction. I do still publish a daily (Mon-Fri) newsletter of NHS related stuff that grabs my eye at https://www.scoop.it/topic/nhswatch.

It is sad to see the struggles the NHS has gone through over the years; yes it has improved in many areas as I can confirm when I have needed to use it on two occasions. However; it seems of late, that no one person really has an single answer to the staffing and bed problems that have continued over the 14 years that I have been looking at it.

As a guide to any links you might see associated with this post. I ‘ported’ over all the past Blog entries from the ‘NHS Watch’ original Blog platform quite a while ago. Needless to say any related comments you see will be very old and of course very out of date.

Privacy and all that!!

MikeLeave a comment

With the latest news that Cambridge Analytics (read this) intrusion into many of our lives, it comes as no surprise that ‘Our Privacy’ (or lack of) is still very much in the news.

Copyright – Varonis

It’s down to everyone to make sure that they protect as much as possible their own privacy both on line and offline.

Lenny Henry’s speech (about harvesting all ‘our’ data) in episode two of the latest Doctor Who series could have been written by some of the largest data corporations on earth based on recent information – though I don’t think there able to reprogram our brain just yet!

This recent article in the Guardian has a good set of suggestions about Online Protections, such as using a Password Manager, checking the settings on your ‘Smart Speaker’ etc.

It’s always best to be wise before the event.

Out and about on my bike.

MikeLeave a comment

I’ve always enjoyed cycling and will try to improve my performance for 2020. Didn’t do too bad last year with quite a few Km’s in France, but thought I should have cracked the 8,000 Km total, but sadly feel a bit short.

However, there is always this year. Also rejoined my local Cycle club and accepted a few Strava and other online challenges. Out today for the first real ride of the year with a pleasant ride up to Benson and a nice coffee stop.

Will post some updates as I ramp up the Km’s.

War! War! War!

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Here we go again!! its only the 4th day of the year and already the world teeters on the brink of war again! I know that we have to deal with world problems, but escalating the situation will not bring an early solution to the many problem with conflicts that the world is seeing.

Copyright – Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office & AP

Me thinks that Donald Trump’s move is more about how he see his followers lauding him as some kind of ‘hero’ for his re-election in the coming year.

An interesting story this morning about the USA acts of ‘interference’ over the years does shed some light on some of the thinking behind this latest ‘interference’ in another states business.

Suleimani killing the latest in a long, grim line of US assassination efforts https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/04/us-political-assassinations-history-iran-suleimani

We now have to wait to see what will be the response to this from around the world.

Aussie Fires

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What devastation we are seeing on our screens!! Who knew that fires could travel so fast? Having a connection with Australia makes it all the more sad to see the carnage that is happening all over the country, especially in New South Wales (NSW) where my fathers family hailed from.

Photo: A hot and parched Australian landscape is fuelling devastating bushfires on the east coast. – Copyright http://www.abc.net.au & (AAP: Dean Lewins )

Lets hope they can get the situation under control soon.

Another nail in the coffin!

MikeLeave a comment

How disappointing can one get with the current UK government? I know that if we lived in France, Germany or even Italy, no way would they let one their bastions of industrialisation a.k.a a Steel Industry die a slow and painful death.

Rules may be Rules, but for heavens sake, the British government needs to have some backbone and put some money into British Steel and save it from disappearing forever.

Private Equity will have made millions from this debacle, as they have done with other such disasters.

Moved over to WordPress

MikeLeave a comment

It’s been a long time since I posted on Beasley’s Place. However, during that period I have been using WordPress.org – the hosted WordPress solution – for a number of business and other sites and have come to understand that it has many more capabilities than Blogger every will have.

I have also moved a number of my other sites from the WordPress.org location to the WordPress.com environment – which will also save me a number of hosting fees and a great deal of website management.

Once I have sorted out the Beasley’s Place template and some other aspects of the site, I’ll start posting more ‘stuff’.

Earley Reservoir extension nearing completion.

MikeLeave a comment

Time moves on with this project and many thanks to Robert Searle of Black & Veatch for another interesting site visit yesterday to look inside the Pump House & a final visit into one of the water cells before it gets filled up in December.

The landscaping (covering of the building) has mostly been completed and the stakes indicating the planting inserted into the ground – final positions to be determined.


Come the Spring we should see the results of the grass seeding and a return to a fresh green environment.

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