Don't Confuse Me with the Facts

In our neck of the woods, "polysystems" are the flavour of the moment. They are the result of Lord Darzis's major review that in far too many words and way, way too much money, concluded that:

1. London has too many hospitals;
2. Lots more care should be delivered "locally" (which is healthspeak for "not in hospitals");
3. GPs should work in polyclinics (but we'll call them something else because polyclinics don't work).

I attended a meeting last month at which I said (yet again) that the wholesale disruption of existing referral processes can only work if the communications infrastructure is in place.

The director chairing the meeting agreed.

I then said that this would be especially true if the Darzi model is implemented (it is happening right now).

The director chairing the meeting agreed.

Then says I, but the current infrastructure is not in place; it's years behind schedule and billions over budget.

The director chairing the meeting agreed.

So, I went on, if you agree that it will only work if the comms are in place and you agree that the comms are not in place, the only logical conclusion is that it won't work???

The director said it was too early to say that!

Mmmm... now there is a good idea. let's wait until the system isn't working and patients are transferred from here to there, and then somewhere else, whilst their notes move from anywhere to nowhere.

Makes perfect sense to me.