The Prosthetic Audit.

As you may recollect from the September Newsletter we were not at all happy, to put it mildly, with the Prosthetic Audit that had been done from answers to questionnaires returned by just 34 patients.

No input from the medical profession and no input from those that had been arguing for the Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinics to be held on the Island on a weekly basis.

In fact the questions were taken from a standard questionnaire from the UK and in the main, as is the norm with many of our DHSS decisions now-a-days, irrelevant to our National problems and requirements for the Island .

The all important question of whether patients wanted a weekly service or not, was conspicuous by its absence.

Following our approach to the DHSS, in which the Chairman exposed the failings of the way the Audit had been conducted and consequently its conclusions, he received a reply from the DHSS in an attempt at dismantling his arguments. One of Mr McGregor Edwards claims said, quote,

“The Chronically Sick and Disabled Committee, has visited both Noble's Rehabilitation Department on 15 th March, and the Prosthetic Clinic at Westmoreland Road Health Centre on 21 st July. Their questions were answered in full and the Committee expressed their support for the existing service” unquote.

To be very kind to the DHSS, we shall call this an abstract exercise in semantics.

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How is it then that the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Committee following consideration of the Audit report, have written to Mr Killip the Chief Executive Officer of the DHSS, recommending another Audit, as like us, they don't seem all that happy with the three weekly “existing service”.

The letter copied to the Chairman says quote. “I write to you to advise that whilst the report provides some information, the Committee is disappointed that the view of every patient was not included in the Audit.

The Committee wishes to recommend to you that an appropriate independent Health Authority from outside the Isle of Man , with experience in this professional field should be invited to carry out the Audit.

One Authority with experience in this work would possibly be within the Northern Ireland Health Service. The Committee looks forward to your comment on this matter” unquote.

How can we square the DHSS comments with those of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Committee that they “expressed their support for the existing service” when in fact they want another Audit and they have been arguing for a weekly service?

The DHSS arguments are dependant on the colour of the glass through which the DHSS is looking through.