Blair has admitted that he doesn’t know the effect he’s GP waiting time targets have on patient care. He didn’t realise that it was impossible to make appointments in advance. He’s clearly not a dedicated fan of this site, then, because it’s a issue I identified months ago.

But, more importantly, how can we re-elect a leader that introduces silly targets, and then ignores - or, more acurately, doesn’t even make an effort to find out about - the probems these targets create?

And the particularly hilarious thing is that even after having the situation explained by members of the public, John Reid still doesn’t get it:

John Reid, the health secretary, acknowledged that there were problems but stressed that the target had produced much quicker access for many patients. A few years ago, many patients had to wait a week to 10 days to see a GP, he said, while on the latest figures, 97 per cent are seen within two days.

The reason 97 per cent are seen within two days is because you’re only allowed to make an appointment within two days. It isn’t an improvement. That’s the problem. Patient satisfaction has fallen.

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Do you really think that Blair or Reid actually care?

They have their private health care guaranteed, so they have no need to worry.

» This comment was received at 22:31 on 04 May 05

It is their job to care, and it would seem strange, whether one cared or not, to introduce targets and not monitor them. If one didn’t care, why introduce the targets in the first place? If one did, then why not monitor their effect?

» This comment was received at 20:29 on 05 May 05

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