David Humpage - NHS Whistleblower's Song

The tune is the folksong “Rigs of the Times”, lifted from the excellent version on Bellowhead’s first album (recommended!) Concerned with cheating tradesmen in the post-Napoleonic economic collapse, the song lends itself to rewriting in terms of your own content. I added the current set of words after a particularly unpleasant experience with NHS managers covering up over a death and their subsequent treatment of a whistleblower (this stuff is of course happening all over the NHS at present).

Dedicated to Kevin Bond and Barry Flintoft, formerly of North-East Lincs NHS Trust and currently running something calling itself “NAViGO”, for their exemplary handling of the McMullen killing (Grimsby 2008); and to those people all the way up the NHS managerial hierarchy who helped them get away with murder.

(Further information on the "Choler" page under "Making a Killing").

Here’s to the Manager: I must speak him ill
He’ll bluster and bully, though he shows us no skill
He’ll scapegoat his staff and let men go to jail
Just to cover his arse and pretend not to fail

And honesty is all out of fashion.

These are the rigs of the times, me boys
These are the rigs of the times.

Here’s to Directors: I must bring them in
They’ve no clinical training, but think it no sin
Take the money and run, though they’re unqualified
Whilst the patients are suffering and people have died

And honesty etc

Here’s to the Trust Chiefs: now what must they be?
Making sure when harm happens there’s nothing to see
Pat themselves on the back and look quite the wrong way
And make damn’ sure they live to be paid one more day

And honesty etc

Here’s to the Private Providers we see
Working just for themselves not for you nor for me
Creeping quietly closer and closer each day
Hoping when we get sick they can make it all pay

And honesty etc

Here’s to the government that makes all this mess
What they’ve got in their skulls we must all try to guess
Wave their slogans around and mouth-off as they must
While the whole population goes sick with disgust

And honesty etc