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George Monbiot on Housing

George really does rather miss one point in this (actually, for him, rather good piece):

Shelter took me to meet Jacqueline Pennant, who lives with her children in a tiny maisonette in south Wandsworth. Jacqueline has osteoarthritis and a hairline fracture in the spine, a prolapsed disc and sciatica in both legs. She should be confined to a wheelchair, but it won\’t fit in the house. She dragged herself from one piece of furniture to the next, then up the narrow stairs, clutching at the bannisters, her face gnarled up in pain. I saw this in Britain, in November 2007.

Our Glorious National Health Service, The Wonder Of The World, in action again.

12 thoughts on “George Monbiot on Housing”

  1. “…She should be confined to a wheelchair…”

    Why, George, how very un-PC!

    I believe the preferred term now is ‘wheelchair user’. 🙂

  2. Our Glorious National Health Service, The Wonder Of The World, in action again.

    Is there some treatment you think she should have had from the NHS? What is your point?

  3. Even if Jackie had access to the best medical treatment available anywhere, it wouldn’t help – her condition is not currently curable.

    AIUI, the NHS isn’t supposed to be able to provide people with either miracles or bungalows…

  4. George’s conclusion – that we need 3m new homes – wouldn’t make any difference. We’d still have x million cramped and useless social housing units and they would fill up with immigrants as fast as we could empty them. All 3m new homes will do is to increase the UK population by about 10 million (3.3 per new home).

  5. It’s nice to see that Moonbat is getting a thoroughly well-deserved shoeing by the commenters to his little puff piece for choosing examples who have clearly bred beyond their housing.

    Not sure if this is Grauniad readers belatedly realising that their green belt is now on the hook to fund the out of control lifestyles of the totally feckless, or rabid Greenies objecting to having any kind of development whatsoever, but it’s welcome all the same.

  6. “Is there some treatment you think she should have had from the NHS? What is your point?”

    There are several things which should have happened.

    1. She should have had a visit from the Occupational Health department of her local NHS trust, to assess her capabilities and needs.

    2. They should then have submitted their findings to Social Services.

    3. The necessary mobility aids should have been provided and installed. There are many useful items of apparatus, including stair lifts, bath lifts, commodes, oxygen distribution systems, secure door entry etc which can make the patient much more comfortable in his/her own home.

  7. While a council or housing trust can sometimes relocate an infirm or elderly resident, in my experience the patient rarely wants the upheaval. I have looked after several family members in their frail old age, and they all wanted the appropriate support to stay in their own homes, close to family and friends. My family have been largely self-financing, but in many cases we needed the expert advice from Occupational Health to choose the best equipment. In my local area (NE England) they were generally good. In some other areas, you can’t even get a District Nurse to come and change wound dressings after surgery.

  8. There are several things which should have happened.

    I’m amazed at your insights into this particular case. I assume you have some factual source other than Monbiot for this analysis?

  9. “I assume you have some factual source other than Monbiot for this analysis?”

    Moonbat is drawing on anecdote (or as we should call it in this case, ‘sob story’) to back up his point, and Monty has done the same to refute that point, and clarify what grounds there are for assuming that the NHS could do more to help with her mobility problem, if not her uncontrolled fecundity.

    Where’s the problem..?

  10. Moonbat is drawing on anecdote (or as we should call it in this case, ’sob story’) to back up his point, and Monty has done the same to refute that point, and clarify what grounds there are for assuming that the NHS could do more to help with her mobility problem, if not her uncontrolled fecundity.

    His words about general procedure have no relevance to whether the NHS failed this woman, unless he knows more than Monbiot tells us — which he doesn’t, apparently. He doesn’t know what has or has not been done by the NHS in her case. So no, he didn’t refute anything.

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