A duty of care

Another example of the new and commendable ‘tough love’ approach adopted by health workers.  In a sense, the case of nurse Sally Miller epitomises this new movement within the NHS: the old, discredited and soppy notions of care and compassion is jettisoned in favour of an abrupt, no-nonsense vigour. Responding to a patient who, tiresomely, had pressed the buzzer in the ward in the hope of receiving palliative care, Sally said to her: ‘If you f****** press this buzzer again I am going to nail your f****** hand to the floor.’ Excellent.

This follows a similarly uplifting case in South Wales. This concerned a paramedic in Cardiff who, eschewing the traditional approach towards a patient suffering from a leg injury, instead said: ‘Why are you being such a silly bitch?’ And slapped her in the face.