Regularly national newspapers publish surveys where around 80% of people who haven't used the NHS for 5 years, rate the NHS as being poor however 80% of those who have used it praise it highly. (Blogs BMJ Patient editor P. Lapsley).
Non-users can not draw on personal experience and therefore have to place their judgements from stories in the media. Unfortunately, stories which shock and disgrace tend to make the headlines rather than tales of kindness and dedication. These occasional sad stories can be very damaging for the NHS's reputation and can undermine the morale of staff who are only trying to care for patients to the best of their ability in the majority of cases. Sometimes the care provided is with more modest resources than desired but care remains professional in a vast majority of cases.
I am not suggesting that we ignore cases where allegations have been made about neglect, as this is something that needs addressing, however I do believe that popular media should also show the fantastic work that the organisation does. I imagine some might argue that the healthcare professionals are merely 'doing their jobs' so should not be accredited by society in the media. However people would have more confidence in local healthcare services if the media could expose the remarkable commitment of the staff rather than only exposing these 'horror stories'
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