It's the tradition that contractors only carry out the work they are paid to do. They should not be confused with charities. If senior NHS people can't be bothered to administer PFI contracts properly, then frankly, they deserve all they get. The
real shame is that the user (taxpayer, patient, local citizen) is the one who actually dips out. But, was it not ever thus?
In my experience, central clock systems are notorious for failing to deliver. I have seen them running backwards. I have seen them hanging limply down. But they are usually "in step" (that is, all reading the same - incorrect - time). How about a hospital with
no clocks at all ... with the patients patiently waiting (is that why they're called patients?) without glancing at the clock every couple of minutes!
Another tradition used to be that nurses wore watches on their uniforms (how "synchronized" were they, I wonder). And, anyway, just how accurately
does the time of day need to be known? Aren't we usually more interested in
elapsed time?
