Eye test, first one in 6 years. Very little change in prescription, still only needed for close up work. Optician said might as well stick with my current pair of glasses if I don’t feel the need to change.
Result! That’s about a g’zillion quid saved
1 Like
Good to have eye test every year , they can suss out things like brain tumours and glaucoma
1 Like
What!
Hope it ends well.
I get retiniography done each year as I’m Type 1 diabetic, the opticians is really juts for vision checks now.
1 Like
Is he ok ?
I assume that they must have got him down 
He’s not there any more, and I think there would have been a very big kerfuffle had it ended any other way.
He was clearly in crisis so I hope he’s getting the help he needs.
6 Likes
Considering a potential job I’ve been asked to apply for, a CEO position, but I’m not yet fully convinced.
2 Likes
Is the money good?
What would it take to convince you ?
Can that be done ?
= answer
The money is pretty typical of an NHS CEO. It would be a pay cut in terms of what I currently make from my own business. The upside is the very generous pension but I would need to consider the pros and cons of 10 years of NHS pension vs the same into my own SIPP.
It is an ambition of mine to do at some point so there in lies the temptation to give it careful consideration. Big challenging turnaround of a basket case which is the kind of job I enjoy and my stock in trade.
What would it take to convince me? At the moment it’s mostly my own uncertainty and doubts as to whether in the course of the long and arduous recruitment process that the bureaucracy would bottle it and just plant some Exec who’s failed elsewhere that they need to find something to do with.
Ah, well, then I guess you have to go for it (if the money works) and see what eventually happens.
Do you also get to take the blame for failing to meet targets after another swingeing funding cut?
You get the blame for everything Kev, you’re ultimately accountable, even for the impact of daft decision making and funding inequalities forced upon you from the Department of Health on high.
Stick to your own business then.
At least you know all the fuck ups and stupid decisions are yours 
1 Like
You do know full well, though, that it is likely that you will end up the CEO of a failing NHS trust / organisation.
Certainly something to bear in mind.
Poxy power cuts
It’s like being in the 1970s here some days
1 Like
That’s the risk yes. On one hand, I do know how to fix it. I’ve done it elsewhere on more than one occasion in very difficult highly politicised and toxic environments with pretty much everyone including the regulators against me and still succeeded.
But it’s as Kevin points out, you don’t have control of all the levers and decisions. You also have to cope with and steer a pretty dysfunctional boardroom through some very difficult decisions which they will do anything in their power to avoid and obfuscate.
Even if you ultimately decide thats it’s not what you want at the moment it might really be a good exercise for you to apply and see what happens.
That said If it’s only going to be a smallish increase in renumeration though is it really worth the hasstle for all the hiring,firing,whinging and admin stuff you that would have to become involved in or responsible for?
2 Likes
I think the reasons for doing this and taking on such a demanding role would be non financial - prestige, reputation, personal aspiration are the motivators. Ideally I’d have liked this opportunity to come up in the last 5 years of my expected working life, that way there’s nothing to lose and whatever happens you can say that you had a chance to do something you really wanted to do and gave it a shot.
2 Likes