"Pulling wool over eyes" is an established phrase stateside.  
It has the sense of misleading an innocent.
Parents do it with children.
Politicians do it with the media.
Clinton does it with TB, and vice versa.
Everyone imagines doing it with the tax man, and vice versa.
MJ

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	RUSS ALLISON [SMTP:Allison@Cardiff.ac.uk]
> Sent:	Thursday, June 15, 2000 1:45 AM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Re:The scoop on Path/UK/DX/errors?
> 
> 
> 
> Interest in the pathologist who was weak in "calling it" encourages 
> me to write again, especially Don's comments on the cyto. techs 
> experience.
> 
> Our society - Institute of Biomedical Science - (as I've said before, 
> we all come under the "Med Tech" banner over here) 
> commissioned an independent survey of staffing levels , working 
> practices, recruitment and retention and more late last year.
> 
> The faeces hit the fan when a national newspaper (equiv of say the 
> NY Times) ran the headline "Secretaries diagnosing your cancer - 
> crisis in path labs".  That arose from comments in our survey that 
> unqualified and inappropriate staff were undertaking tasks for which 
> they were not qualified.  It was an exaggeration by the headlione 
> writer.  But hell, it worked!  All National TV chanels and all the 
> national and local newspapers ran the story (for a day).
> Government ministers, including the Secretary of State for Health, 
> wanted to see us.  Our Chief Executive did 23 live interviews that 
> day alone!
> Then it all died down!  Well, no it didn't actually.  First the Trade 
> Unions took up their role of negotiating salary rises (the outcome is 
> thus far disappointing) and the Minister asked us (the Institute) 
> what could be done.  We cannot negotiate pay and conditions, so 
> are engaged in a continuing dialogue about related matters which 
> could be worthwhile and help recruitment and retention but are not 
> about salary.  Improved career opportunities, for example, funded 
> training posts, etc.
> 
> However, we commissioned a second survey to draw out some of 
> the points raised by the first.  Issues such as people "pulling the 
> wool" over CPA Inspectors eyes (do you yanks have that 
> expression? lets call it "kidding").  Anyway, the Inspection process 
> (and we are co-share holders and owners of the Inspection 
> organisation (equivalent to CAP) has been cast in some doubt; 
> there has obviously been duplicity (that's the kindest word I can 
> think of).
> 
> The motives of those trying (and usually succeeding) to fool the 
> inspectors has been honorable - they want to keep the service 
> running in the face of the greatest difficulties.
> 
> We now know, from our second survey, that there are many 
> questionable (at its kindest) practices going on.  We also know 
> that labs would close and the service collapse if the staff did not 
> perform heroic deeds and bend the rules to keep it running.
> 
> It's what you call CRISIS MANAGEMENT and it seems to me it's 
> the way health services are managed these days.
> 
> And as we say of the poor old boy from Surrey, there but for the 
> Grace of God go I ( and Jill and Jack and Fred and Jaqui and Bill 
> and Mary and Joe and Tony and Alan and Lord Hunt - I wish.......)
> 
> Sorry, that last name was an  "in" joke for the UK.
> 
> Russ
> 
> (p.s. Did you State-side know that these days our PM - Tony Blair -
>  is getting known by his initials - TB !! is that unfortunate or what?
> Russ Allison, 
> Dental School
> Cardiff
> Wales