The fourth episode in a series of nine documentary films about the Bolton Area Health Authority. Them and Us
Instead of going through the correct consultative procedures, Jim Kelly , a hospital porter and NUPE shop steward, has spilled his grievances to the local newspaper, and made headline news. Among other complaints, Kelly describes conditions in the new maternity wing as a living hell'. All this has brought him into conflict with Tom Ryder - the Area Administrator, who holds that Kelly ought not to have talked to the press, and that the article is harmful and unfair. The dispute that follows illustrates the friction that is often just below the surface in a Health Service where the power of the unions is increasingly felt.
Film editor PETER GORDON
Producer TIM KING