Doctors again.

[DUNKS]

There just are no words!

I need to see a doctor so call at the surgery yesterday, There are two different surgeries to this practice. Sorry no available appointments at either surgery for over a week. BUT if you care to phone in tomorrow at 8am there might just be a chance to get you in. So 8 on the dot I phone in. Automated voice tells me sorry but phone line waiting list full and no more appointments available today. OK I will have to go for a spot in a weeks time so give it an hour and phone again. Need an appointment please, yes sir we have several spots available today  does 12.30 sound OK?.

I do believe the American saying "cockamamie" sounds about right. But I get to see the doc!

 

[Westley]

I had to book a 3 week cruise to get to see a doctor.  Mind you, I was able to see one every day for 3 weeks  !    😁

Edited November 5 by Westley

[Scully]

A&E department. If enough folk flood it perhaps something will be done. 🤷‍♂️
I phoned mine the other day, automated voice told me to book an appointment online and someone would get in touch within two working days, unless urgent, but even the ‘urgent’ line was an online process. 
I eventually got through to someone ( after choosing an ‘option’ which didn’t apply to me ) and was asked to fill in the online text she would forward to me. Did that, and last night received a text to say someone would be in touch within two working days. 😂

[marsh man]

We are oven run with E U refugees in the town and yet I haven't had any problems in seeing my doctor , over the last few months the service have been first class and I even had my doctor ring me at home to make sure I was taking my tablets just before or after breakfast , no complaints .

I have even got another dentist appointment this afternoon , mind you , I won't be in there long with what few teeth I have got left  😁

[DUNKS]

2 minutes ago, Scully said:

A&E department. If enough folk flood it perhaps something will be done. 🤷‍♂️
I phoned mine the other day, automated voice told me to book an appointment online and someone would get in touch within two working days, unless urgent, but even the ‘urgent’ line was an online process. 
I eventually got through to someone ( after choosing an ‘option’ which didn’t apply to me ) and was asked to fill in the online text she would forward to me. Did that, and last night received a text to say someone would be in touch within two working days. 😂

Ours  already is flooded. Took my wife a month or so ago and had a 13 hour wait overnight At 88 years old the wait almost killed  her.

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, Reference to Houseplants post It cant be all bad !!!!!!, IT IS, I gave up getting a GP appointment , Bloody nightmare , I shall need a PSA test in December for my visit to the Churchill , I am thinking to book now ??

[Bigbob]

I tried the online booking form for my cortisone injections every time you answer yes to any questions  it opens the same page to fill in but none are about cortisone injections so i gave up and phoned them and said this online forms no use for booking cortisone injections " yes we are aware of it and looking to change it "

[oowee]

One of the reasons we need to put more money into health services. No one wants to pay for it but we all use it. 

[shaun4860]

1 hour ago, oowee said:

One of the reasons we need to put more money into health services. No one wants to pay for it but we all use it. 

You can’t just keep pumping money in.

Someone needs to take control of all the wastage and have a long hard look at management both upper and middle.

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians 

[oowee]

Just now, shaun4860 said:

You can’t just keep pumping money in.

Someone needs to take control of all the wastage and have a long hard look at management both upper and middle. Agreed. 

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians Hard to say without getting a grip.

I don't think we can afford the NHS service free to all. At some point we will need service limits and or a move to prevention rather than cure.

[old man]

26 minutes ago, oowee said:

I don't think we can afford the NHS service free to all. At some point we will need service limits and or a move to prevention rather than cure.

That's true? 

It can never keep up with expectation and advances looking for new diseases/cures?  Couple that with lots plundering it for all they are worth?

 

[Scully]

1 hour ago, oowee said:

I don't think we can afford the NHS service free to all. At some point we will need service limits and or a move to prevention rather than cure.

The drawback re’ ‘prevention rather than cure’ though, particularly as relating to the NHS, gives politicians and all those interested parties with ( especially woke ) agendas to push for the ‘greater good’ and infringing the rights and freedoms of choice of folks in general and minorities specifically. 
Prevention rather than cure comes in many guises and filters down to all aspects of society. 
To an extent that’s where we are now; pushing for a total smoking ban while totally ignoring the monumental problem of alcohol related illnesses and its general detrimental effect on society. Someone at some point will moot the idea of not treating medical problems ( on the NHS at least ) relating to smoking, alcohol, obesity, dental neglect. Lifestyle choices in fact, etc etc.

It’s just a skip and a very small jump from there to dictating what people can and cannot eat, for the sake of ‘prevention rather than cure of course. Once you have control of what a population can eat, well, it doesn’t take me to explain the knock on effect. Hard to believe? It’s already been suggested. Agenda driven policies are about as scary as it gets. 
There are probably many more examples if I could be bothered to think of them. 

[Vince Green]

In Ireland you have to pay about £35 to see a GP but there is never a problem getting an appointment.  That's because all the time wasters with runny noses or a sore throat are not clogging up the system.

If you are really ill you won't begrudge paying. The idea of us having endless free access to a doctor is bit unrealistic 

You have to bear in mind that most surgeries are private businesses and they are paid by the NHS. They are paid according to the number of patients they have on their books 

Not by how many times they see you or by how long you have to wait for an appointment. 

Edited November 5 by Vince Green

[sportsbob]

Where I live in Somerset there three medical centres within about two miles of each other, they are all run by the same company and they seem to take it it turns to be in special measures. Currently unless it is considered an emergency you can wait around two weeks for a Doctor to give you a telephone consultation and even longer for a physical appointment. Around 20 years ago there used to be more than a dozen GP`s in the largest one with around double the admin team, now there are typically 2 or three part time GP`s and around a dozen admin. I went to fairly extensive measures to calculate there gross NHS income and their overheads, the surplus income worked out to be around £750K. My guess is because a company run the centres the £750K will be used by the company for their management and profits which is resulting in the lack of patient care. As far as Dentists go the closest NHS dentist I could find that would take me on is in Gloucestershire so around 60 miles away and over an hour by car, the local private dentists have long waiting lists (months). Throwing more money at the very broken top heavy system really isn`t the answer when businesses making large amounts of profit from the NHS seems to be the main issue. 

[oowee]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

The drawback re’ ‘prevention rather than cure’ though, particularly as relating to the NHS, gives politicians and all those interested parties with ( especially woke ) agendas to push for the ‘greater good’ and infringing the rights and freedoms of choice of folks in general and minorities specifically. 
Prevention rather than cure comes in many guises and filters down to all aspects of society. 
To an extent that’s where we are now; pushing for a total smoking ban while totally ignoring the monumental problem of alcohol related illnesses and its general detrimental effect on society. Someone at some point will moot the idea of not treating medical problems ( on the NHS at least ) relating to smoking, alcohol, obesity, dental neglect. Lifestyle choices in fact, etc etc.

It’s just a skip and a very small jump from there to dictating what people can and cannot eat, for the sake of ‘prevention rather than cure of course. Once you have control of what a population can eat, well, it doesn’t take me to explain the knock on effect. Hard to believe? It’s already been suggested. Agenda driven policies are about as scary as it gets. 
There are probably many more examples if I could be bothered to think of them. 

This and even if we prevent a problem there will be something else down the line to treat. 

[islandgun]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

The drawback re’ ‘prevention rather than cure’ though, particularly as relating to the NHS, gives politicians and all those interested parties with ( especially woke ) agendas to push for the ‘greater good’ and infringing the rights and freedoms of choice of folks in general and minorities specifically. 
Prevention rather than cure comes in many guises and filters down to all aspects of society. 
To an extent that’s where we are now; pushing for a total smoking ban while totally ignoring the monumental problem of alcohol related illnesses and its general detrimental effect on society. Someone at some point will moot the idea of not treating medical problems ( on the NHS at least ) relating to smoking, alcohol, obesity, dental neglect. Lifestyle choices in fact, etc etc.

It’s just a skip and a very small jump from there to dictating what people can and cannot eat, for the sake of ‘prevention rather than cure of course. Once you have control of what a population can eat, well, it doesn’t take me to explain the knock on effect. Hard to believe? It’s already been suggested. Agenda driven policies are about as scary as it gets. 
There are probably many more examples if I could be bothered to think of them. 

I completely agree but wonder if the food giants churning out ultra-processed food with clever labelling aren't in some way responsible for what appears to be a un- healthy nation, stricken with diabetes and heart problems [yes its an individuals choice]

33 minutes ago, Vince Green said:

In Ireland you have to pay about £35 to see a GP but there is never a problem getting an appointment.  That's because all the time wasters with runny noses or a sore throat are not clogging up the system.

If you are really ill you won't begrudge paying. The idea of us having endless free access to a doctor is bit unrealistic 

You have to bear in mind that most surgeries are private businesses and they are paid by the NHS. They are paid according to the number of patients they have on their books 

Not by how many times they see you or by how long you have to wait for an appointment. 

On the face of it a very good idea

[old man]

40 minutes ago, Vince Green said:

In Ireland you have to pay about £35 to see a GP but there is never a problem getting an appointment.  That's because all the time wasters with runny noses or a sore throat are not clogging up the system.

If you are really ill you won't begrudge paying. The idea of us having endless free access to a doctor is bit unrealistic 

You have to bear in mind that most surgeries are private businesses and they are paid by the NHS. They are paid according to the number of patients they have on their books 

Not by how many times they see you or by how long you have to wait for an appointment. 

Mm, the payment system for doctors and surgeries would be worth investigating? 

The difficulty would be in separation of things done in the name of care versus an eye on the main chance?

Here recently the urine test went from 1 small plastic bottle to a plastic bowl, syringe and smaller bottle? Cost of making the first 5p? the second £3? 10 plus tan times more plastic?

48 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

Where I live in Somerset there three medical centres within about two miles of each other, they are all run by the same company and they seem to take it it turns to be in special measures. Currently unless it is considered an emergency you can wait around two weeks for a Doctor to give you a telephone consultation and even longer for a physical appointment. Around 20 years ago there used to be more than a dozen GP`s in the largest one with around double the admin team, now there are typically 2 or three part time GP`s and around a dozen admin. I went to fairly extensive measures to calculate there gross NHS income and their overheads, the surplus income worked out to be around £750K. My guess is because a company run the centres the £750K will be used by the company for their management and profits which is resulting in the lack of patient care. As far as Dentists go the closest NHS dentist I could find that would take me on is in Gloucestershire so around 60 miles away and over an hour by car, the local private dentists have long waiting lists (months). Throwing more money at the very broken top heavy system really isn`t the answer when businesses making large amounts of profit from the NHS seems to be the main issue. 

👍🏻

[Cranfield]

There are not enough GP's to provide a decent cover for the patients in any area.

Until recruitment/retention of GP's is prioritised, nothing will ever change.

Our major Medical Clinic has "Nurses", "Medical Assistants" and a GP on Tuesday and Thursday. Its a scandal.

[Yellow Bear]

7 minutes ago, Cranfield said:

Until recruitment/retention of GP's is prioritised, nothing will ever change.

when a "mid life" (for want of a better term) is paid less than a train driver and a consultant surgeon only marginally more, can you be surprised.

[wymberley]

11 minutes ago, Yellow Bear said:

when a "mid life" (for want of a better term) is paid less than a train driver and a consultant surgeon only marginally more, can you be surprised.

Don't envy anyone having to make the choice of incrementally paying the medics more or the train drivers less as both are a lose lose option. Thatcherism is to blame. Not necessarily the lady herself but between her and Heseltine they inadvertently bred greed. 

[JohnfromUK]

6 hours ago, shaun4860 said:

You can’t just keep pumping money in.

Someone needs to take control of all the wastage and have a long hard look at management both upper and middle.

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians 

/\.  This.  They have had so much money poured in they have forgotten how to use it properly/spend it wisely.

[old man]

17 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

/\.  This.  They have had so much money poured in they have forgotten how to use it properly/spend it wisely.

Sadly, just like the country?

Those in charge at present will never give an inch as they are very comfortable?

[Scully]

Must admit, once I got in touch with mine they’ve been on the ball. Credit where it’s due. 

[7daysinaweek]

What irks me is when people do not turn up for the appointment. I have done four locum sessions so far this week in which I have 20 patients booked in a 4 hour session. Without fail, every session will have one or two who do not attend. Some cancellations will be genuine and patients do sometimes call when they need to cancel, others inform the surgeries by app, however, plenty do not.

Each consultation is costed out at around £60 for the 10 minute appointment. It's difficult enough to get an appointment and in my opinion, sadly things will not get any better.

The nhs is a bottomless consumer, however, the money that funds it is not bottomless and for some who are employed within it, they simply milk the services and system. 

Recently It took me 6 weeks to get an appointment with my gp and i had never met him before. The last time I went was 24 years ago, at least I am thankful for that.

 

[mossy835]

i have no trouble seeing a doctor just a phone call and im in.