If you cant get a GP appointment why not go to a drop in centre? I have used them on sweveral occasions taking in staff from work with minor injuries and they were not even that busy. If I ring my GP I always get offered an appt about a week later but if I say I think it needs dealing with quicker than that I am offered either a emergency appt or a call from the triage nurse. The triage nurse once saw me then had me see the Dr right after. The last time I was in severe pain in my ear at 3am I simply drove to my local hospital where they directed me to the out of hours GP who saw me within a few moments of me arriving. Overall then dont think I have had an appt problem for GP's at least.
Well, we have a fantastic Doctor, for instance, couple weeks ago, Shel going upstairs carrying big load of washing, misses last step, bangs her arm quite bad on bannister. Decides its hurting a lot, walks along to our Doctors, no appointment, seen within 15 min, think its fine said Doc, but head up to Hospital get it Xrayed. Thats done and shes home within 2 hours, having been told Xray fine.
Also, we have a cracking NHS dentist, no bother to get seen, not hurried, he rattles on about anything, sometimes in there just chatting for 10 min before / after getting teeth checked.
John & Shel
PS just in case we get loads of Southerners wanting to live up here, remember its always raining, slag heaps dominate the skyline, coal dust fills the air, charvas run riot. In short...Its Grim Up North, best keep away.
yes i think most of the people who handle the calls coming into a doctor's surgery to be nosey buggers.'whats it for?' and 'do you really need to see him today' get up my usually when i flip and tell them to book me in and 'im not telling you whats wrong so you can discuss it over your cup of tea and hello magazine'.Bloody perverts.
I should be examining them!
Talking of NHS logic why the hell do we need so many cheif excutives an boards of directors and secondly why the hell is it called the "NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE" it realy should be called the "REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICE"
Now I have been a user of this establishment a good few times and have much praise for nurses and doctors till the cows come home but did anyone see Sir Gerry Robinson's tv prog on hospitals?
He basically said they are stuck in the dark ages, basic cleaning standards are victorian and nothing gets done because everybody works independently of each other and doesn't see why they should change if the others don't. More importantly, v basic issues were not addressed such as theatres being empty because right staff at right time 'scheduling' was to hard to organise!
Like I said, praise for the staff but in short, this country is fooked and we are to blame. Fuel prices go through the roof and what do we do, panic buy and spend hrs waiting in line and saying I support it but need to get to work. In America they set fire to the stations! Basic economic theory says you cannot have an efficient and effective 2 tier system of contribution by all and pay as you go and what do we have, NHS and private hospitals, fuel/road tax and toll roads and pay per mile coming v soon. Wake up people!
Chris x
On the subject of hospitals. Last year I was admitted. Apart from the A&E know being the Emergency Department, no doubt the change of name improved the service ten fold, and the AD nurses not believing be when I told them what my wounds were. Apart from that the nurse and doctors were great, I can not praise them enough.
What does seem strange, is that it is not the experienced doctors and nurses running the service. Cleaning is contracted out on a cheap is good basis. Come back matron, we need you.
At the risk of being simplistic, would it not be an idea to let one NHS Hospital, as an experiment, run itself with a "Works Committee" in charge?
IE, give it the same budget as this year, same targets, but instead of being run by "Managers" let a Committee made up of staff reps from all depts, from cleaners to consultants make the decisions. Any money left over at end of year is split between staff as a bonus, or to hire more staff, or mixture of both. That might encourage everyone to work together.
John
I obtained my training via University along with other ODPs and Nurses, The only university that was NHS owed was th NHSU which in now defuct cuase nobody was interested, Just because some one get there clinical expirance in an NHS hospital doesn't mean they was trained by the NHS, during my trainment and the same for a lot of other nurses and ODP meant we obtain clinical experiance in a Private hospital as well, in fact two people of my cohort was placed in a Independent hospital for 90% of there course, the only training the NHS hospitals do is Manditary train which the independent do too
Current Nursing degrees are NHS funded (or at least the one which qualify for a Bursary have to be NHS funded, don't know if the are any courses which run where the students don't qualify for a bursary).
In the case of Professionals Supplemenatary to Medicine they must complete on the job training, in an accredited establishment, to obtain State Registration, and be able to practise autonomously. In my field, I have yet to see a training post advertised in a Private Hospital, nor have I met any colleagues who were not NHS trained.
Les x
