Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Karen & co.]

I've been sitting here like piffy on a rock bun today, as I'm off work with laryngitis and a chest infection

 

My voice is coming back a little, I'm sure the children are not impressed! but as this had been going on for a while now (I was croaky last weekend but felt fine.) I thought I'd better try to see my GP 'cos now I feel grotty and can't shake it off.

 

I rang at 9.30 this morning and was told there were no appointments but the nurse practitioner would call me..........she did and the phone rang for less than 4 rings about 11.30 so I called the surgery and explained I''d missed the call, and waited for her to ring back............ 5 past 2!

 

What if I'd been an elderly lady having chest pain or an asthmatic attack?

 

I used to be very defensive of the NHS as an ex employee, living with a current employee, but it is just not working properly.

 

I can now pick up a prescription for antibiotics with out being seen by anyone at 4pm.

 

sorry rant over

 

karen x

[Louise]

That is a tad worrying

 

Misprescription of antibiotics is one of the reasons there are so many resistant bugs out there now

 

Not good news about the chest infection though Karen I hope the tablets work for you

[Cate in NZ]

Getting a prescription for antibiotics, for a new condition, without being seen first is very worrying. I'm sure you're right Karen & do have a chest infection, but the number of people that I see with a "chest infection" who actually simply have a cough or cold is unbelievable.

I'm extremely disillusioned with the NHS though, not at sure that I have any answers, but I'm not convinced that working to targets and under swathes of bureaucracy is the answer.

I do hope that the chest infection resolves quickly. Good luck

[Guest]

 

I had to phone our Gp for some advice acouple of weeks ago, after Owen sliced his knee open on a rusty nail - I just needed to check that he was covered still by his tetanus. When I spoke to the receptionist, I was told I should have phoned before 9:30 if I wanted a phone consultation. If only I had had my phsycic abilities switched on that day...

 

And don't even get me started on when they misdiagnosed Duncans pnuemonia as 'possible asthma - bring him in when he feels better'

[Guest]

The NHS is such a massive employer that (yes) things are bound to go wrong...

 

but... (just for the sake of balance) - I have never had anything less than fantastic care from the NHS.

 

I have occasion to go into several different hospitals most weeks - often visiting people near the end of their lives. I have seen some distressing and un-necessary bad practise - but it is dwarfed by the amount of caring and good-practice that I see every week...

 

and I'd much rather the NHS than (say) the American Health System where only the rich or the insured are guaranteed decent treatment... (as was the case here before we had the NHS)

 

that's not to say we can't moan - there's always scope for improvement - but I didn't want this thread to slide off (as they often do) into a general bash-the-NHS thread (which is not surely what Karen intended...)

 

Phil

[Addiscomber]

My DS2 has type 1 diabetes and has the odd visit through A&E. The last time I watched the sister in charge as he had a bed near the nurse's station. She spent the entire time we were there (all night as it happened , came home on the first bus of the day ) monitoring that "Ooops, word censored!"ody breached the target time. What a waste of a trained nurse's time.

 

The time before we were ushered out of the door as we were going to "breach" even though they hadn't worked out why his blood sugar was way too high. Just rather irritably told me that he should take more insulin. It was left to me to discover via the Inernet that he had actually been supplied with the wrong pen for the cartridges of insulin he was using, so we actually had no way of knowing how much he was having anyway

[kazaddress]

Dont get me started on the nhs

 

I have been ill for 5 years.. constantly being told im imagining it all. it wasnt untill i paid for private healthcare and requested tests, that they found what was wrong with me (and i was told if i had left it untreated for any longer i would have died).

 

this time last year i had a fall and ripped my ACL (ligament in my knee).. nhs sent me home even though my knee was the size of a football, they just said it was "brusing". 2 weeks later the ligament ripped completly.. still i was not diagnosed.. they said it was just "damaged cartlage".. 2 weeks later they changed their minds and said i had fractured my knee cap. in the end i gave up and paid to go private. within 30seconds (im not kidding) the private consultant had diagnosed me, and booked me in for an op the next operating day!

 

IF THE NHS had diagnosed me rather then pushing me out of hospital, i would have only needed minor key hole surgery to repair the rip, rather the 2 major operations, including the removal of a section of my hamstring to replace the ligament... meaning its taking 1.5 years to recover (rather then the 1 month it would have taken).

 

was rushed into hospital 2 months ago with a suspected heart attack.. i was then left without food or water for 24 hours (they forgot about me). I was not allowed to use a phone as i had no money with me (I was rushed into hospital in the middle of the night). so had no way to contact my family!

 

 

i could go on... but i wont!

[kazaddress]

I think i have just lost faith in the nhs completly. my nan, my grandad, my step father and my mums boyfriend all died after misdiagnoses

 

my nan was in terrable pain when she was in her 50's she kept going back to the doctor with the pains.. he kept sending her home.. she dies of cancer

 

grandad and my step father were the same

 

when i was growing up i had terrable pains in my abdomen (similar to what i got a few months ago). and my mum had the same pains. the doctor informed me and my mother that we were both pregnant (at the age of 9).. hmm.. mirical conseption?? she changed her mind to stomach cancer and made me take all kinds of medicines which in turn made me very unwell

 

my mum still has the pains.. and still has not had anything sorted

[Cate in NZ]

There are some horrendous stories of the NHS, and I can contribute several to the debate. But the NHS is, in the main, staffed by some wonderful, skilled and caring individuals working their hardest in some pretty difficult conditions. I'm shocked and frustrated by the bureaucracy, however much of the time the care delivered is outstanding. I agree that much of the time it's just not delivered fast enough, but the service is very stretched, in all areas. There are tragically mistakes and misdiagnoses, and these are appalling, but even doctors are only human, and working long hours often under incredible stress.

I do feel though that I want to stick up for the staff....... they do a fantastic job in sometimes very challenging conditions, and still manage to deliver quality care, as well as compiling the necessary lists of statistics

[Addiscomber]

I agree that most of the staff are doing their best in difficult circumstances, but why should the circumstances be difficult?

Why should a politician set an arbitrary target that allows insufficient time to get to the real root of the patient's problem?

It is no picnic being a parent of a teenager getting worse before your very eyes with a known life threatening condition , and yet being pushed out of the door because you have been there too long.

 

My sister worked in Belgium for years and the administration of health care is so much better.

[Martin B]

It's a disgrace!

[Night Nurse]

Can I echo Kate A's comments.....

I work at the sharp end of the NHS, as the Senior Nurse on duty for a large teaching hospital at night.

Yes, things go wrong.......Most hospitals are like large machines, and it is impossible to get it right every time......

Yes, there are some instances of bad practice.

Yes, the 4 hour breach target is unattainable, and causes things to get neglected and missed because there are people watching the target and hassling the clinical staff.

 

But on the other hand, after nursing for 18 years, I am still heartened by the good work I see being done on the wards and in the departments, by staff who have a real motivation for what they do, and try their hardest against all odds......There's no money, we're all being asked to do more with less resources, but on the whole, we try!

 

I have seen standards of care that are inexcusable, but on the other hand, I also see a lot of good work going on by staff who still maintain a passion for what they are trying to achieve, against all odds!!

 

My advice to anybody unhappy with their lot vis a vis inpatient care is to escalate the issue (ie: ask to speak to someone more senior) - eventually you will get to speak to someone sensible, and fairly experienced - Don't take no for an answer - there are people like me in most hospitals these days, and I tend to find that most problems can be sorted out provided they are dealt with by someone with the experience and authority to get things done!

 

(this is probably my first post made without tongue firmly in cheek.....)

[Guest]

My sister worked in Belgium for years and the administration of health care is so much better.

 

 

Mmmm... but for one thing Belgian taxes are at about 40% (conservative estimate - some put it much higher)

 

and for another, the Belgian system is insurance-based. If you have no insurance - you have no treatment beyond a "basic service"

 

Belgium has about 10 million population - we have nearer 60.. Belgium spends about 9% of GDP on heathcare in addition private spending - we spend just over 7% GDP..

 

It's very difficult to compare both systems because they are "apples and pears" - but if we wanted to be like Belgium we'd have to be prepared to pay a heck of a lot more in tax and to buy into health-insurance... (and accept that those who don't have insurance don't get treated...) I don't hear people queuing up to do that...

 

 

Phil

[Karen & co.]

I feel guilty now for those of you working for the NHS including my OH, (I may return one day too!)

 

I didn't start this wanting to have a pop at anyone

 

I know that sterling work is being done by most under ridiculous pressures and budgets.

 

I think I must have been having a bad day and feeling grotty too.

 

Sorry to anyone who feels got at

 

karen x

[AnnieP]

Not at all Karen. This is the place to have a rant if you feel like it, and you certainly had cause to. Maybe a letter simply stating your concern would be appropriate?

 

I too am fully supportive of our NHS system: My father in Law died in January after cancer treatment of two years. The doctors and nurses were like an extended family to us. They cried with us when he went. Three of the staff still phone my MIL to see how she is and the consultant who had been in charge of his case for that time wrote her the most wonderful letter after he had died, which meant the world to her.

 

I had a few very minor problems last year, went to the NHS, was correctly diagnosed (well, it was fairly obvious), but was told that I would have to wait over a year for treatment. I had private medical insurance through OH and so guiltily used it. I was treated within a week, BUT the cost was unbelievable. You only have to look and see what vets charge to see what kinds of bills we would be paying if we were in a private system.

 

Of course we would all want better health care, schools, social services, policing etc. No matter how good these services were, we could always find things to wish to improve, but unfortunately the beaurocrats are in charge, staff are put under pressure to "perform" and so corners are cut. Its down to money!

 

For what we pay, I still think what we get is amazing! I would love to do a price list for all the services we have used and add up to see how much it costs!

What's the price of having a baby for instance? All the antenatal stuff and health checks for a start?

I know with my FIL's illness we are most undoubtedly in defecit.

[SusannenoZ]

Like night nurse I too am a senior nurse in the NHS having worked for it for 26 years, and its in a bad way, no doubt about it, the red tape is crippling, the way money can be accessed and spent and wasted is just unbelievable, there has been some serious mis management, BUT, public expectations are sometimes unrealistic, the population is much higher than it was in 1947 at its inception, medical science has developed so much that the existing NHS is just struggling to keep up with advances. My Gran of 98 said the other day, after a visit form her GP for a query chest infection, that he was only with her for 10 minutes, "Doctor Jim always stayed for longer and sat and talked with you , had tea" etc. etc. (this was in about 1950!)... welll yes he probably did Gran because he couldn't do much else in those days and didn't have over 2000 patients on his list! as it was she had an x ray arranged wihin the hour and a return visit by the GP, later at home to prescribe some medication.

I work in a different field than the acute setting, I work with disabled children, many of whom are sucess stories of the NHS some having been born at 24 weeks or less, some who are on 24 hour ventilation, none of them would have been here even 10 years ago, just an example of what can be done but it costs and will cost a lot to keep them surviving into hopefully adulthood and there isn't a bottomless pit of money it has to be shared out. I agree with Rev Nev about other countries having experienced the health system in other parts of europe and the States, yes we can have a systen like theirs but it won't be free!! Just one last point as a staff member of the NHS, we are all human and mistakes are made as in any other field of work, of course raise concerns make complaints ,most of us want to give the very best service we can, no one, however senior, works for the NHS because they want to cause distress to anyone.

[One Man Banned]

I've had some very good care and very bad from the NHS but on the whole it's a good system not supported by a government.

 

When I was 11 i got severe stomach pains - mt GP was brilliant (also a surgeon at the hospital we used and his wife was a GP at the same surgery) he referred me to hospital where some tests were done. One day I went to see the GP and didn't have the pain at the time but that night I was curled up on a chair in agony and my mum couldnt do anything for me. There was a knock on the door and it was my GP "just seeing how I was" This was at 8pm at night! - Ambulanced to casualty and stayed in for more tests that time.

 

Over the years I was rescribed pills, potions, and goodness nows the other stuff I took. I lost countless days from school, my head of year often taking me home. The GP pushed for tests as he thought I had an ulcer. the specialist said I was too young. Eventually though it wasdiagnosed as an ulcer. The day of diagnosis the consultant left his office as we were sat in the waiting room, another bloke went in and then I got called in. I cried when I was told what it was, as one man thought he knew best and got it wrong for so long and was too stubborn to have anything suggested by anyone else.

 

Odd that he got called away at that moment I always think.

 

As for how much I've cost the NHS, wouldnt like to imagine. I was born with slight cerebal palsy (my mum is bady affected since birth) and my legs were growing funny and my feet pointed in. 18 months of operations to have bones cut shaped pinned and plated and then the months of rehab would have cost a fortune - but it meant I don't need a wheelchair now and was able to run when I was 15 - I cried then too!!

 

Joe is a pharmacist, and the government is changing the way that pharmacies get paid by putting more and more onus onto them to "relieve" the doctors - because of the way they get paid now many local small pharmacies may close. Larger chains will survive as they offer more products etc.

 

Who knows where this NHS will be in 10 years time - with all the cuts locally - 3 local hospitals to close and countless other services lost because we needed to save £40million from our area.

[Mel (& Paul)]

I have to say that our local GP (just a small practice - 2 Gps, practice nurses and receptionists) are fabulous. Its always easy to get a convenient appointment and I always feel that I get really good care.

Also, when Paul's mum died in December I have to say the care given at Poole Hospital - in the observation wards, cardiac ward and intensive care departments were all brilliant. Everyone seemed to have more than enough time to talk to us about what was happening and what would happen - even though they were all rushed off their feet.

I know that we are lucky and that there are some bad nhs trusts out there but (and this shocks me ) I do have to agree with Rev Nev - with such a large employer things will go wrong.

I just hope you are beginning to feel a little better Karen? - and can you see how a good rant starts off a fab discussion