Glad yer okay, you old bugger!
From my experience of NHS, both as a customer, a casual observer, someone who reads (and generally disregards) the press, and as someone who works with them on ocassion I feel (un)qualified to give a personal opinion
In essence, I aggree with everyone else on here about their efficiency.
It seems that 'Emergency Care' is second to none, from the moment you call for an Ambulance (or a cop car if they are all busy) you are in safe hands. The staff at A&E are dedicated and well equipped (but better not to go in October and April, as thats when the newly qualified "Doctors" first start their 6-month rotation
).
After that, you get onto a ward where you'll be lucky to get half the nursing / housekeeping staff they need, but they keep on going and still get the work done - sometimes with a smile, and rarely with time for a proper break.
The problems in the 'system' appear to be elsewhere, ie 'non-emergency' stuff, and i don';t really think it is ever going to get fixed because it relies on the general publics' co-operation, and they are the most un-reliable people i meet (if they turn up
)
If i want to see my GP I can book an appointment on the interweb (3 weeks away) or on the phone after 0800, but only for that day. This is great for those times when you wake up feeling a bit duff, but not if you soldier on past 0800 and come lunch time feel that you need the quack - they'll be out of appointments for today, and can't give you one for tommorow, as you can only get ones for the same day
Also, if you decide to have a couple of days off work, self-certificated, then after a week need a sicknote, you've got no chance, other than to take up an 'emergency' appointment by phoning in before 0800.
Alternatively, if i wanted to see my own GP (as opposed to one of the others who don't know me), I'd just phone him at home, or drop in to see him - that's the benefit of having a clever mate at school who always said he was going to be a doctor!
Now, when the surgery was smaller, it had 2 docs and a lady on reception who made the tea, ran the hoover round and generally ran the place, but didn't see herself as important.
Now there is a practice manager, 3 receptionists (sorry 'Administration Executives'), a cleaning team and who knows what else, but i don't know what they do....
The appointments are made on t'web, or phone before 0800. You turn up and book-in on a computer screen in the entrance, sit down and watch TV until half an hour past your alloted time, then the nurse or Doctor you're to see come and fetch you. In the meantime, the office staff are doing something important behind security glass and away from anywhere where they may have to talk to anyone.
The medical staff do all your notes on a 'puter at the time, and any paperwork (not much) is printed at the time. My repeat prescriptions magically go to the pharmacy and i just collect my tablets every 3 months and give them some money - this seems to surprise the pharmacy staff, as they don't seem to expect anyone to actually have to pay for prescription items, and in fairness, WsM is mainly made up of old people who get it free, Drug Addicts who get it free, Unemployed people who get it free, children who get it free, and working people who (generally) are in good enough health to not need it.
(I'm not bitter about this though, I strongly believe that the young and the elderly should get health care, and more, fully funded - as for the alcoholics and druggies, thats another story).
GP's don't get long enough to always make a reliable decision, and insufficient continuity to keep an eye on it - years ago, your GP would have been the one to come and see you at home, now you phone up, get an appointment with a locum, then follow-up visits with a different GP, home visists from a community nurse etc etc - all of whom i have every sympathy with, and all of whom are trying their best, against a system seeking efficiency.
Last night i was at A&E with one of our customers who had a 'head injury' and couldn't be detained until a doctor said it was okay...... (he had dropped a nut on his girlfriend and smashed her face in, but he was the one we took to A&E, whilst she was expected to make her own way there
).
Anyway, we got in a queue, and sat drinking tea whilst the clinical staff did their stff - with deserving cases, not our whinging git. One of these was a guy in his 60's (like you Roland, if you're still reading), who had tried to see his GP for a throat problem, and had been 'sorted out' with ibuprofen tablets and sent home. On the night time, his wife had woken up 'coz of his heavy snoring, decided he looked unwell, his throat was heavilly swolen and he couldn't breath. Ambulance attended, no respiration, no heart output, loads of hard work done, all to no avail
When i slipped a disc i was on an 'urgent' list for an mRI scan - after 3 months of waiting my work said they'd pay for it (only £400 or so, whats that compared to 3 months sickpay for me, but they had to wait for the NHS for 12 weeks!). 2 days later i went to the same place, and saw the same staff as the NHS use - it appears that the owners of the million quid plus machine would rather use private money than no money, so only make it availlable to the NHS for 'emergency' use - much different to my 'urgent' need, so everyone knew it would never happen until someone paid for it. If I'd been told that at the beginning, I'd have paid for it myself after a couple of weeks, but i kept getting letters telling me when my projected 'slot' would be (6 months hence, unless they get a cancellation).
Also, it appears that only about 20% of people actually turn up for outpatient appointments, and of the other 75%, many don't cancel, so the staff are kept waiting about, when someone else could have had the slot. WGH now have a system that they don't give specific times, you get there first thing, then wait in a queue - that way, they can deal with those who turn up, and try and get others in.
It is things like this that need a decent administration team, but i suspect, much like any other 'business' it gets someone on minimum wage trying their best to contact people, whilst they have 3 supervisors and a manager discussing why one girl isn't getting 3 alcoholics to go back to the fracture clinic even though the 'patient' cant remember falling over pished and breaking their arm.
Bloody hell, have i ranted on that much.......
Get well soon!
