NotoriousREV

What the hell is wrong with Doctors these days?

I'm and have been since the beginning of the week, blamed it on a hangover but it seems to have developed into a kidney infection of some kind.

MrsREV has just registered with our nearest doctor, (she's from out of town) and they agreed to see her on an emergency appointment before she'd registered, she was happy with the octor and they seem friendly enough and had a medical with them today.

I haven't visited my doctor (another practice further away) because they are impossible to make an appointment with and you only get 4 minutes with the doctor and are only allowed to discuss 1 set of symptoms My do is also my Dads doc so the conversation usually goes "how's your dad" "he's fine, but I'm ill" "ooh, sorry, time's up".

Anyway, so while MrsREV was at her new docs today I asked her to get me a registration form and to see if she can sort out an appointment for me. No problem with the registration, but they said I'd be better off seeing my current doctor for my current illness and to contact them.

I've spent 15 minutes queuing for a receptionist, she can get me in tonight as long as it's before 6pm. I'm in Stoke-On-Trent, they're in Runcorn, not a hope. What about tomorrow? No appointments at all until next thursday, I'm can't turn up at the surgery in the morning, I have to phone and speak to the triage nurse first to see if I qualify for an emergency appointment.

I'm going to perform surgery on my own kidneys to see if that helps my chances of being seen by a doc [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Thank you for listening.

[Edited by NotoriousREV - 05/06/2003 17:02:54]

unclebuck

You'll have to stand in line behind all the bogus asylum seekers I'm afraid.

Apparently the latest idea is that docters will issue patients with 'lifestyle' plans. Subsequently if they get illness for any reason that is considered to have been caused by not adhering to this plan they will not be treated. 'kin crazy [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

UB

Leslie

That must be another form of stealth tax then [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I think from what I have been told, you have to start thumping the table-literally-to get them to take any notice of you now. Then threaten them with litigation if your illness becomes worse, and writing letters to your local papers naming names.

Well beyond a joke.

Les

Dracoro

Try your local A&E if it's giving you grief. You may have to wait a while but at least you'll get seen....eventually.


Glad I got a g/f who's a doc! I'll ask her what her opinion is of people who come into A&E coz they can't see their own doc.

Little Miss WRX

I know what you mean, you had to book two weeks in advnce in order to get an appointment at my old docs in the UK.

I had the beginnings of an asthma attack one day and called them up in for an urgent appointment in order to get some more medication rather than go to hospital.
I was told that despite me finding it difficult to talk due to wheezing, that no more urgent appointments were available and can it wait till tomorrow?
I was at home alone at the time, but my dad had agreed to come and pick me up as soon as I had an appointment......
I asked if I could have a home visit and got told that it wasn't urgent enough???????
By this time I was getting frustrated and panicky as my Ventolin inhaler was now empty (I had used it all)
After an hour, I could hardly breathe at all, I phoned dad and basically gasped down the phone to him unable to say anything eligible, he hung up and rang an ambulance for me.

Many Humbug Returns

Go private - no wait, plush facilities, lovely.

What do you expect from the public sector? You get what you pay for in life. You happily pay car mechanics, plumbers and electricians £60-90 an hour, so cough up for your health care.

fatherpierre

I thought we already did?

NI and heavily taxed on everything?

Scot123

Thats the thing, if we could opt out of NI I'm sure alot more of us would go private..

Luke

I gave up with the Nationel health system in UK.....Its to third world and seeems to be staffed by people from it!!!!

If A Doctor in the Uk told me that I could only discuss one problem and only have a few mins to do it......... It would be his sudden medical problem we would be discussing......


BLAME YOURSELVES: Youve allowed it to happen.

Gordo

ffs - NI is nothing to do with pensions or the NHS, just another tax that the general public stupidly don't notice. Everyone would have gone mad if income tax had increased 1p - NI? Oh, that's ok then. (Just as road tax is sod all to do with spend on roads - it's merely a collection channel).

But the provision of NHS services also pisses me off - we absolutely pay for it, several times over. Dentists are my current gripe - the pricing is absolutely random with no controls whatsoever. I'm all for charging people to visit the doctor to try to weed out the timewasters/ hypochondriacs who just need a strong drink and get back to work!

Rant over
Gordo

NotoriousREV

I bloody well don't, I do it all myself. I'd do my own Doctoring too if I could. Personally, I'd happily go private if I got tax/NI relief for it, but I'm only want access to what is legally my right. This will be my first doctors visit in around 5 years, so I'm hardly a drain on resources.

As for dentists, I fly to Tenerife for dental work, the guy speaks little English (although he understands english as he trained in Manchester) so he doesn't lecture me like UK dentists and costs about half and doesn't keep "finding" problems.

My dad and my stepmum are both NHS employees and both are dismayed at the state of the service as a whole, but then they have been for as long as I remember.

Dream Weaver

Dont get me started on dentists [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

NHS is a joke, why do we pay NI?????

TopBanana

Do you morons really think it's the doctors' fault?

NotoriousREV

a) cut out the personal insults, it shows lack of intelligence

b) at the practice I am with, yes, it is (mis)managed by the doctors who make up the practice. It is not the biggest practice in the world and should take less than 15 minutes to answer a call. It's not lack of funding either, they have spent a fortune on new computer systems and an automated telephone system and yet they still can't cope with patient numbers. This morning I have managed to get accepted at a new surgery and the difference in attitude is stunning. Answered my call on the 2nd ring, didn't abuse me down the phone and make me feel guilty for phoning in the first place and offered me an appointment for this morning. My stepmum is the District Nursing Manager at my old surgery and out of the 10 doctors there, she beleives only 2 of them are actually any good. IMHO (and my stepmums) they have being greedy. They became fund-holders and are milking it for all it's worth, yet patient care has declined.

pblakeway

How about tax relief for going private.. I cant believe that I have to pay extra tax from my salary for private health, im saving them money why charge me for not using the NHS.

TopBanana

So when you said "what is it with doctors these days?", what you actually meant was - "what's with my doctor these days?". Big difference.

A lot of you have no idea how hard doctors work under crap conditions in a failing health service only to get abuse from disgruntled 'customers'. Desperate times call for desperate measures, they're (generally) doing the best they can

brickboy

Sorry to hear you're having to wait for this. On the other side of the coin, try talking to a doctor, or a practice manager about the kind of ridiculous problems that people bring to them. Or the number of people that fail to turn up for appointments on any given day.

TopBanana

Have you phoned NHSDirect?

Alpine99

my best mate is a GP.. some of the stories he tells are amazing.. On any given day his no-show appointments are likely to be 20%.. we should find some way of fining these people for none-attendance..

Normally it takes a week to get an appointment with the dr's here.. but they do fit in emergencies quickly and have seen my infant daughter at a moments notice..

At Christmas I rang for an appointment and was amazed to get straight in that afternoon. When I went the surgery was like a ghost town.. I asked the dr why.. his response.. no malingers looking for sick notes as it's holiday time...

NHS direct is a complete waste of time.. most calls result in a 'go to A&E' or 'see your gp' or generate a call for the on-duty dr's... Er like it would have done in the first place..

TopBanana

Hmm, sounds about right re NHSDirect - worth a try though if you're in pain. Apparently costs more to handle an NHSDirect call that in does for a GP to see you!

Dave P

I'm with Jlang here. Also have freinds who are GP's and the amount of time wasters they get is incredible. One New Years day they were asked to attend a house call for someone who had a "bit of a sore throat"

Personally if I were a GP and someone banged the table and threatened me with litigation I'd tell them to f%^k right off and find a new doctor.

Dave

Dream Weaver

Jllang, doctors/dentists all the same thing. I have been paying NI for years now, yet next week I am having my two front teeth out which is costing me £700 of my hard earned cos they cant be arsed taking on NHS patients within 100 miles of my house [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

They dont make enough money with NHS so are all private, but then they dont want to work long hours so wont take on patients. My local practice opens from 10-12, then 2-6, and closes Wednesday!!

As for doctors, when i can see mine he is an ****.

TopBanana

Mate, doctors and dentists are *not* the same thing. Dentists are often moneygrabbing charlatans. Having said that, my GP isn't the best either, so it's a good thing they only see you for minor complaints and proper doctors look after the serious stuff

logiclee

Michelle,

My sister-in-law Rosie had an asthma attack just after Christmas, she rang the Doctors but they wouldn't see her or come out.
She rang my wife to see if Lorraine would take her to A&E and look after her 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter.

When Lorraine arrived 20 minutes later she passed an Ambulance with full lights and sirens on Rosie's street and found the house empty. Lorraine headed straight to A&E to find both kids crying in the triage nurse's bay.

To shorten the story Rosie had collapsed but just managed to call 999. She had "Died" twice in the Ambulance and was on a ventilator for 3 days in ITU unable to breath for herself. It turned out not only did the Doctors turn her down flat but a few weeks before they changed Rosies drugs to a cheaper alternative, her consultant says the new cheaper drugs were in no way comparable to the protection her usual drugs provided. In the consultants opinion her attack and the severity of it was a direct result of the drug change. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Two young children nearly lost thier mother. Four year old Addam is still traumatised by the whole thing, he was bundled into an ambulance by strangers with his mum unconcious and had to watch the paramedics sticking tubes down her throat and drips in her arm etc. He burst's into tears at the sight of an ambulance.

All this to cut costs at the local practice. She is back on her original drugs now and her Dr's have had a warning from the consultant not to change her drugs without his approval.

Lee

Claudius

That's gotta be a joke, man!

If I want an appointment, I can go within 2-3 days, if it is an emergency I go there straight away and the others will have to wait. What about the hospital? Tried that?

NotoriousREV

Well, saw my new doctor, very friendly, prodded and poked about, took several samples, now I just need to wait for the results while munching on Amoxycillin.

Little Miss WRX

Lee

That is very, very bad.

Fortunately I did not need to go into ITU, but I was damned close.

That is basically the same story.....the doctors at my local practice switched my drugs and persistant attempts to tell them that my peak flow was worsening from 400 down to 250 over a matter of days with dips of 175 at night were ignored. I measured around 90 on the meter when I called my dad up the second time.

After that incident, to get me back on track, I was put on Ventolin/Bricanyl (in case one didn't work immediately) Becloforte, Pulmicort, Flixotide (useless fecking thing ), Servent, Oxivent inhalers, Theophylline tablets and a long course of steroids. (Not all at once, the separate inhalers were introduced as I came off the steroid course). Before that I was on Flixotide, Ventolin and Serevent which was a switch from Becloforte, Venotolin, Oxivent and Pulmicort.
I was then referred to an asthma specialist and haven't looked back since.

Recently, I am sure you will have read that I had issues with the "state" health system doctors over in Aus.
I have had to go private and in all honesty, I won't be going anywhere else. The doctor I have let's me look after my own asthma, prescribes what I need and does regular assessments to see if my treatment needs to be lowered or highered. I have his home number and mobile number to contact him on in case of emergency. He has told me he isn't bothered what time of day or night I call. I now feel very confident in the treatment I receive and hence the stress factor trigger is lessened.

Alpine99

As with all jobs you get good and bad Dr's...

To be honest I think the system has ground my Dr mate down.. Once upon a time he wanted to help people now mostly he sees time wasters and people who could treat their own bloody colds..

Get this...

he takes an NHS direct referall call at 2am on news years eve/day.. Woman saying her chid has a rash that doesn't disappear under a glass.. hysterical... when he eventually asks how long she's had it.. the answer is 2 years.. great time to choose to call...

Apple

Bloke round the corner from me has a German girlfriend and he's dropped hints about her selling up over there and moving in over here. She won't have any of it - she had a health problem in Germany, saw her Doctor who referred her to Specialist. She walked into Specialist's clinic and he was gutted / profusely sorry as though the system had failed her because he couldn't see her for HALF AN HOUR -

logiclee

Did you see the program on German hospitals on TV the other night. Doctors were walking round hospitals bored as they hadn't anymore patients to see.

Germany did however invest double per person/income in health than the UK.

My wife is disabled, as a lot of the midlands crowd know, and is in hospital a couple of times a year, she had a seven week stay the end of last year and was in for Christmas, 90% of the time is waiting. You can have a scan Monday, see the consultant Thursday who recommends a test that you can have next Wednesday etc. Its so frustrating and hard to understand unless you have been on the receiving end. The more beds policy is not the answer, its more scanners, more doctors more consultants. Lorraine took a bed up for Seven weeks, in my opinion if she hadn't had to wait for scans and consultants she would have been in for less than two.

I can tell anyone the most valuable thing in life is Health, without it you have nothing and nothing else matters.

Lee