Page 10 of 12 FirstFirst ... 89101112 LastLast
Results 91 to 100 of 115

Thread: GP's, NHS & sportsmen - a rant

  1. #91
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Over Haddon
    Posts
    2,948
    Just a shout out for the NHS.

    Following my tumble at Ilam on Sunday I attended at Whitworth Minor Injuries Unit at 5pm. Was on a bed having my wounds cleaned within 10 minutes and left 80 mins later glued, steristripped and bandaged. An excellent service.

    Yesterday evening attended at Buxton MIU where one of my wounds was re-dressed. In and out within 45 min. Again excellent.

    Both above were without appointment.

    This morning phoned my GP surgery at 8.30 for an appointment with a doctor, totally unrelated to above, and was given a choice of 10.00 or 15.10 today. Went for 10.00 and had a frank, sympathetic and encouraging 20 minutes with a very professional female GP.
    No tut tutting when I told her I run and cycle at 61, in fact the opposite, she emphasised the importance of fitness into old age, but to try not to fall over!

    Maybe my experience is not the norm and that I am fortunate to live in a ruralish area where the pressure on the system is not as great as in urban areas.
    I did see a notice that said the surgery had 3,220 appointments in the previous month of which there were 102 no shows. Too many but I am sure that in some places the no shows will be higher.
    Visibility good except in Hill Fog

  2. #92
    Senior Member DangerMouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    235
    This is good to hear - thank you for sharing - wish it was more like this round here because this is not my experience over the last few years. When I phone the surgery the receptionist, who are always very nice, tell me there are not enough doctors and it's approx 3 weeks wait for an appointment.

    I realise I had a bit of a rant about this on another thread and I should temper it a bit because I did have an excellent experience at a NHS service in Leeds a few months ago, staff were really cool, professional and they sorted me out no problem!

    Postcode lottery?

  3. #93
    Master Wheeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Monmouth
    Posts
    7,389
    Same here in south wales DM...a minimum 3 week wait for GP appointment. Really not good enough. But if it was abused carefully its probably demand outstripping supply. And that demand is not always realistic. Prescription charges had to be introduced 4 years after birth of NHS because explosion of drugs available threatened to break the business model. It seems to me that an appointment fee to see the GP may now be needed for similar reasons.

  4. #94
    Master Wheeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Monmouth
    Posts
    7,389
    Abused?? Should have been analysed!

  5. #95
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    North east wales
    Posts
    339
    Regarding medical forms for competing abroad. My Gp refuses to have anything to do with them , never mind charging. I have a minor heart condition so it's problematic , however my consultant was kind enough to fill on in for me to run in Italy. Then the basted organisers didn't even ask for it.. Will have to examine the EA option. Seems to depend on the country, Italian and French race organisers seem very hot on it, Scandinavian countries ( for orienteering) less so. Been a while since I've been mind so might have changed.

  6. #96
    Senior Member DangerMouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    235
    That's interesting Wheeze, I guess it would have to be one fee per month or some other limit?

    Would't want to make the people who are severely ill pay for more appointments, that would be a bit mean.

    I'm not sure though, as I understand it the problem is that doctors are going abroad or taking private sector jobs because of the conditions of working in the NHS in the UK as a GP are so bad.

    I would much rather fix the problems than try and fix the symptoms

    I think the people who work in the NHS are amazing, I think it's the systems that are broken and this is where my criticisms are aimed.

    Why are private companies providing essential goods and services at vastly inflated prices to the NHS for example - it's this kind of corruption that needs to be stopped.

    I realise these things I have said are purely anecdotal, but I don't think they are wrong.

  7. #97
    Master Wheeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Monmouth
    Posts
    7,389
    Any fee-to-see would obviously be means tested and linked to status of illness. Much like a disability badge. Any 'free' system is open to abuse but, currently, the level of abuse overwhelms the genuine need. Certainly a problem that needs fixing is how people access the system. Talk to any GP and they will tell you of the unrelenting tide of needless consultations that hinder tackling genuine problems. Personal abuse and real physical threat are daily stresses. Who would want to work like that?
    Simon Blease
    Monmouth

  8. #98
    Senior Member DangerMouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    235
    All good Wheeze

    I have a lot to say on these subjects, but I think some of it might be a bit hard? I don't know, I will make some tentative statements and hope they are taken in the spirit they are intended and that is looking and speaking honestly and asking challenging questions.

    Abusing the system: Perhaps there's a deeper problem here? If someone is using up GP appointments for needless consultations, the question is 'why?' Loneliness? Attention seeking? Hypochondria? Mental illness? All of these are still health issues are they not? Perhaps instead of complaining about people turning up for needless appointments the docs (or society in general?) should be identifying the problem and helping these folk overcome their insecurities or whatever it is. Ideally they no longer feel the need to 'go see the doc', this has to be better than restricting access because they are seen as abusers of the system and leaving them out in the cold? I know that these issues may not seem serious, or just a waste of time, and other people may be more worthy(?) of attention, but I strongly suspect that they are precursors to more serious conditions. See what I mean?

    To take this idea further, what constitutes a valid reason to visit the doctor? Is there a point at which a person should take responsibility for their own health? Or to take it to an extreme to illustrate the point, should people be able to do what they want and then expect/hope for health care services to fix them up again?

    An obvious example is drinking, should someone who is teetotal get preferential treatment over someone who is a chronic alcoholic? Is there a scale? This sounds ridiculous when written down like this, but I am told that this attitude is very real in some cases.

    A much more subtle example, should someone who eats natural foods they cook themselves be given preferential treatment to someone who eats processed foods, takeaways, etc.? I believe a lot of ailments are caused by poor diet, I have a bit of a thing about this.

    Fundamentally, I think everyone should be treated equally, but I understand that due to pressures this is sometimes not the case. In effect it is triage, why waste time on someone who is clearly on a self destruct mission.

    Personal abuse and real physical threat: Same as above really, but much more serious, the people who do this are not well despite how common it is and how much this behaviour is encouraged in modern society. They are in the right place and seeking help - perhaps just not in the right way? Perhaps, help these people instead of penalising them? I agree that no one should have to work under those conditions, but this is the tip of the iceberg. Some of the stories my friends have told me about their experiences in mental health care would make your toes curl!

    I know these are really tough questions, I don't expect any answers per se, perhaps it's just food for thought.

  9. #99
    Master Wheeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Monmouth
    Posts
    7,389
    They are not tough, just realistic. The scenarios you describe are real, appropriate and discussed ad infinitum by the medical community. But they are just one side of the coin. On the other side are people who are simply tw**s, who have an overbearing attitude to their rights and to hell with their responsibilities and who won't listen to good advise but then expect 'someone' to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong.
    Being a GP is like having the sword of Damocles hanging over you.....sifting out the folks that need help from those that don't is a challenging task. One wrong choice and you are hung out to dry!
    Simon Blease
    Monmouth

  10. #100
    Master Wheeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Monmouth
    Posts
    7,389
    Loneliness? Attention seeking? Hypochondria? Mental illness?
    All important issues to the individual but how on earth is a GP supposed to address or even detect those in a 10 minute consulation?
    Simon Blease
    Monmouth

Similar Threads

  1. Rhayader Rant
    By Silly Big Fella in forum Races
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 19-02-2011, 08:31 PM
  2. Random rant about dog owners!
    By stumpy in forum General Fellrunning Issues
    Replies: 123
    Last Post: 08-02-2011, 10:56 PM
  3. RANT - ITV/Sky+
    By bestathlete in forum General chat!
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-02-2009, 10:57 PM
  4. TV Licence Rant
    By peawet08 in forum General chat!
    Replies: 29
    Last Post: 10-12-2008, 06:41 PM
  5. Rules rant
    By FellMonster in forum General Fellrunning Issues
    Replies: 129
    Last Post: 21-12-2007, 07:58 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •