Quote Originally Posted by Llani Boy View Post
After a 5 minute wait in the queue I spoke to a receptionist and to my surprise was offered an appointment at 9.15.

The GP, a chap in his 30's, who looked a bit of a sportsman himself, was very understanding of my concerns and complimentary of my fitness. After checking my BP he listened to my breathing and did that tapping thing on my back and chest with his fingers. He said everything seemed fine but suggested further investigation. After telling me the proposed plan of action he the sent the referral details to my phone for me to make the relevant appointments.

I now have blood tests back at the surgery this afternoon, a chest X-ray in the local cottage hospital tomorrow and an appointment in the "Lung Service" department in Royal Chesterfield Hospital on Monday.
We can only dream of service like that around here; last time my mother (in her mid 80s) tried to make an appointment it took eight weeks to get an appointment, with any doctor at any time. I can't remember the number of phone calls and attempts to book online (which never worked) but it was a considerable number.

I also haven't forgotten when I was isolating after having major surgery in 2020, either. The hospital told me to isolate for two weeks, as the death rate for people who had had surgery like me and caught Covid-19 immediately afterwards was over 35 percent. The problem was that the dressing needed inspecting and changing. When I phoned up to make an appointment with a nurse, and not a doctor, they flatly refused - so I had to queue-up in a waiting room at a hospital. That is how much that practice values its patients lives.

I don't think it will surprise anyone that the first thing I did when well enough was register with another GP practice. I don't know if they're any better, as I haven't seen a doctor, but I take the view that they can't be as bad.