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The Tories And The Nhs
22 Answers
Earlier today I called into our GP surgery of behalf of Mrs Hyime.
The woman in the queue in front of me was seeking an appointment with a Doctor – she explained to the receptionist that she was suffering a lot of pain, but was not sure if this was as a result of side effects of the medication she was taking, or something else.
The GP receptionist told her that there were no GP appointments available, and basically told her to go away.
Besides the headline figure of nearly 8 million waiting for a hospital procedure – I wonder how many effectively have no access to medical care (as the lady above) given the state of the NHS.
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The NHS can NEVER be adequately funded to meet all expectations.
While it employs hordes of agency workers at 3 times the pay of "employed" staff, spends millions on consultants to cover for striking juniors & has to fork out shedloads of compensation for medical negligence there isn't a hope in hell.
Labour won't do any better than the current lot.
"Besides the headline figure of nearly 8 million waiting for a hospital procedure – I wonder how many effectively have no access to medical care (as the lady above) given the state of the NHS."
Probably the same number again, Hymie.
The so-called primary healthcare system provided by the NHS is an absolute shambles. The GP system is totally unfit for purpose, serving mainly as a “gatekeeper”, preventing patients accessing the treatment they need from the people who know what they are doing.
But these are not party political issues. No party likely to form a government has any plans for the radical reform that the NHS needs if it is to survive. In particular, as far as GP services go, the problems are systemic and stem from the very foundation of the NHS (which, it must be emphasised, “family doctors” opposed). From that beginning, instead of being employed as direct labour by the NHS, GPs worked under the status of private contractors, which they still do today. That poor system was all but completely ruined by Mr Blair who provided them with a contract which basically saw them double their fees for half the work. They are now so well paid that many of them feel able to work only part time and a large majority of them do:
The pandemic gave them the opportunity to effectively shut up shop. That was OK as a temporary measure but many practices have continued in that vein and have reverted to face to face consultations only in exceptional circumstances. This has become so common that some practices are now laying off GPs:
“The 19,000-patient practice invited its 11 salaried GPs to apply for voluntary redundancy in December, and the three who took up this offer will be leaving at the end of March, according to the BBC.
“Managing director Joe Todd told patients in an update yesterday that they had ‘identified a need to make some changes’ to the practice team after a ‘number of recent improvements and the introduction of new ways of working’.
He said the practice is ‘working differently’ due to a ‘significant increase’ in online requests and virtual appointments, based on patient preference.”
Of course the reason there has been “a ‘significant increase’ in online requests and virtual appointments” is nothing to do with patient preference. It is because they have no other choice (as I found out recently with relation to my own practice).
Without radical surgery the NHS in its current form will die a slow and painful death (as will many of its patients). There is no sign of that happening; politicians’ answer to the problem is to simply throw more cash at it and that will not solve the problems. Eventually it will follow the way of NHS dentistry. The services it provides will become more and more restricted and the numbers of people permitted to use them “free at the point of use” will become to fewer and fewer. It will become a service of last resort.
No other nation has chosen to adopt the UK’s health service model and there’s a very good reason for that – it doesn’t work properly. A change of government will not alter that.
//The GP receptionist told her that there were no GP appointments available, and basically told her to go away.//
I suspect you didn't hear the conversation properly. There's usually the option to ring on the day early for an urgent appointment issued on a 'first come, first served' basis. It may be she couldn't get an urgent appointment that day or even in the next week but surely it's possible to book something even if a few weeks ahead.
The GP system has been been like this for as long as I can remember- even under Blair/Brown my receptionist was a rotweiller whose job seemed to be to put you off for as long as possible or just say ' ring tomorrow at 8am '
newmodarmy said //....but surely it's possible to book something even if a few weeks ahead//
I don’t think so - sometime ago I was in need of a non-urgent GP appointment, I was told that there were none available within the next 2 weeks, and was further advised that they did not make GP appointment bookings more than 2 weeks in advance.
So even if you know that you are going to become ill in a month’s time, it won’t help you in getting a GP appointment (not at my GP surgery, anyway).
"I suspect you didn't hear the conversation properly. There's usually the option to ring on the day early for an urgent appointment issued on a 'first come, first served' basis."
I don't doubt for one minute that Hymie heard correctly because my surgery is exactly the same. One cannot make an appointment in person at the desk. You have to undergo an online "triage" first. If you cannot do that (because you are not computer literate or have no computer) you can visit the surgery and a receptionist will undertake the process with you on a tablet in reception. But the results still have to be fed into the practice's triage system along with all the others. If you cannot complete an online triage or attend the surgery to do so the receptionist will take you through it over the phone (if you can get through) but again the results go into the system along with all the others. In short, you cannot simply make an appointment. You must undergo the triage process first. Only then will you be contacted by the surgery who will decide what's best for you. “On the day” appointments (whether by phone or in parson) are simply out of the question. If you need attention that urgently you are told to use 111 or go to A&E.
I had first-hand experience of this just a few weeks ago, so I know it to be so.
I don't think it is anything to do with the Tories. GP surgeries have found a better way of working for them (during covid) and they are not going to change now. I have been to my local GP surgery over the last few years and there is never anyone there - just a lot of empty seats in the waiting room and the nurse is the only person who ever will ever see one. It's disgraceful.
So much for Patient Confidentiality. It no longer exists in the NHS in my recent experiences.
chrissakes Retro you were the first one to mention endovar -
I am stage IV DBCL and I have never really thought it is a secret. BUT I agree younger and fairer ( young woman) do get sort keen on privacy - oral stuff in the surgery is OK it is the billions of chinese that can access your medical records that I worry about
The last time Mrs Hymie visited the surgery she recounted to me that an elderly Asian man and his wife were in front of her at the reception desk; the man’s wife was telling them that they had gone to A&E as he was suffering chest pains (he had a history of heart problems), but A&E had advised him to go and see his GP, and the receptionist was telling them they could not have an appointment to see a doctor.
I would be very annoyed if I was to have a heart attack and die under the above circumstances – and would think there would be a very good case for a medical negligence claim.
Well I'm reasonably happy with my GP surgery. If you ring as soon as the lines open at 8.30 you might be in a queue of up to 10, get answered in about 5 mins & either an appointment time right away or a call back within an hour or so.
I went there on Wednesday to see the physio & the waiting room was 3/4 full so people ARE getting face to face consultations. Just sayin'
//My suggestion is to adequately fund the NHS.//
It is adequately funded. The government chucks money at it. GP surgeries are a law unto themselves. Mine is dire.... I wait a month for a five minute telephone appointment ... but that said, I know someone who discovered a lump on his testicle, called reception, and the doctor phoned him back within an hour and arranged an urgent scan. Care? I think more like self-protective damage limitation.
There are numerous ways the NHS could save money - stopping this insult to the public is one of them.
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