My God

Now I am not one for complaining. But…

My local health centre. Try and get an appointment? Good luck! Next free appointment I was advised today is over 3 WEEKS AWAY. That plus I called around lunchtime a couple of days ago and was on hold for 45 MINUTES. The next day I called again at lunchtime and gave up after being on hold for 20 MINUTES.

What is going on? I am not a politically minded person but is this all the doings of the Conservatives? If it is I don’t know how anyone can vote for them and keep a clear conscience.

It is an absolute disgrace.

ring up first thing and ask for an emergency appointment , there is also an app which you can download called patient access, register and you can book appointments on there its usally a bit quicker to get an appointment

Don’t phone at lunchtime when, errr, everyone else does.

Is this your local GP surgery ? Mine has an online appointment booking service where, as long as you don’t mind which doc you see, then appts are usually available within a day or two.

Edit: The online thing is through the Patient Access service mentioned above so worth registering with that.

Health Centre = GP surgery?

If so I believe they’re all privately owned / run by the partners – although of course they do work on behalf of the NHS.

My place is the same, if you want to have a chat about something, it’s about a 10 day wait, but if you’re ill and need treatment you can usually be seen the same day, perhaps the day after – however if you’ve got a baby under 1 or are pregnant they only ever say “come down, we’ll be waiting for you” I love them for it.

Been like that for as long as I can remember. Much as I dislike the Tories it was no better before.

My place is the same, if you want to have a chat about something, it’s about a 10 day wait, but if you’re ill and need treatment you can usually be seen the same day, perhaps the day after

^ Mine is like this.

Works fine for me, and they’ve been great with my parents too who seem to live there!

I suppose the long wait helps weed out the ‘I’ve got a poorly tummy’ brigade.

I am not a politically minded person but is this all the doings of the Conservatives?

The Conservatives didn’t create the ageing population or the obesity crisis to be fair. Neither did Labour.

I do wish one of our political parties would just step off their partisan soapbox just once and explain to us the many non-political macro factors which mean a lot of what we’ve got used to over the last generation is going to be much much harder to provide without massive tax increases.

We’re in a crisis but no-one’s being honest about it, hence our expectations are out of whack with what the state can realistically provide.

ring up first thing and ask for an emergency appointment

No please don’t do that unless you really do need to be seen in a hurry. 😐

I’ve never had a problem (when I’ve really been ill eg pissing blood etc), phone 1st thing at 8.30 when they open the lines and get an appointment that day…

Brooess spot on. Some interesting data on healthcare – suggests that economic burden of healthcare is rapidly unaffordable for the whole world within 25 years.

It’s not just an NHS problem…

nhs direct, and various drop in centres all offer free andd easily accessable advice.

But for a more personal and very speedy service, especially ailments that can be related to bodily functions, mental illness, sex problems, fractures of anything done in a silly way, or just feel ill, just post on here and youll be seen within minutes.

Remember capital letters in the title and a few pictures get you seen even quicker

Part of the problem is that there are those that ring up and ask for an emergency appointment when they maybe don’t need one.

nhs direct

There is no NHS Direct anymore, well in England.

But for a more personal and very speedy service, especially ailments that can be related to bodily functions, mental illness, sex problems, fractures of anything done in a silly way, or just feel ill, just post on here and youll be seen within minutes.

Privacy assured and now with satisfaction guarantee (TM).

There is no NHS Direct anymore.

I blame Thatcher…

whos thatcher………..

For many minor ailments it is often quicker and easier to speak to a pharmacist. Our local area has launched an education campaign to encourage this and the list of things that can/should be dealt with by them is quite long.

For many minor ailments it is often quicker and easier to speak to a pharmacist

For the young and mainly healthy, that’s a good idea. Learn a little more about how to care for ourselves too in the process, rather than expect someone else to ‘fix us’.

Problem with the NHS IMO is it’s free at the point of delivery. It means we a) don’t understand how expensive our treatment is and therefore see it as ‘no cost’ and therefore just assume we can have whatever treatment we want and b) there’s no disincentive to go asking for treatment just because we want it.

this ‘free at the point of delivery’ for everyone and everything isn’t really sustainable when we have an ageing population, let alone a population that’s made itself overweight and obese through its own behaviour, and all the associated illnesses that go with it. We now need to prioritise who gets ‘treated’ and who is ‘helped to help themselves’. The old should probably take priority IMO, although in all honesty it’s a major political minefield how we’ll go through a process of rationing.

As a healthy 42 year old, I should be on the list of ‘helped to help himself’ and as healthy 70+ somethings, so should my parents. However as they get older, they’ll probably need to have more done for them…

Not a lot wrong IMO with something similar to the French model where you pay for the treatment and then get a refund (means tested I think). Also, better incentives for the middle classes and wealthier to pay for private healthcare. Better spending their spare cash on that than 4x4s and foreign holidays, surely?

trying to persuade a British public used to everything we want, free at the point of delivery that they need to lower their expectations and do more for themselves – well, I’m glad I’m not a politician!

I speak as someone who’s spent a fair bit of time this year in the NHS – one broken wrist (pinned and plated) and one bladder infection. I have absolutely no idea how much all this cost – not ideal if you want me to be aware of the need for reform…

There is no NHS Direct anymore, well in England.

There is NHS 111 though, which is more of a triage service.

I had to call them a few weeks ago and thought they did pretty well. Asked me questions, decided it was serious enough to see a doctor promptly, and then booked me an appointment at a local hospital to be seen in a couple of hours.

Problem with the NHS IMO is it’s free at the point of delivery.

I don’t think that’s the “problem” with it as such. But I agree that because people don’t know how much treatments and consultations cost they don’t fully appreciate what they have.

I think it would be pretty eye-opening for people to see a bill – even though they don’t have to pay it.

There is NHS 111 though, which is more of a triage service.

I know, we run the one up here. 😀

I had to call them a few weeks ago and thought they did pretty well. Asked me questions, decided it was serious enough to see a doctor promptly, and then booked me an appointment at a local hospital to be seen in a couple of hours.

Brilliant!

I think it would be pretty eye-opening for people to see a bill – even though they don’t have to pay it

Part of the information outlined above was the costs to NHS involved with seeing a pharmacist vs GP for a simple item such as paracetamol for a cold. £4 for the pharmacist, £45 for the GP IIRC

£4 for Paracetamol 😯

payment for pharmacists’ time as well as the drugs. The equivalent cost for an A&E vist was £70+ I believe

29p if they go to shop and stop bothering people for a cold.

Part of the information outlined above was the costs to NHS involved with seeing a pharmacist vs GP for a simple item such as paracetamol for a cold. £4 for the pharmacist, £45 for the GP IIRC

jimw – Member
payment for pharmacists’ time as well as the drugs. The equivalent cost for an A&E vist was £70+ I believe

If those figures are true then we need to get an awareness campaign up and running and start getting people to think about what contribution they can make to save the NHS from going bust…

Something like..

Minor ailments schemes at pharmacies may have a place short term but I’m not sure there rather right direction for the NHS in a big way compared with education and improved workflows and efficiencies at surgeries through increased size and mergers.

At the moment the NHS funding for this is sporadic for pharmacies.
You are asking the patient to determine if it is minor or major and go to the correct location. As some have mentioned some patients can’t currently realise a&e for something minor is not appropriate
Pharmacies are mainly retail environments not set up for private consultations, large scale appointment booking or just dealing with large amounts of clinical consultations (the pharmacist has to be approving the dispensing too)
At what point do they draw the line in terms of diagnosis skills and experience. I suspect that with less robust defence insurance than a dr there will be an awful lot of “please go to your GP” as happened with NHS direct, so two NHS costs.
Pharmacies are private contractors to the NHS as are GPs. Majority are owned by offshore multiples (boots, lloyds, row lands, coop) who aren in it for profit…possible conflict of interest to both diagnose and dispense

I think the latest NHS pilot to put pharmacists (and nurses?) into practices and specially train them on triage/ diagnosis to see all patients quickly as they come in the surgery is far better. Same location, all the patient handling resources like waiting rooms etc, patient feels they are in a clinical environment and quick upgrade to dr consultation if required.

If I call my GP surgery, then the quickest appointment I can book is around 3 weeks.
But they now have a walk in surgery every morning and afternoon, which is much better. Just turn up on the day and usually wait for 30 mins to see a dr.

and start getting people to think about what contribution they can make to save the NHS from going bust…

We’ve long since passed the point where most people think about anyone other than themselves….

I thought the problem was entirely caused by Health Tourism. It must be. A bloke in the pub told me….

No. it’s caused by the fact the NHS only works Monday to Friday 9 to 5.

An utter Hunt told me.

An utter Hunt told me.

Nominative determinism?

Our local GPs are apparently overwhelmed but are mostly not there after 5:30 on weekdays, after 2 on a wednesday or on Saturday mornings. The local pharmacist has funding from a Dept of Health trial and can diagnose patients and prescribe – they are open from 8am to 10pm 6days a week and sundays by appointment.

So guess which group has been most vocal at the new services offered by the Pharmacy and have consistently tried to have the trial terminated via completely unfounded “safety” concerns?

OP GP here – thats just really bad – and shouldn’t happen.
And some of the other stuff posted about just shows stupid systems organised badly. No way can this be defended. Some of it is about workload and pressures and increasing expectations, and some of it is about previous access targets which have made some surgeries adopt really stupd systems. But it is still shameful.

My next available routine appointment is on Tuesday ( 5 days) but more appointments with me will be made available for tomorrow and Monday, and we will see unlimited people who feel they need to be seen in urgent clinics every week day.

Pharmacy advice can be very very good… but surprise surprise sometimes ends in selling patients something totally inappropriate. More from people working for the bigger chains IME.

+1 for registering for online booking btw.

I worked in the NHS a while back.

The team I ‘inherited’ all went for lunch at the same time, and always had…

were you a dinner lady?

All sexual health clinics are to close in London, colleagues wife is a junior doctor at one- shes just heard today
currently they are hugely oversubscribed, queues out the door when they open

responsibility for public health now remit of local councils, whove had the biggest cuts to the budgets ever

sounds like an inspired plan bu Hunt

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/stis-rise-in-london-and-hackney-has-worst-rate-in-uk-for-young-people-with-chlamydia-10341335.html

I work for the NHS and my team are lucky if they get a lunch break.

MrsFla works in a kids A&E and the number of complaints she gets if she gets seen with a cup of tea rather than treating a patient – never mind she never gets time to eat on a 12 hour shift …..

I do agree with the Dr Hunt comment above – not really sure what his end game is though

NHS 24 – have you ever tried it? I have tried it during the day (in Scotland) and it is a farce. By the time you get through all the automated menus you really have lost the will to live, and are usually returned to the start menu again without being able to speak to anybody. It did however work better out of hours.

Emergency Appointments – I understand about the phoning early thing. But I have to say if it’s reasonably urgent to see a doctor at noon on one day it is highly likely it will still be reasonably urgent to see a Doctor at 8.30am the next day. It’s just a hassle, much moreso for the old.

Booking Online – Why should booking online provide you with an earlier appointment. Doesn’t the receptionist at your Health Centre have access to the same appointment calendar? Or does it provide better results as it reduces manpower so those using the ‘app’ are prioritised. Maybe ok for the young, useless for the old.

I was in our local A&E department last week, it appeared quite a few of the people waiting were not exactly urgent cases. One of the nurses told me that they have huge problems with people turning up for almost anything as they know they will get seen more quickly than going to the regular doc. Many of them do however get sent away untreated. I wonder how much of this has to do with the daft appointment system.

Don’t get me wrong, I am generally in awe of the work the people at the NHS do. I just remember 25 years ago, you phoned the Health Centre, you got an appointment in the next few days with YOUR Doctor. Call me old fashioned, but that is how I think it should remain. Tax the company execs a few extra thousand a year to pay for it please Mr Osbourne.

I’m pretty sure some education of the users of the NHS may help, and that’s coming from an utter hypochondriac, like me.

A while ago, there was some cack on Facebook doing the rounds about getting ‘free’ calpol and such like from Boots on the NHS, and the nob ends who were posting on the the threads were all frothing at the mouth about the fact that it wasn’t a wildly advertised service!

BUY YOUR **** MEDICINE AND STOP MOANING!

A while ago, there was some cack on Facebook doing the rounds about getting ‘free’ calpol and such like from Boots on the NHS

There is a Minor Ailment Scheme. This clarifies some of the points from that facebook post and subsequent newspaper coverage:

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/05May/Pages/Minor-ailment-scheme-doesnt-provide-free-Calpol-for-all.aspx

However, the mentality remains the same. ie, it’s free, give it to me now!