P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[grapau27]

[Megabear2]

11 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Exactly the same situation here, and the CQC rating has dropped right down to Requires Improvement from Outstanding.

 

I don’t blame the practice, or the partners, though. For many years now we’ve failed to take account of increases in population and a very well known increase in age profiles. The constant denigration of GPs by the Press and in media generally certainly hasn’t recruitment or retention either. There simply aren’t enough doctors to maintain the previous standards, and we’re all paying the price - particularly the elderly.

Our surgery is excellent, the staff are efficient and the doctors are kind and caring, no long waits for hospital referrals either.  This new system of using the online booking is fine if you require a normal 10 minute general appointment.  The problems are occurring if you require something out of the normal.  I have to book 20 or 30 minute appointments if I need to give blood as it is literally like getting it out of a stone and I have to have a doctor rather than a nurse do it, otherwise it is the hospital and again it's not in the blood department but on a ward.  To help make good use of everyone's time I have my general check ups at the same time, hence the longer length appointments.  The NHS online system cannot deal with these types of appointments so you are asked to telephone. Prior to July a couple of minutes in the queue and job done but unfortunately now no.

 

Our surgery is linked to the Army, the secondary half where we go for inoculations is actually on the Larkhill Army Base.  We have bi-monthly Zoom reports we can join in with to see updates and hear about any new surgery procedures.  The June one discussed the changes the central NHS wanted made and we saw slides containing the communications the surgeries had received which is how we know it was not a surgery choice.

 

Like a lot of things from governments it's not changed anything for the better!!

[lincslady]

To the GP this morning to give a blood sample (just to check if my meds are suiting me) and have the pneumonia jab; a lovely  Nurse who is effectively sadly a locum, but all very efficient.  I had the jab as being fairly ancient I am aware that for quite a few oldies if they have a broken limb or have to go into hospital for some other reason end up with pneumonia, and a few never make it out again.

 

Worth thinking about if you are, well, certainly over 75 or so.  It is permanent, and apparently copes with 23 different strains of pneumonia!  I expect to feel a bit rough, but OK so far.

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

Our GP practice is driving me crazy at the moment. We had to cancel a holiday abroad due to a medical issue and trying to get them to complete the medical form for the insurance company is like trying to get blood out of a stone. Having paid for them to do this, we’re still waiting 3 weeks after submitting the document. There doesn’t seem to be a set procedure and personnel at reception keep giving us conflicting messages. What has happened to our local friendly practice which used to provide such wonderful service years ago?

Back in June, my husband had to have an abscess operated on at short notice just before we were due to go on a UK holiday, so I had to make a claim on the travel insurance. Fortunately, the insurance company was able to use the hospital's discharge notes as confirmation, so the claim went through quickly. I did enquire at the GP surgery how long it would take them to fill out a medical form if required, and they said it'd be at least five weeks.

 

On the subject of health matters, the hospital gave my husband a CT scan to see if there was any underlying reason for the abscess. They noticed that his appendix was enlarged so he had to have a battery of tests to find out why, and after three months we still haven't had the results, despite numerous chases and getting the hospital PALS involved.  I've emailed the PALS again in a last ditch effort, and told them that if a satisfactory response is not received by the end of next week, I'll have no choice but to make a formal complaint.  It just seems crazy that it's so much effort for something that is a basic expectation - to be told the results of tests.

 

Everything health related is such a slog these days.  

[yorkshirephil]

Another lovely warm day here, ideal for walking.

I have a slight ache in the arm that had the flu jab but nothing in the arm for covid.

Have a good weekend all.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by yorkshirephil

[lincslady]

Lovely picture - expressing what a lot of people  feel about salads.

[Harry Peterson]

18 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Lovely picture - expressing what a lot of people  feel about salads.

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.  😉

[Ardennais]

3 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Back in June, my husband had to have an abscess operated on at short notice just before we were due to go on a UK holiday, so I had to make a claim on the travel insurance. Fortunately, the insurance company was able to use the hospital's discharge notes as confirmation, so the claim went through quickly. I did enquire at the GP surgery how long it would take them to fill out a medical form if required, and they said it'd be at least five weeks.

 

On the subject of health matters, the hospital gave my husband a CT scan to see if there was any underlying reason for the abscess. They noticed that his appendix was enlarged so he had to have a battery of tests to find out why, and after three months we still haven't had the results, despite numerous chases and getting the hospital PALS involved.  I've emailed the PALS again in a last ditch effort, and told them that if a satisfactory response is not received by the end of next week, I'll have no choice but to make a formal complaint.  It just seems crazy that it's so much effort for something that is a basic expectation - to be told the results of tests.

 

Everything health related is such a slog these days.  

Waiting for results must be worse of course. 
 

I wouldn’t have minded as much if they had actually said at the outset that it was going to take 5 weeks. My husband saw a doctor and she basically said, you can’t travel, bring the form in addressed to me and I’ll fill it in. 

We did that, didn’t hear anything for over a week. OH popped into the surgery to be told that he would have to fill a consent form! Nobody mentioned that at the outset, but that particular receptionist insisted that he had to complete one and bring 2 items of ID. So back home he comes for his passport and utility bill, fills the form and pops down again. By ‘pops’ I mean another half hour round trip. Was told by a different receptionist that the doctor in question only works one day a week, and that one day was yesterday! OH said that surely any doctor could complete it based on his notes. Payment was made at this stage. 
 

Another week passes, we don’t hear anything. It’s actually easier to ‘pop’ down than wait for the phone to be answered - another annoying issue. 
 

I’ve been told today that it should be ready next week. Fingers crossed!

 

There are so many part-time staff there and quite a turnover. I suspect it’s also a training issue so they don’t sing from the same hymn sheet. 
 

 

[Ardennais]

5 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Exactly the same situation here, and the CQC rating has dropped right down to Requires Improvement from Outstanding.

 

I don’t blame the practice, or the partners, though. For many years now we’ve failed to take account of increases in population and a very well known increase in age profiles. The constant denigration of GPs by the Press and in media generally certainly hasn’t recruitment or retention either. There simply aren’t enough doctors to maintain the previous standards, and we’re all paying the price - particularly the elderly.

Recruitment and retention is a problem. Doctors don’t seem to stay very long either! 
 

There hasn’t been a population increase here, and I’m not sure about an increase in age profile either. However people do seem to have more health issues than ever before. 
 

I don’t think the elderly are paying a greater price though. When my children were infants, I could walk into the surgery at any time and would be seen fairly promptly. I remember the family doctor, who knew us so well, telling me to always bring them down to the surgery if we were concerned about anything and never fear that we were wasting their time. That’s not the case now. I know of young parents who take their infants to A&E due to not being able to get an appointment for days. If you manage to get through just after 8, a big IF, you’re hesitant about saying that it’s urgent. And if it’s not urgent, then forget about it! 

[Harry Peterson]

14 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Recruitment and retention is a problem. Doctors don’t seem to stay very long either! 
 

There hasn’t been a population increase here, and I’m not sure about an increase in age profile either. However people do seem to have more health issues than ever before. 
 

I don’t think the elderly are paying a greater price though. When my children were infants, I could walk into the surgery at any time and would be seen fairly promptly. I remember the family doctor, who knew us so well, telling me to always bring them down to the surgery if we were concerned about anything and never fear that we were wasting their time. That’s not the case now. I know of young parents who take their infants to A&E due to not being able to get an appointment for days. If you manage to get through just after 8, a big IF, you’re hesitant about saying that it’s urgent. And if it’s not urgent, then forget about it! 

I do agree with you about the elderly - I expressed myself badly. I was thinking really about urgent cancer and other deadlines being missed for lack of attention at the primary care stage, and that's as relevant to young people as older people. It's just that there's a higher preponderance per 1000 patients in older people. From what I've read, your problems in Wales are even worse than ours in England too.

[brian1]

We should all live in Emmerdale and Corrie.The doctors there pop round unannounced if they think you look a bit rough and then buy you a pint in the boozer after.

[Harry Peterson]

18 minutes ago, brian1 said:

We should all live in Emmerdale and Corrie.The doctors there pop round unannounced if they think you look a bit rough and then buy you a pint in the boozer after.

Not that long ago it was much like that here. Different times, fewer pressures. I'm sure it's still like that in some remote areas.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

Waiting for results must be worse of course. 
 

I wouldn’t have minded as much if they had actually said at the outset that it was going to take 5 weeks. My husband saw a doctor and she basically said, you can’t travel, bring the form in addressed to me and I’ll fill it in. 

We did that, didn’t hear anything for over a week. OH popped into the surgery to be told that he would have to fill a consent form! Nobody mentioned that at the outset, but that particular receptionist insisted that he had to complete one and bring 2 items of ID. So back home he comes for his passport and utility bill, fills the form and pops down again. By ‘pops’ I mean another half hour round trip. Was told by a different receptionist that the doctor in question only works one day a week, and that one day was yesterday! OH said that surely any doctor could complete it based on his notes. Payment was made at this stage. 
 

Another week passes, we don’t hear anything. It’s actually easier to ‘pop’ down than wait for the phone to be answered - another annoying issue. 
 

I’ve been told today that it should be ready next week. Fingers crossed!

 

There are so many part-time staff there and quite a turnover. I suspect it’s also a training issue so they don’t sing from the same hymn sheet. 
 

 

It’s all so frustrating, and stressful when you aren’t given proper timescales and have to keep chasing around. 

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

Recruitment and retention is a problem. Doctors don’t seem to stay very long either! 
 

There hasn’t been a population increase here, and I’m not sure about an increase in age profile either. However people do seem to have more health issues than ever before. 
 

I don’t think the elderly are paying a greater price though. When my children were infants, I could walk into the surgery at any time and would be seen fairly promptly. I remember the family doctor, who knew us so well, telling me to always bring them down to the surgery if we were concerned about anything and never fear that we were wasting their time. That’s not the case now. I know of young parents who take their infants to A&E due to not being able to get an appointment for days. If you manage to get through just after 8, a big IF, you’re hesitant about saying that it’s urgent. And if it’s not urgent, then forget about it! 

Even if it is urgent our surgery won’t book a same day appointment if you phone. Instead, they tell us to phone 111. You have to go through the 111 palaver, then if 111 deem if to be urgent, 111 phone the surgery and the surgery will phone the patient and finally book a same day appointment. When people are really ill and in pain, the last thing they need is to jump through all these hoops. 

[Ardennais]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Not that long ago it was much like that here. Different times, fewer pressures. I'm sure it's still like that in some remote areas.

Not in this remote area!