Th first thing I do when I get an appointment with a consultant is Google their name and I have found over 95% only work part time for the NHS the rest is taken up with private work usually with Spire Health which is big in Scotland.
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Same here. In our case, we have three practices within reasonable distance, but they’re all in cahoots with each other - a group of some sort!
I believe it will. In fact, it already is the route of choice for those who can afford it.
I have to admit that I have done that - seen a neurologist and later a cardiologist privately, which was the only way I could get the wheels turning. I make no apologies for doing that.
We are, in so many ways, becoming more and more like America where the two-tier system is first class (private) and third class (state), certainly with regard to General Practice.
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Here we have a new generation of GPs, Islamic girls, googling your symptoms, then asking you for your advice, then emailing you’re chosen pharmacy. Next day, pharmacist gives a hopeless shrug, poor patient visits clinic again to find there’s been some mistake: the clinic’s inhouse pharmacist doesn’t agree with what’s been prescribed.
I must say that’s rather worrying. It suggests that many of our doctors are part-time (or retired) and the only ones available are incompetent!
I’ve said before, the UK is heading toward becoming a third-word nation…
and it’s all our own fault, or at least the fault of our successive PMs.
Test.
I’ve just been to an appointment at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
I was expecting a lengthy wait, as that is the norm every time I’ve been in the past. Today was typical at 2 1/4 hours, but that included several tests.
What annoyed me, though, was the pharmacy: Lloyds. They have always been very slow, but today’s experience was exceptionally poor. I arrived at the pharmacy at 5pm and was told that they would need 40 minutes to fill the prescription. How long does it take to read the prescription, pick up a bottle of eye drops from the shelf, sign a form and hand the bottle to me?
To make matters worse, it took them 70 minutes, so they didn’t produce the goods until ten past six, and they close at six, AND there were still about 25 other patients still waiting for their medicines.
Tomorrow, I’m going to write to the hospital and politely suggest that they permit the issue of open prescriptions so that we can take them to our own pharmacies.
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That is awful…I’m sorry for you.
My chemist sends you a pin number by text when the prescription is ready, and you go along at anytime outwith business hours to a box type thing, input your (one time use) number, and your meds fall out into a dispensing tray.
That’s a very civilised method.
I must stress that the one pharmacy I was complaining about was the one in the hospital. I wonder whether they work on a shoestring with as few staff as possible and have consequently won the contract for the Eye Hospital.
“Outwith” - that’s a typical Scottish term, isn’t it? I would say “outside of”.
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I didn’t realise it was Scottish until I looked up just then! I assumed everyone used it 
To me “outside of” sounds quite americanised…?
But yes, hospital pharmacies are completely inept…I have waited longer for medication there than my actual appointment took 
[quote=“PixieKnuckles, post:63, topic:89574”]
I didn’t realise it was Scottish until I looked up just then! I assumed everyone used it To me “outside of” sounds quite americanised…?[/quote]
No, not really. For example: “Please don’t call outside of business hours”.
Oh, you too? I have been to other hospitals where their pharmacies have been far more efficient.
Many years ago, when my son was a baby, the old village doctor used to do something like that, Pixie, but no pin numbers or texts in those days.
He had a sort of wooden cupboard thing in the back garden at his home. We just used to go in open the cupboard, and look for the bag with our name on.
Hard to imagine that sort of trust nowadays isnt it. Anyone could have taken all the drugs, or even picked up the wrong ones!
I wonder if it was even legal, certainly wouldnt be nowadays.
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Wow Mups, that would be unheard of nowadays! Such a lovely way of working back then though (even if it was a bit risky!) They would be struck off nowadays for that.
Yes, not half. It was only a small village with the one doctor.
He was a strange old chap. The village vicar was even stranger.
I felt they both had the makings of dirty old men, but I was too young and naive to be sure.
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haha! Sorry, i shouldn’t find it funny, but it does sound very Midsomer Murder-ish!
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Hi
I am regularly in hospital and my medication is changed on every visit.
The changes are emailed to my GP Surgery which take a minimum of two weeks, sometimes, 4, to alter the prescriptions and send them off to the Pharmacy which delivers them.
The last twice, not including this one, the GP Surgery has not included the medication I have to take if I am having a heart attack.
Saw the oncologist yesterday, not the same one as last time and obviously had not bothered to look at my medical records as I was answering the same questions as last time. That aside he thinks that the balance issue is related to high blood pressure and then he cracked a joke by suggesting I see my GP. Lol.
Gave my practice a call when I got home at 4 pm to be told that I need to phone first thing in the morning if I an to try for an appointment.
I am also signed up for another scan and another appointment in 3 months which of course could morph into 6 months
On the phone to the practice dead on 08:00am this morning and I am number 26 in the queue, how is that possible as I originally phoned at one minute to eight and got the message the surgery was closed?
Oh and if I do not get to speak or god forbid see a GP today I have to start all over again tomorrow.
EDIT: In fairness I only waited 18 minutes and will be expecting a call back before 1pm.
I agree. This is typical at my surgery too and I don’t understand how it can happen, other than the possibility of 27 people all getting through at exactly the same time and the telephone system somehow automatically prioritising them into an order.
One new development at our surgery is that when you are umpteenth in the queue, they offer you the option of pressing ‘1’ to be recorded as to position and they will call you back - unless all the appointment slots are filled by then!
I never understood that either mr F.
Rather than a moan about my GP practice after speaking to the GP she asked me to see her within the hour and after an examination advised me to head down to a hospital when more exhaustive tests could be done.
Got there at 11.11 and 6 hours later got home unfortunately with no definitive diagnosis. That aside it was an expensive day out. 40 quid for taxis to and from. £2.60 for a flat white which was quite disgusting and £2.80 for a paper.
But I met some really lovely staff there and I think those of you who know me know I try to find humour in every situation so a few laughs were had, long day though doing nothing for most of it.