Waiting time

[Anya]

The medical practice here cannot be faulted, everyone is kind and cheerful, appointments within a day and a space allotted each day, for emergencies. My doctor is Scottish and she is the most competent and helpful person I have ever come across, way beyond the call of duty. Then again, we are a bit out in the sticks.

However, in many parts of the country the situation is dire. Having to wait TWO WEEKS for an appointment is a sick joke. Literally. All that money poured into the NHS, doctors paid anything from one hundred thousand to three hundred thousands a year, no NHS dentists available. All thanks to this NoLabour government, who MUST meddle in every single aspect of life, usually making a terrible mess and then just walking away.

As Tiny Bleeeeeaaaaaaaagh did, with his millions from Iraq oil contracts, signed TWO YEARS before the brutal invasion.

[caroljoyce]

My GP Practice is similar to Carol's. But in that scenario, one is offered the same morning, an appointment with the Specialist Nurse, also known as the Minor Illness Nurse. If, during consultation she wants a senior opinion, she calls one of the doctor's in anyway.

Viv

A 'specialist nurse'..... Yes, this is exactly what should have happened to me Viv.
I emailed a complaint to the practice.... and yesterday I had a phone call from the practice manager explaining that the receptionist should have offered me this service. (I knew nothing about it)

Anyway, I explained my problem to the practice manager... that I was only wanting to see the GP for referal to physio and she gave me a number to call to arrange the physio myself, no need for referal she said.
I rang the number this morning and am having treatment next tuesday so I'm well pleased now.

She thanked me for complaining as it was obviously the receptionist's fault for not explaining about this 'special nurse' to me.
As a result of my complaint the receptionists are having a bit of retraining... I wonder if they got told off.....

[vannin]

Carol, good to hear a positive result. Thinking again of that service at my Practice, there are two or three specialist nurses, and one of them is not very good at all and over-uses her limited qualification to prescribe. For example, if she has found raised blood pressure - not noting that bp has always been OK before (like mine) - she immediately puts you on a strong dosage of bp medication. The signature is then procured from the doctor in the middle of his or her clinic, without looking into background.

After feeling very ill for a few days on this Lisinopril, I happened to find out that by taking a bp reading with a wrong size cuff, a skewed result happens, and she had used the smallest size cuff!! I have quite big upper arms. Many nurses, even doctors, don't check before they wind the thing round your arm - though the modern method might preclude this equipment anyway.

When I returned, asking for the larger cuff, and ever since then, always a normal reading.

Viv

[Rowan]

We have this service too and valuable it is too. If it gets the staff more training it can't be bad. Anya is right however, too much interference from government - if anything we are over-governed - neither Tory or Labour are one bnit interested in anything that happens outside London/New York. The rest of us are just cannon fodder.

[Steve]

Same here, 2 weeks for an appointment. I was on a waiting list to get on the waiting list to see a consultant. No wonder the get the waiting list down.....they create another waiting list!!!!

[mazzy]

In our practise they have a blood pressure machine in th ewaiting room that you can use before you see the GP or Nurse if you want to it. You have to put the whole arm in. I only noticed it the other day, so don't know if many use it. It seemed simple enough, and you get a print out to take in with you.

[Anya]

Doctor, Doctor, I have only sixty seconds to live.

Now, wait one darned minute !!!!

[Dragon Lady]

Can't fault my local practice or hospital. Rang for 1st appointment on a Friday and saw the doctor the following Monday morning. There was not an appointment available for the following week so I rang at 8.0 am and got a same day (emergency) appointment. Blood test done whilst I was still at the medical centre, X-Rays at hospital next day. You just walk in any day between 8.0 and 5.0. Waited no more than 10 minutes and I was seen. X-Rays were with GP the next day.