Who's finding the NHS very hard work??????

[Princess Pooper]

Well..... I'm impressed. I'm under a consultant rheumatologist whom I see every 8 weeks for monitoring of an auto-immune disease. As part of that, she refers me for an annual echocardiogram and also lung function tests. Anyway, saw her last Thurs and mentioned I have ongoing problems with one of my feet, had an ultrasound a couple of years ago and it was a ganglion, which was now resolved, but have had assorted joint and neuralgic pains since and seems to be getting worse. So she said OK I will refer you for an MRI.

Saturday morning got contacted by 'Alliance Medical' to book appt for MRI - which I am having on 23rd March. Also got contacted on Monday by 'Inhealth' who have organised my echo - was offered 20th March which I could not do, but booked for 11 April. Both are at local cottage hospitals which is vastly preferable to having to trek into Leicester city. Even better, the results will be back before my next 8 week appointment, which is great and a dramatic improvement on previous years. Yet to hear on the lung function tests, which will no doubt be at Glenfield in Leicester as previous years.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

@Mrs Holwell - any advice how to jog this along?

 

[Mrs Holwell]

@Mrs Holwell - any advice how to jog this along?

Don't think you can jog it along - it's only 2 weeks away and much better service than you'd get around here

 

[JCMaloney]

So on this thread is some evidence of how our STP (Sustainability & Transformation Plan) is supposed to work. @Princess Pooper now has a diagnostic service (MRI & Echo) in the community provided by, in this case, a partner company. Our NHS Trust have also started providing day surgery services in the same community environment.
Benefits are swifter service, delivered locally rather than in a centralised "city" hospital.
Downside... people say the NHS is being "privatised" ..well to a certain extent that is needed.

Future? NHS Trusts will create their own in house companies (we already have one) that will run some services as private companies with the "profit" re-invested in the NHS.

 

[Princess Pooper]

So on this thread is some evidence of how our STP (Sustainability & Transformation Plan) is supposed to work. @Princess Pooper now has a diagnostic service (MRI & Echo) in the community provided by, in this case, a partner company. Our NHS Trust have also started providing day surgery services in the same community environment.
Benefits are swifter service, delivered locally rather than in a centralised "city" hospital.
Downside... people say the NHS is being "privatised" ..well to a certain extent that is needed.

Future? NHS Trusts will create their own in house companies (we already have one) that will run some services as private companies with the "profit" re-invested in the NHS.

The only reason I put the one apt back as late as April 11th was it is supposed to be annual and my last one was end of May - my consultant was obviously expecting the usual delay!

Also very pleasing was both orgs gave me the option of having all the info emailed to me or posted - I took the former as it must be a substantial money saver for them. I can also fill in my pre-scan questionnaire online. I did have one complaint - which I sent them in a hopefully constructively worded email. Alliance Med left a message on both my landline and mobile on Sat 11th leaving an appointment line phone number and opening hours Mon-Fri which is why I phoned on Monday. I was a little taken aback to receive a letter from them on Tues, dated Saturday, saying they had failed to get hold of me on either number, could I ring for an appointment. I know they must have deadlines to meet but that seems a bit super-keen!!!

 

[JCMaloney]

Well pre-sending letters will certainly keep the KPI`s (Key Performance Indicators) on track!

 

[gone up the hill]

NHS is now a complete and utter waste of time ( sadly )

You are just a number to them, all they care about is signing off that they have seen you so they can hit targets and secure their next round of funding.

TBH the only way now if you have chronic problems is to go private.

 

[JCMaloney]

@gone up the hill ...... have to disagree with that. We see 1 million patients every 36 hours.... day in day out...... in the majority of cases treatment is effective & appropriate.......... but we aren`t perfect.
Your private hospital will happily treat a specific problem at a specific cost....... but you walk out of the door & get run over by the proverbial bus then who will pick you up and fix you without asking if you can afford it?
Not got a problem with those who have the means to pay going private however the private sector only cherry pick the services they can make money out of....... never seen a private A&E department.

 

[Princess Pooper]

NHS is now a complete and utter waste of time ( sadly )

You are just a number to them, all they care about is signing off that they have seen you so they can hit targets and secure their next round of funding.

TBH the only way now if you have chronic problems is to go private.

Not my experience at all.

Routine PFTs appointment through, letter just arrived, 2 May, via NHS - at Glenfield.

 

[JP1]

NHS is now a complete and utter waste of time ( sadly )

You are just a number to them, all they care about is signing off that they have seen you so they can hit targets and secure their next round of funding.

TBH the only way now if you have chronic problems is to go private.

My Son continues to receive the most amazing and exemplary treatment and care via the main Trust teaching hospital team and consultant paediatric urologist, through the National renal team at Nottingham and through open access at our local hospital Rainbow ward and paediatrician.

My real life experience could not be more at variance to your's

 

[Princess Pooper]

Going back to the OP's problems, we do pay for membership of this https://www.benenden.co.uk/health/cover/healthcare/?CODE=BRAND&gclid=CMD09Jjg3dICFbYK0wodq7gOeg

Not full private health insurance, just a sort of half way house. Use GP as usual and then get NHS consultant referral. If you then hit problems - eg long waiting lists, then this can kick in. Does not cover everything, but will cover existing conditions, although some initial exclusions for a limited time period. Not had to use it yet but a couple of friends have and said it was excellent for getting them up and working again quickly.

 

[gone up the hill]

Not my experience at all.

Routine PFTs appointment through, letter just arrived, 2 May, via NHS - at Glenfield.

Well im sorry to say that's my experience and that of many any other people.

 

[MiJ]

The bit that I find amusing is the private rheumatologist is the very one I have seen else through the NHS .

Phone his private secretary. He's likely to see you without another referral if you've already met under the NHS.

Re A&E - there used to be a notice pinned on the door (many years ago)
"If it happened yesterday you are in the wrong place"

 

[Old Boar]

Recent cancer scare, supposed to be fast tracked. Over 30 weeks from visit to GP to getting results. First consultant was given full list of allergies, including the absolute ban and danger on using local anaesthetic with adrenalin on me. Appointment and the local had adrenalin, notes missing. Luckily I checked or I would not be here. I have raised my "concerns".

 

[kill]

Phone his private secretary. He's likely to see you without another referral if you've already met under the NHS.

Re A&E - there used to be a notice pinned on the door (many years ago)
"If it happened yesterday you are in the wrong place"

I have tried to see him privately and have spoken to his secretary on several occasions. I have to go back to the hospital for a steroid IV drip this afternoon to see if that helps or rules out certain conditions and see the consultant again on 9th of April but they just don't understand at all about being self employed and neither do doctors.
Trouble is the pain just won't ease and is progressively getting worse despite taking pain killers, anti inflammatory drugs and anti depressants

 

[JCMaloney]

@Princess Pooper ..... just got this internally:

"We are writing to update you on the decision we took yesterday (Tuesday 21 March) to restrict elective activity at UHL until Tuesday 28 March."

I reckon you will be OK!

 

[JCMaloney]

Not that you would want to come in unless needs must.......

" We are currently experiencing an increase in the incidence of norovirus which has been identified on six wards across the Trust in the last two weeks. "

If we didn`t keep letting people in the NHS would be fine!

 

[Princess Pooper]

Thanks for that head's up, I'll make extra use of the hand sanitisers, I'm at Loughborough tomorrow for the scan and into LRI for a day next week but not into a ward or surgical area and they definitely will NOT be cancelling the latter!!!!

 

[JCMaloney]

@Princess Pooper small world I was at Loughborough on Thursday training some folk! Mrs M had both her cataracts sorted out at Luffy...... top service & very efficient.
Most of the time the NHS works very well but the law of averages dictates that some folk will be unlucky, raising the standards is fine as long as it isn`t to the detriment of patient care.
Hope all goes well.

 

[Princess Pooper]

@Princess Pooper small world I was at Loughborough on Thursday training some folk! Mrs M had both her cataracts sorted out at Luffy...... top service & very efficient.
Most of the time the NHS works very well but the law of averages dictates that some folk will be unlucky, raising the standards is fine as long as it isn`t to the detriment of patient care.
Hope all goes well.

Completed OK.What was an amazing coincidence was the patient who walked out of the scanner before me was my next door neighbour.