It must have been leading up to the 1997 Gen Election.
I was a school governor and they were desperate times. The pay formula didn't allow for schools with a lot of senior teachers on grade max pay. Our school was in desperate straights. We even sold off some of the playing fields for housing.
It seems things are the same now. The GP situation is scandalous. Appointments here can take up to three weeks. That's not acceptable, and is not a health service.
''Tell me how you will measure me and I'll tell you how I will react*'' part of the Doctors appointments issues is being created by a measure which is something to do with how many appointments within 24 hours statistics and waiting times for appointments.
To circumvent the measures our Doctors wont make appointments more than 24 hours ahead. The switchboard opens at 8am and usually by 8.20am (if you can get thru due to the waiting telephone queues and you cant book appointments in person at the surgery) all the appointments for the day are gone for the Doctors, however the Practice Nurse you can books weeks ahead if necessary, obviously she is not being measured.
*part of the management sciences relating to Decision Theory
That seems to be the way of it in terms of trying to make an appointment by phone, though recently part of the frustration was reduced when a count down info system was installed that informed where in the queue you were while holding on for someone to reply. On a recent and rare visit to see the nurse, she emailed the doctor who was a few doors down the corridor, and who then decided to came along to look at me... So it seems the nurse may be operating as a filter system..?
I have been most fortunate in terms of health and would rarely if ever visit the doctors... So much so it was not until I was retiring that I was in need of attention and the Doc commented on my little use of the service, and had to create a new file for me.
Is there any real wonder that the load on the health service was increasing exponentially given the Baby Boomer generation are reaching the stage of ever more complex health issues... add Covid related complexities to exasserbate staffing issues and Doctors retiring early etc.etc.etc. Add to all that our previousley ever increasing expectations while eating ever more junk foods over the years, and it seems to have created a potential for a perfect storm...?
