Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Another senior appointment

I may be wrong, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that there was considerable resistance within the medical establishment to the setup of the NHS and the continuing ability of GPs to operate as private businesses was one of the conditions imposed on Atlee's government.

Just discussing this in the office, with Bevan's pledge to 'fill their mouths with gold' to encourage them to accept the NHS alongside their own private patients.

Ian, many thanks for the correction, seems I was inadvertently spreading fake news..again..Duh..! By 1973 I was married and in the process of buying my first flat..

TBM, I suspect doctors appointments system is not a lot different anywhere and unlikely to improve....? It would seem a very long shot, but given the situation as you describe it, perhaps a call to your local MP might just get you seen at least.

TBM, have you considered NHS 111, would that be any help. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/

It made me angry during COVID first big lockdown, I was able to use an instantly constructed web booking system to schedule a trip to the dump but we could not get in touch with the doctor for Mazilla who was at home with Stage 4 cancer. Did they have a booking system, as you outline, did they hell. Someone needs a reaming with this farce.

The biggest frustration is that if the reception had taken a second to check my file, she'd had seen that my last appointment was three years ago, for a persistant phlegmy cough and I was prescribed antibiotics and steroids. So when I ring up with almost identical symptoms (a six week phlegmy cough - we teachers do tend to pick up lots of this stuff from the kids) the doctor could probably have prescibed similar with a 30 second phone consult and saved a lot of hassle.....

I've managed to wangle some 'non contact' time Friday, so will attempt a call then, otherwise it'll be 111 or a walk-in clinic

Do you not have a computer contact sytem? Our GP used to be exactly as you described but changed this year to a computer system. It took alot to get me to use it but once I overcame my inertia I found it does work well. Basically, lots of pages of form filling but quick appointment made from it.
I don't know what to think about the GP system....my gp tells me that the number of patients has trebled (big housing estates all round the town, no new facilities to match the new population) and the number of doctors has reduced as all the ladies only work part time. He's quite depressed about the future of it. He thinks we won't have personalised gp's at all soon.
I was in Winchester hospital lately and they said that massive new housing all round the area, no new facilities, no extra staff, gradually being overwhelmed.

Similarly, the schools around here forced to pay teachers extra but no extra funding to cover the new costs so have to reduce staff....leading to more unhappy staff, more pressurised....
Nick

Worst thing they have done round here is shut the walk in centre.

Used to be just off the high street, open 24/7 just take a ticket , join the queue & you will get seen eventually. Dispensary on site so pick up a prescription on the way out.
Must have taken a huge load off the A&E dept at the hospital & left the normal doctors to deal with routine regular customers.

It was perfect all those patients that were not bad enough to warrant a hospital visit, but bad enough that it couldn't wait a week until you got a doctors appointment.
It also dealt with anyone that hadn't got a doctor.

Yep, went through pages of questions and then at the end it said they have no appointments and I should phone......



Yep, we have that to look forward to. On the plus side, I have a 5% pay rise. On the negative, we are not replacing staff that are leaving to avoid redundancies, and from january we're having to increase the length of the school day so we can all teach more lessons.

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