NHS let me down again

Lakeland · 6 Mar 2009 at 16:45

rodo said:
I couldn't do that. I used to have to call ambulances a lot for a flatmate with a serious condition and I know how much they struggle with workload, that and I'm not in need to *emergency* care.

I think I will try A&E tomorrow or day after if I ask my boss to give me time off work - in theory I would expect it to be quiet in the day. When I originally did it I had to wait over 5 hours (sunday night).

if its not that bad then why complain about needing serious medical attention? if you know you don't have a serious condition stop moaning and let the people who do get seen to first, administration problems happen all the time, you just got unlucky

rodo · 6 Mar 2009 at 17:18

Ah the post from a while back. Yes it was relatively serious then, which I was why I was referred to a specialist. I thought myself I could have been a hypochondriac in the back of my head but the scans now say otherwise. Still knowing what it is now is a good feeling in a way; can be treated now. My foot does flop around a lot more than it should which is a tad weird. lol

Klytus · 6 Mar 2009 at 17:53

rodo said:
..... Bit annoyed at how it's been overlooked on so many visits.

I don't understand? What was overlooked? When you presented at A&E they did an X-ray (to look for bony damage i.e. a break) and there was no [visible] break. The specialist has now told you that basically you have a badly sprained ligament and that is exactly what your G.P. told you when you kept going back to see him. So I don't see what was overlooked. :confused:

Yes you have had to wait which I empathise with but other than that (pending any new findings from the MRI scan) the only problem I can see is that if you were in that much pain then your G.P. should have maybe given you something stronger whilst waiting for your consultation with the specialist.
Also If it was my ankle that was unstable I 'd hold off the jogging until I'd seen the physio.

rodo · 6 Mar 2009 at 18:23

When I said overlooked I meant the ligament as on all my GP visits the ligament was never discussed as a reason for the discomfort and problems... but anyway.

I will hold off from the jogging for now. My urge to exercise is so big now, haven't run since November!

Klytus · 6 Mar 2009 at 18:36

rodo said:
When I said overlooked I meant the ligament as on all my GP visits the ligament was never discussed as a reason for the discomfort and problems... but anyway.

I will hold off from the jogging for now. My urge to exercise is so big now, haven't run since November!

Ah! well he/she should have explained that a sprained ankle IS ligament damage. Anyway the main thing is that its on the mend. Hope your MRI comes back clear and you can get back to full fitness.

Shoei · 6 Mar 2009 at 18:43

scorza said:
Sounds like a nasty experience

OTOH I have private health insurance at work and I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be. For example I wonder if an insurance company would pay out for you to be treated for a collapsed lung if they decide it's a pre-existing condition? Often private healthcare in this country is getting treated by the same doctors and nurses who work in the NHS.

I have BUPA through work(who im currently make very good use of to find out whats wrong with me), but when i came to fill in the details you have to note down any pre-existing conditions that have been delt with in the previous 5 years before you join the scheme. Think they even ask permission to get your medical records to make sure your not pulling a fast one. Luckily my current condition is a new one.
And yep, even though im going private, the doc i see works in the NHS hospital 4 days a week.

It is frightening how quick you can get things done when going private, saying that last year i got an MRI done very quickly on the NHS as i was presenting the Doc's with unknown problem.
But it is nice to go to a private hospital and be treated like a person.

To the OP, hope things get sorted it aint nice not knowing whats up(says he who is doing the A-Z of neurological tests)

vincent1989 · 6 Mar 2009 at 19:01

my friend broke his wrist and was told it was fine, went back and it was broken, went back again and it was fine, went back again and it was broken (three weeks after the initial break it was finally in a proper cast :rolleyes:

). Another has had medical records and examination results lost multiple times for the same illness over the last 2 years. and then there's always skywalkers little girl

not worth the tax we pay.

xarr · 6 Mar 2009 at 20:00

I think the real problem with the NHS is people expect to go to a GP or A+E and be "fixed".

If you are not offered an x-ray that is because the Doctor felt you did not need one, simple as. Sometimes now you will not get an x-ray even if you have a break. This is because an x-ray is not a treatment but a diagnostic tool, unless a bad (i.e one that needs manipulation) break is suspected or an xray is needed to confirm a break then getting one is a waste of time.

If people stopped thinking doctors were miracle healers then maybe places like a+e wouldn't be so overloaded.

Edit:

kefkef said:
If you want to be treated even quicker, call an ambulance as they get priority in A&E depts!.

Oh really, please show me an a+e department in the country where all people that get brought in by ambulance are seen before others. Look up the triage system and you will understand that people brought in by ambulance do not always got straight to resus, most will (as some people are able to understand an emergency), but the time wasters are booted into the waiting room.

starfighter · 6 Mar 2009 at 20:27

I am getting worried now, I was in a car crash a few months ago, my neck was X-rayed, apparently it was fine but tbh it still feels dodgy to me.

James J · 6 Mar 2009 at 23:17

starfighter said:
I am getting worried now, I was in a car crash a few months ago, my neck was X-rayed, apparently it was fine but tbh it still feels dodgy to me.

So according to this thread, you should call an ambulance and get priority over everyone else in the hospital!

Never read so much tosh in my entire life.

I think people forget that GP's have seen whatever's wrong with most of you hundreds of times before, knowing exactly what to do with you with regard to your circumstances. The fact the OP wants to go jogging on his damaged foot is just laughable if hes saying hes got ligament damage, you do realise ligament tissue takes a LONG time to heal right? Hence the GP term "dont put weight on it" to cause unnecessary stress to the damaged area???

Yes, you might have guessed it, I work in a hospital on the front line and I deal with people going to A+E with a sore hand, women ringing up ambulances for tampons (im not joking) and over protective parents trying to force their children to the front of the queue by trying to work their way around the system by wasting A+E's time with trivial complaints GPs sorted ages ago.

The NHS isnt the problem, its the customer base it liases with.

Barks · 7 Mar 2009 at 00:56

James J said:
Yes, you might have guessed it, I work in a hospital on the front line and I deal with people going to A+E with a sore hand, women ringing up ambulances for tampons (im not joking) and over protective parents trying to force their children to the front of the queue by trying to work their way around the system by wasting A+E's time with trivial complaints GPs sorted ages ago.

The NHS isnt the problem, its the customer base it liases with.

Tell me about it. I'm working in the NHS at the moment and some of the letters I have to read/scan/file would make comedy sketches.

Skeeter · 7 Mar 2009 at 01:11

Referral to Treatment targets in the NHS are 18 weeks. If you were referred on the 16th February, the hospital have until the 22nd June untill they will get into trouble for not seeing you... and untill anyone will listen to you if you make a fuss. The GP isnt stupid, if it was en emergency he would have sent you to A+E.

scorza said:
OTOH I have private health insurance at work and I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be. For example I wonder if an insurance company would pay out for you to be treated for a collapsed lung if they decide it's a pre-existing condition? Often private healthcare in this country is getting treated by the same doctors and nurses who work in the NHS.

Not so. While they may well be in the same hospital, even the same ward/theatre, private appointments will never be cancelled, and you will be seen and treated by a Consultant. NHS Patients can have appointments cancelled, and will likely be treated by Junior Dr's rather then the overseeing consultant. Many hospitals are currently providing shorter waiting lists for NHS patients than Private patients however.

Fuzz · 7 Mar 2009 at 01:27

Love how everyone comes out with their own ailments in threads like these however something today puts it all well back into perspective.

I popped over to the welding shop in my lunch break to get some bits I'd fabricated up and started chatting to the guys having their sandwiches.
We were discussing the doom and gloom of the economy , the general state of things, what holidays we were going on this year etc etc. and then we spotted a couple of coppers walking into the shop. They went up to one of the lads, asked him his name, which he confirmed and then told him his missus had been killed today......

There's not much in this world that can prepare you for that, I call tell you.

:eek:

SexyGreyFox · 7 Mar 2009 at 01:38

xarr said:
Oh really, please show me an a+e department in the country where all people that get brought in by ambulance are seen before others. Look up the triage system and you will understand that people brought in by ambulance do not always got straight to resus, most will (as some people are able to understand an emergency), but the time wasters are booted into the waiting room.

I take students on tour of A&E along with a Consultant in EM.
The last time I was in there a woman came in demanding to see a Doctor because she didn't like the house she had moved into.

There are now 5 levels of triage and there is supposed to be a maximum of 4 hours from entering to leaving but it doesn't always work.
The tracking system is excellent and customers go 'on the clock'.

Another thing - I've seen many X-Rays where people have had problems but it doesn't actually show up on the X-Ray so you can see how easy it is to 'miss something'.

DrDee · 7 Mar 2009 at 03:41

The stories some people tell of the NHS make me really wonder why lawyers aren't involved.

alastair84 · 7 Mar 2009 at 03:55

chill out....the doctors know best.....if u have a ferrari and go to a ferrari garage to get your car fixed, he says u need a new so and so..///would u question him and go to a different garage and get a 2nd opinion? no....you would trust him and his advice being an official ferrari mechanic and go with it....
same with doctors......they don't go through 5 years of med school and the junior doctor years....then the senior house officer years and then 5 years or more of specialist training just to make up something on the spot.....they really do have your best interests at heart......have some trust in the system

Toekiller · 7 Mar 2009 at 07:09

The Funktopus said:
My dad. He was originally diagnosed with bladder cancer back in late 2003, and after 18 months of unsuccessful attempts to treat it with chemotherapy and keyhole surgery targeting the tumour itself, he underwent an experimental series of operations at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (He was the 2nd patient to ever undergo such an operation I believe). During one of my dad's follow up consultations, the consultant, a Dr Parsons did note that although my dad had no cancerous cells present in his blood samples, that secondary cancers, specifically Lymphoma would remain a danger for some time afterwards. Fast forward to summer '07, about 18 months after that warning, and my dad begins to complain of a worsening pain in his hip (which were his lymph nodes swelling as tumours took hold and spread),for which he was referred, incorrectly to an orthopaedic surgeon. Appointment after appointment was cancelled, rescheduled and cancelled, time and time again, meanwhile my dad's condition continued to deteriorate, until, one morning in mid November, I found him curled into a ball on the bathroom floor, weeping like a newborn and vomiting from the pain. He was rushed to Warrington hospital, and after 13 hours we knew nothing more of his condition, only that the only thing that could touch the pain was intravenous morphine, however, his hip was X-ray, shoulders were shrugged and he was sent home with a prescription for painkillers. This cycle continued right throughout Christmas and New Year, with ever stronger painkillers being prescribed so that my dad ended up using morphine patches at home, until it was decided to give him an MRI scan.

Things moved rapidly afterwards, with a consultant at Warrington hospital, previously too busy to see him until weeks later calling us to get him into his office the next morning. That day, January 8th, my father was diagnosed with terminal lymphoma. Left unchecked, the cancer we'd been warned of ,and that had been noted on his medical records, had spread aggressively throughout his body. There was little doctors could do but to offer chemotherapy to slow the cancer, and medication to limit the pain. My dad fought on, and clung to life by the skin of his teeth, suffering unimaginably until he sadly passed away aged 57 on September 7th. Needless to say, my dad's death is still a raw,open wound, and his treatment by the NHS only invokes in me anger, bitterness and hatred. I have no faith whatsoever in the local primary care trust that failed him so catastrophically, so much so that I'm giving serious thought to moving out of it's catchment area.

No words. Just....

SexyGreyFox · 7 Mar 2009 at 10:53

DrDee said:
The stories some people tell of the NHS make me really wonder why lawyers aren't involved.

They are all the time.
We have a dept at the hospital that is staffed by about 15 people that deal with complaints/claims and we nearly always win.
Take the example of the OP - what exactly can he claim for?

Stelly · 7 Mar 2009 at 11:50

I know how you feel, I think that I have fractured my foot and because I want to the doctors and not to A&E I have to wait a week to find out due to the fact that I have to wait for the results of my xray!

Stelly

rotters · 7 Mar 2009 at 15:39

Stelly said:
I know how you feel, I think that I have fractured my foot and because I want to the doctors and not to A&E I have to wait a week to find out due to the fact that I have to wait for the results of my xray!

Stelly

unless your gp has a specialism in orthopaedics he'll be waiting for clearance from the radiologist. and because your a community based patient not an inpatient it takes the best part of a week. quite frustrating for you, but you can see why though.