NHS Direct to be closed

Nexus said:
I'd imagine a lot of people will criticize that....

But then it's probably unnecessary to have so many nurses on the end of a phone line, because ultimately I'd imagine that a lot of issues that people who phone NHS Direct about can be easily solved by looking on the internet, experience or general common sense. Although I've personally never phoned NHS, I would imagine that a huge volume of calls that are clearly not a minor ailment that will go naturally will probably be told to see their GP.

Anything simple, such as a case of diarrhea or a minor burn or scald, the flu, how to treat a pulled muscle etc could all be answered by somebody with training who isn't necessarily medically qualified. Hell, I know how to handle all of the above and could advise people what to do.

I think though that the fact that I've never called NHS Direct also shows that it's only people within certain situations and frames of mind that do. Half the point of it was to stop people clogging up hospitals & GP surgerys when they clearly have something minor that will go away on its own.
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A little extreme in opinion, but the facts in the source are irrefutable.

Essentially what you're saying is that only idiots who don't have a clue what they're doing use NHS Direct? I'll have you know that my parents have used it on my behalf on various occasions and it served it's purpose perfectly. Ask anybody who's used it and they will give the same response.
 
[TW]Fox;17258227 said:
Interesting that GP's said NHS Direct was a waste of money.

Nothing to do with it cutting down on customers at GP Surgeries?
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LOL

GP's dont get paid for each "customers" that comes to visit them.
 
I think though that the fact that I've never called NHS Direct also shows that it's only people within certain situations and frames of mind that do.
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My dad phoned them when he was having a heart attack and phoned them instead of 999 :/

Luckily they realised instantly and sent an ambulance.
 
Good.

It was a complete was of money anyway. Anyone that doesn't know when to go to a doctor/A&E or out-of-hours GP these days should be ashamed. There are more than enough resources (Internet etc) and numbers to get a decent answer in other places. And seriously - do people really phone up with questions relating to flu, burns or pulled muscles ????? Surely quesions relating to those things would be just common sense to most people over 16 - and if they aren't - buy yourself a £5 medical book and read up on the basic medical situations so that you can save you own life.

Would NHS direct be available to you if you had a medical related problem on a beach in Africa ?



I have a workmate who phoned them up after his daughter drank some floor cleaner. They told him to give her lots of water and contact the out-of-hours doc if she got sick.

He then proceeded to phone the out-of hours doc anyway - who basically called the NHS direct a bunch of numties - & immediately told him to get her to A&E.

And the reason the docs are so keen to see it go - is because since it opened, their workload has almost tripled (due the helpline advising callers to visit the doc for ridiclous things such as coughs and colds - and the fact they don't want to get a telling off if they give the wrong advice over the phone)
 
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Dr House said:
LOL

GP's dont get paid for each "customers" that comes to visit them.
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Yes, they do. Granted, it's not a patient paying out when they visit a surgery, but the surgery itself draws funds dependant on how many patients they turn around, more specifically how many boxes they can tick for those patients. Patient with a fever? Get their temperature below a certain reading, claim £x. Case logged as diagnosed, resolved and closed, bigger bonus. It's a ridiculous system that encourages GPs to focus on the wrong things in order to raise the bigget income for the surgery.
 
PASONIX said:
Good.

It was a complete was of money anyway. Anyone that doesn't know when to go to a doctor/A&E or out-of-hours GP these days should be ashamed. There are more than enough resources (Internet etc) and numbers to get a decent answer in other places. And seriously - do people really phone up with questions relating to flu, burns or pulled muscles ????? Surely quesions relating to those things would be just common sense to most people over 16.

I have a workmate who phoned them up after his daughter drank some floor cleaner. They told him to give her lots of water and contact the out-of-hours doc if she got sick.

He then proceeded to phone the out-of hours doc anyway - who basically called the NHS direct a bunch of numties - & immediately told him to get her to A&E.
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You'd think so, but you're missing the glaringly obvious, irrefutable fact of the matter: people are morons. Bloody-minded, misinformed, self-important, panicky, irrational morons. You'll get no better experience of this than you do working within the NHS. Admittedly, there are exceptions, but unfortunately they're in a tiny minority. Stick with the above assumptions regarding everybody you ever meet until they prove you wrong, and you'll do a lot better than crediting people with a modicum of sense and rationale. At the end of the day the service stopped a good deal of people showing up at A&E and GP surgeries with that very same mental flatulence, and there are plenty enough examples around of exactly the level of service your workmate received being doled out in those places.
 
[TW]Fox;17258312 said:
GP's receive payment for activity.
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Thats not quite how it works. In general a GP will be paid for each patient he has on his books (around 1800 to 2200 per GP)

They then can claim additional money buy earning Quality and Outcomes Framework points (QOF) they do this by hitting targets set by the PCT.

GP’s also can earn extra money if they provide additional services.

They also get Rent paid to them by the PCT if they own the building they are practicing out of.

So in general if they have one patient or 20 come in on a given day with a cold or flu it will not make any financial difference to them. Only more or less work.

Also a lot of people are saying that GP’s should have to provide out or hour’s services again.

At the moment they are still responsible for providing out of hours care however they are allowed to contract it out to a outside agency for example primecare. They then pay the agency for doing the callouts on their behalf. The problem is that these agencies use substandard and foreign doctors as they are the only ones that are willing to work all night for crap money.

For the first time ever we are seeing GOOD young doctors willing / wanting to go into general practice because the money is not bad and the working hours are reasonable. If the government change this we will find that the quality of the doctors entering general practice will fall only to be replaced by lower standard and foreign doctors.

FYI Personally I would not go into GP as I find it really really boring.
 
And this from someone that works there :)

"Most calls to the service are 'Health Info' calls which are sent off to a dedicated team, or 'quick calls' such as 'What is a chemist?', 'Where's the local clap clinic' or 'How do i find a vet?' (No I'm not joking, wish I was). Of the 30% of calls that require assessment the most common outcome is 'Home Care' for idiots who don't know how to put a sticky plaster on, or 'See GP for routine appt. within a month' for nutters who think that the single spot on their face is leprosy. The third most common dispo is 'GP within a week', followed by 'GP within 48 hrs' which the patients need to follow up themselves, if they can figure out how to.

Out of the millions of calls taken a small percentage are referred to out of hours GPs directly, and a tiny percentage are told 'Visit A&E' or are patched through to the ambulance service.

Right, onto the A&E/999 thing.

If the British public weren't such idle, stupid, hypochondriac lying idiots, those two would hardly ever be used. But, if Joe 'tard is saying his leg is hanging off, then we obviously can't ignore him. If lying Sally Bag, who makes 30 calls a night is drunk and pretending to be unconscious, we can't tell her tanked-up mate to go away and leave us alone. Conversely if Barry Braindead calls us instead of dialling 999 for his very obvious heart attack, he gets patched through. If Mrs Shouldbe-Sterilised rings because her baby is blue, not moving, and "Should I give him some calpol" then what are we supposed to do? Not bother calling for an ambulance?"
 
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Doesn't bother me too much, I have a 24 hour hotline which is constantly manned by GPs as part of my Health Plan.
 
Superewza said:
I'll have you know that my parents have used it on my behalf on various occasions and it served it's purpose perfectly. Ask anybody who's used it and they will give the same response.
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What did you use it for? Or more precisely, what did your parents use it for 'on your behalf'?
 
Castiel said:
I got PPP AXA and I don't either.
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I have PPP AXA and I do ????

"Health at Hand: AXA PPP Health at Hand gives the assured access to a team of healthcare professionals, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge. Registered nurses, paediatric nurses and pharmacists will be on hand to answer questions and help the assured understand any medical problems their doctor has already diagnosed. Calls are free of charge"

Also have

"International Emergency Medical Cover - In addition to the private medical insurance, the assured also benefits from AXA PPP healthcare International Emergency medical cover - SOS. This is a worldwide, 24 hour a day, 365 days a year emergency advice and 'get you home safely' facility"

Unless you are on a different plan.
 
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PASONIX said:
I have PPP Axa and I do ????

"Health at Hand: AXA PPP Health at Hand gives the assured access to a team of healthcare professionals, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge. Registered nurses, paediatric nurses and pharmacists will be on hand to answer questions and help the assured understand any medical problems their doctor has already diagnosed. Calls are free of charge"
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See no mention of GP's in there?
 
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