The good old NHS

[devonwoody]

Yes we do have the NHS.

9.08 yesterday morning my wife coming in from the back garden tripped on the back door step fell in and has broken her right arm near shoulder neck joint.

Ambulance arrived 9.16 (I was still on the telephone to the 999 giving details )and we left for Torbay hospital around 45 minutes later after morphine had been administered by the paramedics.
By 11.30am we left Torbay hospital and xrays and with the arm in a sling, they are unable to put on a plaster because of the position of the break.
Appointment for Tuesday morning to be fitted with a brace or truss.

Our doctor states if her pain gets too much they have stronger stuff around if necessary.

I haven't done any ironing in 58 years and this morning I emptied the WMac. and learnt how to fold clothes, not starting now.

So top marks again to our NHS.

(don't moan at them, encourage them is my view on the NHS)

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I would never criticise the NHS - it's funding and management yes but not the service and it's front line staff.

Regards Mick

 

[spinks]

In an emergency the NHS are second to none...I have had my share!!! Its the mundane stuff they struggle with...I know I need a new knee after years of rugby abuse but I can manage at the moment so theres no point even asking for a referral as round here thats an 18 month wait!! As a positive when I had cancer I was 2 weeks from the date of finding something wrong to having a testicle removed and starting chemo...and here I am now, 5 years later, awaiting my all clear/cancer free appointment!! I love the NHS for certain things but other, less urgent, treatment is sadly lacking!!

 

[Peter Sefton]

Every experience I have had with the NHS has been great from A&E to the birth of my kids.
It must be best part of impossible to get it right every time but for me I can't fault them.
Rich or poor you will be treated.
Keep up the hard work guys we need you!

 

[hanser]

Sorry to hear of Mrs DevonW's accident. I hope she is not too uncomfortable.

 

[KevM]

Good to hear a positive NHS story - I hope Mrs DW is comfortable and doing well, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Kev

 

[david123]

I was an NHS Ambulance first responder for 6 years, and loved being able to support my local community. My biggest grip was the amount of people that ring 999 that don't actually need us, sometimes in the middle of the night, drunks, I have a headache, sorry mate I feel better now (rang 3 minutes earlier), the list could go on forever. I have also worked with the fast response cars and with ambulance crews, same story. Shame, as they would not be under the stress they are to provide the brilliant service that they do. Perhaps there should be a charge for unnecessary calls. But I suppose that may put off the folks that are worried and not sure if they should call or not . If in doubt, call us out. Fine line. Double thumbs up to them.
Gripe over

 

[Baldhead]

Sorry to hear of Mrs DW accident, I hope she has a speedy recovery. My wife works in Ambulance Control Room, (although not in your neck of the woods) I know she will be well pleased with your words of praise, all to often people like to complain but they rarely give praise, it's encouraging when people like yourself give the service a pat on the back.

Baldhead

 

[devonwoody]

Hi. David,Some years ago now I did 6 months voluntary hospital driving in Australia (another story) but in Oz. they pay for the ambulance and need insurance which I assume covers that sort of cost. The insurance company I am sure weed out their problem claimants.

Pleased to report that the lady had a reasonable comfortable night, and I have made three pots of tea so far this morning. Neighbours here are all giving her their best wishes and I have got a tickle re the ironing.

 

[RogerS]

Yup, frontline NHS staff are brilliant. As others have said, the NHS is brilliant when it comes to emergencies and cancer care, heart attacks etc. But, as you say, not helped by drunken idiots or stupid women ringing up 999 because the icecream man didn't put enough sprinkles on her icecream cone.

Nor are they helped by MPs such as Hunt making fatuous comments about some GPs allegedly not picking up on cancer symptoms. Predictable knee-jerk reaction by our local GPs sending off patients on an unnecessary two-week referral (when previously they would have sent patients off on the normal timeframe). End result? Normal appointments unavailable until well outside the 18 week RTT period.

And the 18 week RTT 'legally binding'. What's that all about? What a waste of time. If a patient exceeds that period (and there are more and more who are doing so) then nothing happens. So why not take the resources put in place to monitor this pointless metric and put them into frontline clinical staff?

The NHS also suffers from silo-mentality - a consultant will write the minimum down in a report such that when you get referred to another consultant elsewhere they cannot do anything at that first meeting as they don't have all the information. Were the original consultant to append the histology report to the letter that they are already sending out to both GP and patient, then said patient (ie me) would have that information to hand when they had the second referral. Instead, we now waste a second appointment plus the time and money spent by various back-office staff in writing from one hospital to another to request said histology report. Daft. And I've said so in a letter to the local hospital Chief Exec praising his staff but suggesting a simple addition to a letter to save time and money.

dw ..as you are now up to speed with ironing, can I send mine down ?

 

[devonwoody]

dw ..as you are now up to speed with ironing, can I send mine down ?[/quote]
Roger, Not Pygmalion likely. :wink:

 

[rafezetter]

Nor are they helped by MPs such as Hunt making fatuous comments about some GPs allegedly not picking up on cancer symptoms.

I agree with all good previous comments re the NHS but... I have to take issue with that one above - My friend Paul's wife died of bowel cancer last April, now she did receive the full treatment when diagnosed and great after care but it took 18 months from her first asking for some diagnosis to what was happening, to them finally diagnosing it was cancer.

18 months in cancer terms is too late, FAR too late, and the sole biggest factor why she died in my view.

What is the point in having a massive campaign saying early diagnosis is one of the best things that can help survival, if they don't recognise what they are looking at.

While some cancers are rare and hard to properly diagnose - bowel cancer is so common, that if even 1 of the possible symptoms occurs it should be the FIRST thing considered, NOT the last. You don't necessarily have to tell the patient, that's what you are looking for, but even if you do and rule it out immediately, the patient will be relieved.

I personally would have sued, not for the money, but to highlight what happened so a change is effected, and the money I'd have given to macmillan or marie curie.

 

[Harbo]

I suppose I've been very lucky and received fantastic care and treatment at our local hospital.
In March I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and operated on a few weeks later.
A few weeks ago I had surgery to reverse the temporary Ileostomy.
I cannot praise them enough - superb surgeons, doctors and nurses.

I'm surprised the doctors had difficulty diagnosing your friends wife as my tumour was clearly visible when they inserted a camera up my tubes!?
Sadly 40,000 are diagnosed annually with 16,000 not making it.
Any signs of bleeding - don't mess around and get it investigated ASAP.

I hope your wife DW continues to do well?

Rod

 

[CHJ]

.....
9.08 yesterday morning my wife coming in from the back garden tripped on the back door step fell in and has broken her right arm near shoulder neck joint.
...

Pass on our good wishes John and hope she has a reasonably comfortable weekend until a fix can be put in place.

We too have had excellent medical service both in this household and extended family in the last two weeks, only delays in the service were the unavoidable wait for lab tests and the odd hour or two for someone to transfer computer files containing x-rays, MRI images and test results across the country to get specialist advice and interpretation.

 

[RogerS]

Nor are they helped by MPs such as Hunt making fatuous comments about some GPs allegedly not picking up on cancer symptoms.

I agree with all good previous comments re the NHS but... I have to take issue with that one above - My friend Paul's wife died of bowel cancer last April, now she did receive the full treatment when diagnosed and great after care but it took 18 months from her first asking for some diagnosis to what was happening, to them finally diagnosing it was cancer.

18 months in cancer terms is too late, FAR too late, and the sole biggest factor why she died in my view.

What is the point in having a massive campaign saying early diagnosis is one of the best things that can help survival, if they don't recognise what they are looking at.

While some cancers are rare and hard to properly diagnose - bowel cancer is so common, that if even 1 of the possible symptoms occurs it should be the FIRST thing considered, NOT the last. You don't necessarily have to tell the patient, that's what you are looking for, but even if you do and rule it out immediately, the patient will be relieved.

I personally would have sued, not for the money, but to highlight what happened so a change is effected, and the money I'd have given to macmillan or marie curie.

I agree with you 100%. But saying Doctor's should be named and shamed is not the way to go about improving things.

 

[lanemaux]

Sorry to hear of your wifes accident DW, please forward mine and families best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Also a good on you to the people who responded so quickly to your call and all the folk who helped at the hospital, sounds like she was looked after well.
We also have something similar in the way of universal health care in Canada and I certainly won't fault it. Three years ago I got my stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis and thanks to my doctors and some extremely expensive drugs (provided gratis by gov. and company alike) I have yet to slide off to my family plot. Were I just a couple hundred kilometers south I might be alive , but I would sure be in major debt and all my family besides.
So keep her well and happy during her recovery as she is , to judge by her artistry that you posted , a treasure. I look forward to seeing more of her work.

 

[devonwoody]

Thank you all for the kind replies.

In the meantime I play at my computer between tending loving care to the lady and post this.

Inspired by the Travel Show on BBC this morning at 05.30am.

Painted using Painter X3

A tutorial video using the program if you are interested. (available on 30 day trial from corel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td0JhB41q_g

 

[dickm]

Agree wholeheartedly with praise for NHS - OK, it makes mistakes, but what individual or organisation can honestly say it does the right thing, every time, without errors?
The situation in the USA is exactly as stated, in that you can get brilliant treatment, but only if you are very wealthy or have insurance, which costs a lot more than we pay in to the NHS (well, the insurance companies have to make a meagre living for themselves, don't they?). And even their privatised system can make messes; daughter was finally diagnosed as coeliac after 10 years of symptoms which, with hindsight, all pointed one way, but which she had been told were her age, her gender, stress......... etc..
Also got nothing but praise for the care available via EHIC in the EU. Of course, if UKIP gets its way, we say goodbye to that.

 

[rafezetter]

Nor are they helped by MPs such as Hunt making fatuous comments about some GPs allegedly not picking up on cancer symptoms.

I agree with all good previous comments re the NHS but... I have to take issue with that one above - My friend Paul's wife died of bowel cancer last April, now she did receive the full treatment when diagnosed and great after care but it took 18 months from her first asking for some diagnosis to what was happening, to them finally diagnosing it was cancer.

18 months in cancer terms is too late, FAR too late, and the sole biggest factor why she died in my view.

What is the point in having a massive campaign saying early diagnosis is one of the best things that can help survival, if they don't recognise what they are looking at.

While some cancers are rare and hard to properly diagnose - bowel cancer is so common, that if even 1 of the possible symptoms occurs it should be the FIRST thing considered, NOT the last. You don't necessarily have to tell the patient, that's what you are looking for, but even if you do and rule it out immediately, the patient will be relieved.

I personally would have sued, not for the money, but to highlight what happened so a change is effected, and the money I'd have given to macmillan or marie curie.

I agree with you 100%. But saying Doctor's should be named and shamed is not the way to go about improving things.

How else do you effect change? A complaint simply won't have any effect. Any healthcare professional who either makes a serious error in judgement or does not have the knowledge to practice effectively needs a harsh lesson. We all rely on them to make the right call when it matters most; and when they don't, it can prove fatal. Missing something as common as Bowel cancer is just unacceptable.

I know they work hard and under a great deal of stress, but missing something once; ok it happens; twice..hmmm maybe but 18 months? Not fit to practice, period.

If she was much older I might not feel quite the same but she was just 48, and previously fit and active.

 

[RogerS]

How else do you effect change? A complaint simply won't have any effect. Any healthcare professional who either makes a serious error in judgement or does not have the knowledge to practice effectively needs a harsh lesson. We all rely on them to make the right call when it matters most; and when they don't, it can prove fatal. Missing something as common as Bowel cancer is just unacceptable.

I know they work hard and under a great deal of stress, but missing something once; ok it happens; twice..hmmm maybe but 18 months? Not fit to practice, period.

If she was much older I might not feel quite the same but she was just 48, and previously fit and active.

Not by naming and shaming. Naming and shaming? Hey, might as well put them on the Jeremy Kyle show. Or the front page of the Daily Mail. There are already procedures in place and doctors do get struck off.

In any event, neither of us knows the exact circumstances. There are many people in the loop. What tests did she have? How did she present? Were any red flag symptoms present that were missed? Did the histology department mess up? There are also things called 'False Positives'. No, naming and shaming smacks to me of mob rule.