Liz Jones (Again) - Poor love expected the NHS to bow to her
Discussion
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2020705/...
The Soovy News said:
I don't scrape and scrabble at the coal face of the NHS very often. I was born, I suppose. My mum has great palliative care, but I've contributed £30,000 towards that.
I have a private GP, gynaecologist, two therapists and a dentist, who charges £900 for a root-canal filling. I don't drink, smoke or overeat. I don't have children. I exercise every single day. I've been a vegetarian since the age of 11.
Let us just say that, so far, I have not been a burden. But, on Friday morning, I found I needed the NHS for the first time in about 20 years, and it let me down. Very badly.
I am catching a flight to the Horn of Africa tomorrow, to cover the famine in Somalia. In order to obtain a visa, I am required to be inoculated against hepatitis A and B, yellow fever, typhoid, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and so on. On Thursday, I called my GP, a private GP, in London's Sloane Street.
'Yes, Miss Jones, come in any time.' And so I did. But my doctor could only give me the 'live' vaccine, yellow fever; the other jabs would have to be done the following day. The next morning, back home in Somerset, I called my local GP or 'health centre'.
'Hello!' I said cheerily. 'I am not registered with you, but I live two miles away. I wonder if you could possibly squeeze me in today to complete my jabs for travelling to Africa, and fill in my malaria prescription, as I need to start taking the tablets on Sunday.'
'You are not registered?!' the woman said, clearly appalled I had made her pick up the phone. 'We can't see you then. And we can't fill out a prescription that hasn't been written up by us.'
'But I will pay for the jabs, it only takes a couple of minutes.'
'But the nurse is fully booked. She can't do it. I don't even know if we have the drugs.'
'Can you find out?'
'Well, no. I'd have to ask her. And she can't fit you in.'
'But this is an emergency. I have never bothered you before in the three years I have lived here. Not with a snotty-nosed kid, not with depression, nothing. Never!'
'But we don't have your notes.'
'You don't need my notes.
Lots of people go to walk-in centres. You could telephone my doctor if you're worried about anything.'
'I don't have time to do that. Why don't you go to A&E if it's an emergency?'
'I'm sure they wouldn't classify a routine jab as an emergency. I mean, it's a global crisis. Millions of people are dying and you won't put yourself out to allow me to be seen by a nurse, not even a doctor, for five minutes?'
'No.'
Last week, the boss of the care company Castlebeck, whose Winterbourne View care home in Bristol was exposed by Panorama for practising routine abuse, used the defence that the home was understaffed, and that the employees needed more training.
Of course that is part of the problem, but it doesn't explain all of it. I don't need to be trained to know that it is wrong to slap someone, or ridicule them, or pin them down, or deny them privacy and respect. That is called being a human being. You should not need to be trained to do that.
I always wonder why people who don't like people go into the caring professions. The problems in the health service and in privately-run homes are not always to do with money. Attitude is often the issue.
Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said last week that NHS managers were abusing the system, forcing patients to wait so they either die or go private. The report, by the Co-operation and Competition Panel, said that one trust was insisting patients wait at least 15 weeks for treatment.
Such a time frame is within the 18-week target, but many hospitals can deal with patients more quickly than that. Everyone has become very 'jobsworth', doing only the minimum that is required.
But when you challenge them on their attitude, as I did when I called the 'health centre' and spoke to the receptionist, or manager, or whatever she calls herself, they are shocked at your temerity.
They are too used to being bossy. They call the shots, not you, the patient – or at least potential patient. What would it have cost this woman on Friday morning to have said: 'Sod the protocol – everyone needs to know about this famine, Miss Jones, so I am going to speak to the GP and see what we can do.'
But no. People no longer talk in such a way. They follow the rules. They never put themselves out. They never look at the bigger picture.
It doesn't need pulling apart because it's been done so well already:I have a private GP, gynaecologist, two therapists and a dentist, who charges £900 for a root-canal filling. I don't drink, smoke or overeat. I don't have children. I exercise every single day. I've been a vegetarian since the age of 11.
Let us just say that, so far, I have not been a burden. But, on Friday morning, I found I needed the NHS for the first time in about 20 years, and it let me down. Very badly.
I am catching a flight to the Horn of Africa tomorrow, to cover the famine in Somalia. In order to obtain a visa, I am required to be inoculated against hepatitis A and B, yellow fever, typhoid, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and so on. On Thursday, I called my GP, a private GP, in London's Sloane Street.
'Yes, Miss Jones, come in any time.' And so I did. But my doctor could only give me the 'live' vaccine, yellow fever; the other jabs would have to be done the following day. The next morning, back home in Somerset, I called my local GP or 'health centre'.
'Hello!' I said cheerily. 'I am not registered with you, but I live two miles away. I wonder if you could possibly squeeze me in today to complete my jabs for travelling to Africa, and fill in my malaria prescription, as I need to start taking the tablets on Sunday.'
'You are not registered?!' the woman said, clearly appalled I had made her pick up the phone. 'We can't see you then. And we can't fill out a prescription that hasn't been written up by us.'
'But I will pay for the jabs, it only takes a couple of minutes.'
'But the nurse is fully booked. She can't do it. I don't even know if we have the drugs.'
'Can you find out?'
'Well, no. I'd have to ask her. And she can't fit you in.'
'But this is an emergency. I have never bothered you before in the three years I have lived here. Not with a snotty-nosed kid, not with depression, nothing. Never!'
'But we don't have your notes.'
'You don't need my notes.
Lots of people go to walk-in centres. You could telephone my doctor if you're worried about anything.'
'I don't have time to do that. Why don't you go to A&E if it's an emergency?'
'I'm sure they wouldn't classify a routine jab as an emergency. I mean, it's a global crisis. Millions of people are dying and you won't put yourself out to allow me to be seen by a nurse, not even a doctor, for five minutes?'
'No.'
Last week, the boss of the care company Castlebeck, whose Winterbourne View care home in Bristol was exposed by Panorama for practising routine abuse, used the defence that the home was understaffed, and that the employees needed more training.
Of course that is part of the problem, but it doesn't explain all of it. I don't need to be trained to know that it is wrong to slap someone, or ridicule them, or pin them down, or deny them privacy and respect. That is called being a human being. You should not need to be trained to do that.
I always wonder why people who don't like people go into the caring professions. The problems in the health service and in privately-run homes are not always to do with money. Attitude is often the issue.
Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said last week that NHS managers were abusing the system, forcing patients to wait so they either die or go private. The report, by the Co-operation and Competition Panel, said that one trust was insisting patients wait at least 15 weeks for treatment.
Such a time frame is within the 18-week target, but many hospitals can deal with patients more quickly than that. Everyone has become very 'jobsworth', doing only the minimum that is required.
But when you challenge them on their attitude, as I did when I called the 'health centre' and spoke to the receptionist, or manager, or whatever she calls herself, they are shocked at your temerity.
They are too used to being bossy. They call the shots, not you, the patient – or at least potential patient. What would it have cost this woman on Friday morning to have said: 'Sod the protocol – everyone needs to know about this famine, Miss Jones, so I am going to speak to the GP and see what we can do.'
But no. People no longer talk in such a way. They follow the rules. They never put themselves out. They never look at the bigger picture.
http://www.briankellett.net/brian-kellett-dot-net/...
But I thought you'd enjoy it anyway
When I used to work within the health service, and people asked why they had to pay for Malaria medicine, I pointed out that it was their choice to go on a holiday to an area where Malaria was an issue.
Compared to the cost of their holiday, it is small potatoes. Why should the NHS subsidise a holiday?
Someone even had the cheek to say that the NHS would have to treat them if they caught Malaria. I pointed out they would, but that they should find out what having Malaria is like before they try to save a few quid. That tended to shut then up.
Compared to the cost of their holiday, it is small potatoes. Why should the NHS subsidise a holiday?
Someone even had the cheek to say that the NHS would have to treat them if they caught Malaria. I pointed out they would, but that they should find out what having Malaria is like before they try to save a few quid. That tended to shut then up.
"This is an emergency!"
Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you? Taking many tonnes of aid with you are you? Or are you just f
king going to go there to get in the way of people trying to make a difference in order to line your own pockets (and those of the many private medical types that let her down) and 'report' back to a 80ish poorly written pages of misguided bile and hatred.
I could spend hours pulling her various efforts apart, but it makes me so angry I may have to visit the coal face of the NHS for treatment..
.
Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you? Taking many tonnes of aid with you are you? Or are you just f
king going to go there to get in the way of people trying to make a difference in order to line your own pockets (and those of the many private medical types that let her down) and 'report' back to a 80ish poorly written pages of misguided bile and hatred.I could spend hours pulling her various efforts apart, but it makes me so angry I may have to visit the coal face of the NHS for treatment..
. 
P-Jay said:
"This is an emergency!"
Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you?
Reminds me of a sign I see that pops up in offices around me every now and then:Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you?
"Your bad planning is not my emergency"
Edited by Pondered Scrotum on Monday 1st August 16:54
Pondered Scrotum said:
P-Jay said:
"This is an emergency!"
Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you?
Reminds me of a sign I see that pops up in offices around me every now and then:Reeeeeally, booked the flight that morning did you? Told as the last moment were you?
"Your bad planning does is not my emergency"
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