NHS attitude to young/middle aged males

[Moonhawk]

I don't know whether it is just me or a more general attitude towards young/middle aged males - but I find the NHS generally dismissive any time I have need to call on their services. Despite having several GPs over the years - all seem rather reluctant to perform any sort of examination and are generally dismissive when it comes to treatment.

Just been to the doctor yet again over a relatively minor (but potentially communicable) ailment that I have had for 5 years plus - and that refuses to clear up.

Despite taking new information to the doctor regarding the possible cause for the condition, as well as some new symptoms that have developed fairly recently (some of which he could have verified himself - but didn't) - I got nothing more than a hands off cursory look and the condition was dismissed yet again as 'nothing'. He even refused to read back on the notes from my previous visits about the same condition.

When I indicated I wasn't happy with that answer and the lack of a proper examination - he basically turned round and said "what do you want me to do about it?"........I mean really?

I told him what my suspicions were with regards to the condition (based on the symptoms I was displaying - some of which he could have easily verified himself but didn't) and I quoted the NHS website's recommended treatment for such a condition. He didn't seem too happy with this - but prescribed me the treatment and sent me on my way.

Is this how the NHS works now. You don't get examined properly - have to tell the doctor what you think is wrong (self diagnose) and have to tell the doctor what they should be prescribing? Only by doing that do you get treated?

[Moonhawk]

FatSumo said:

Can you request to see a different GP ?

This was a different GP - so far I have seen perhaps 3 or 4 different GPs over the years for the same issue.

[Moonhawk]

pidsy said:

i think the NHS is wonderful in an emergency situation,our doctors and nurses do an incredible job under pressure and crappy working environments but when it comes to routine health care, or non life threatening situations it is very poor.

Yep - that would be my impression. Our family has had a couple of occasions over the past 15 years or so to call on the 'emergency' side of the NHS and I couldn't fault it.

It's almost like night and day.

[Moonhawk]

dave_s13 said:

It would be interesting to know what brand of leeches you asked for and for what purpose.

Just the standard NHS recommended treatment for the condition I believe the evidence points towards. Nothing out of the ordinary or woo.

[Moonhawk]

hman said:

......merely prioritisation of very tight resources.

I'd like to believe that.....but some of the inefficiencies I have observed are staggering.

How can it be more efficient to fob a patient off - only for them to return 3 or 4 times for the same condition - appointments that could be better allocated to those in more need.

Would it not be better to treat a minor ailment on the first visit - rather than risk it getting worse (and possibly more expensive) or in the case of a communicable disease - spread to others - further squeezing resources.

Also on the question of private health cover (which is something I do have via my wifes job) - you generally need an initial GP diagnosis and referral to take advantage of it. If GPs are unwilling to examine and diagnose properly - many opportunities to offload patients onto the private health sector could be being missed.

Edited by Moonhawk on Tuesday 15th July 00:03

[Moonhawk]

alock said:

Tell them you have private cover and watch them fall over themselves for the referral fee.

Perhaps it should be marked on your file.......i'd only bring up the subject of private health insurance if the doctor diagnosed me as having something that would benefit from private treatment.......but they kinda have to examine and diagnose you first. Catch 22.

I can't really imagine walking into a GP's office and saying "Hello Dr Smith......I have private health insurance dont you know."

[Moonhawk]

theshrew said:

Dr's - you need to know if your going to be ill 3 weeks in advance

To be honest - this kind of thing is more about the attitude some of the receptionists.

When you ring up in the afternoon saying you have just taken ill - the last thing you need is the receptionist telling you that, to get an appointment today, you should have rang at 8:30am. Clairvoyance must be a wonderful gift for those lucky enough to be bestowed with it.

Some also seem to think they are qualified to make a clinical decision/diagnosis over the phone. My granddaughter was refused an appointment with the doctor a few weeks back because the receptionist thought that it didn't sound serious enough and would only give her an appointment with the nurse. Her mum duly took her to see the nurse who took one look and said "nothing I can do - she needs to see a doctor"! (this is the same practice I went to BTW).

[Moonhawk]

jackh707 said:

OP, can you be more specific about what's wrong with you?

No.......this isn't an episode of embarrassing bodies

The specifics aren't relevant to the thread.

Edited by Moonhawk on Wednesday 16th July 10:04

[Moonhawk]

Bill said:

To be blunt, it does look like "young/middle aged males" in the title should read "hypochondriacs". If four different GPs didn't see the need to actively treat your condition, perhaps it didn't need treating.

OK - just to put a stop to this speculation about my 'hypochondria' - this is the condition I suspect I have been suffering from:

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/fungal-scalp-infec...

I have a round scaly patch of skin on the crown of my head that looks just like the one in the link above. Beneath the skin are small lesions which come and go and the hairs in that area are brittle and have snapped off. The area glows green/blue under a UV lamp (a classic test for fungal infection). I also have lymph nodes in my neck that have been swollen for a few months - something I didn't consider could be linked to the condition until I read the information above.

In addition - both my 9 month old granddaughter and cat have recently been diagnosed with the same condition (albeit not of the scalp), leading to the suspicion that I may actually be the source of infection. It was their diagnosis that lead to us reading more about the condition - and the realisation that it could be what I have had all along - hence prompting my latest visit to the doctor.

Although the condition is quite common and not serious (a point I made patently clear in my OP) - the NHS website does indicate that it is highly infectious and that it is important to try and prevent transmission.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ringworm/pages/introd...

Was I wrong to seek medical advice? Was I expecting too much for the doctor to, at the very least shine a UV light on my head to confirm the possibility of fungal infection?

Edited by Moonhawk on Monday 28th July 17:56