GPs - Appointments and service

[mary1947 2,086]

Watched the news last night, are we going backwards in the UK?  What was on TV was children waiting to have their teeth looked at, they don't seem to be any free dentists about.

Now I can remember when we were at school the nurses came from the clinc and  checked your teeth every 6 months, (the children had not had there teeth checked for years it seemed) Yes for your treatment you had to go to Rose Hill or Chacurer St Clinic, but we did get our teeth sorted out. 

I went for a blood test the other day and ask if a nurse or doctor would have a look at one of my nails, (I had an infrection in the nail bed)  Reception sorry we have no-one free, phone us next week and if a GP thinks your nail is an infection then he/she will ask you to come into the surgery, Or you could call at the chemist and they will give you some thing. Now I can remember when young if we had a cold mum would say " just go down to Pennalies and get 1oz of cooling mixture,.cost 1/3  Penalies were the herbalists. Are we going back to these days??  ps the other day i went for a hearing test and the people who do the test ask for the inside of my ears to be clean eg no wax/ so phoned  GPs surgery to get my ears syringed Oh we don't have any nurses do that any more, go to the chemist or Specsavers, they are the ones that syringe ears now!!!! but you  will have to pay? Specsavers cost £50 00 

[LizzieM 9,514]

Wonder if the nit nurse still goes into schools?  Doubtful I suppose, I don’t remember her going to the schools my boys were at about 30/40 years ago, although they did have nits, discovered and treated by me ……. I had them too when I was at infant school, ‘they only go for clean hair’ my proud Mum said!! 
 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

I never had headlice, either when I was at school or when I was teaching although they were very much present in other children. My sister never had them, either. We never get bitten by mosquitos, midges or anything else. That's a trait inherited from our father and his father before him.  Mind you, my mother was paranoid about headlice and insisted on combing my hair as a child. She had a Durbac comb and since my hair was all Shirley Temple tight curls, it was agony having the Durbac comb through it. My sister's hair was dead straight, so it wasn't as bad for her.  Some children seemed to get headlice repeatedly. Some of those children were none too clean but others were spotless and still picked them up.  I remember the nit nurse coming to Berridge.

[philmayfield 6,180]

We had a classmate diagnosed with ringworm of the scalp at Mellish. A nurse came in to examine us all with a special lamp and pronounced that the whole class had got it and were told to visit our doctors’ that evening. She was mistaken and we returned to be shunned by the rest of the school for some days. The boy who had it had to have his head shaved to apply the treatment and returned a few weeks later.

[MargieH 7,611]

@mary1947  I’m surprised that you can’t get your ears syringed for free at the GP surgery.  It must just be a local decision as we can get ours done at no cost - the nurse does standard syringing and if there is a problem eg previous perforated eardrum, then you get an appt at an NHS clinic to have it suctioned out.

@Jill Sparrow. I have never had nits neither have our children - just luck I suppose….

[benjamin1945 16,172]

All this talk of 'Headlice'' causes a memory or two of a girl who sat next to me at school......she came back from seeing the Nurse with her hair wet thru and told she had to sit at the back of the class by herself .....i felt really sorry for her and told the teacher she should still sit next to me......the Teacher asked me if i wanted ''NITS'' AS WELL?.........Told her i didnt mind it won't Kill me will it''..........my request was Granted........

               A few years later i bumped her down the Palais and she recalled that day and  thanked me.........i was very touched....then she turned me down for a Dance..........

[plantfit 7,625]

  I’m surprised that you can’t get your ears syringed for free at the GP surgery.

Our surgery don't syringe ears either, not done for about ten years now, in fact there is very little done at the surgery now just the odd blood sample and blood pressure checks, very rare you get to see a doctor, only phone calls from them, last time I had a phone call from the doc and he asked me what the problem was I said "can you see this rash on my arm" to which he replied "send me a picture of it via email", I put the phone down and didn't bother him again, I can't understand why all of a sudden you can't get to see a doctor and all the doctors at our surgery seem to be part time here and part time at other surgeries, strange world we are living in

 

Rog

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

How right you are, Plantfit.  A friend's surgery is in a massive health centre with a designated phlebotomy suite yet they don't do blood tests,you have to book an appointment at a hospital and wait weeks! Logic? Beats me.

 

I had a thyroid screen recently. My tiny surgery does its own blood tests but when it came to my yearly medication review, it was marked 'medication review without patient'. Well, I'm only the poor s*d who takes the stuff. Who wants to know what I think? Not the GP, obviously.

 

Another friend returned early from her holidays last week as she had pains in both legs and was finding it difficult to walk. She rang her surgery because their E-consult facility wasn't operating. They've disconnected it and you can't make an appointment by phone. They send a link to your mobile and you have to book via that.  What if you don't have a mobile/internet access?  The implication seems to be don't bother us. Go away and die quietly.  Friend contacted her husband's chiropractor and got an appointment for tomorrow, complete with x-ray and instant results. 

[Beekay 5,172]

Trust me, I'm not boasting but....

When I worked at SPD, early 70s, I parked when finished and was told by the warehouse foreman that I was to go straight to Heathfield hospital and not go home. I was to meet my wife there. When I arrived I was shown into a consulting room where wife and children were. I was immediately examined by the consultant, who said, " Yes, you've got it as well". Dumbfounded, I asked, 'got what"?

Scabies, I was informed ! We were prescribed some white lotion, which we were told to apply it everywhere, consultant looked at me and said, 'And I mean everywhere'. The following day we had to wash the bedsheets, have a shower, then repeat the treatment again that night. (First time kills second time is insurance). We did the treatment and boy did that stuff sting !! Especially in the nether regions. Still itched for a few days, but that's normal.

It transpired our youngest son picked up the infection while being transported in ambulance to special school. The kids were two on a bed,top to tail. It was at Christmas so we never went anywhere, but stayed home. I said we should have a bell and wear an 'Unclean' sign. Wife disposed of about 70 mince pies she'd made for orders.

I've never mentioned this to anyone before, but it was in Nottingham. 

[plantfit 7,625]

Our surgery has it's own pharmacy where we get the prescriptions, for the past ten/eleven years I have been getting text messages from them letting me know that this months prescription is now ready to be picked up, the pharmacy re-order for me every month no problem but a couple of months ago when I went to pick up said prescription I was told I now have to order my own and tick off the items I want on the prescription paper, I said "but you always order them for me and you have for the past 10/11 years" only to be told "well you have to do it now", "it's a repeat prescription so whats the problem I'll have the same again next month" once again I was told "you have to order them by ticking the items on the paper form", just to be bloody minded I said well I can't because I've not bought my glasses so can't see the items I need to tick only to be told in no uncertain term to " make sure you bring your glasses next month", sorry for the long post but attitudes like that really annoy me

[philmayfield 6,180]

My surgery is the same re part time doctors. Surprisingly I was invited for my annual blood test last Monday. Can’t remember the last one. Whilst I was there I was invited to my annual(?) weight and lifestyle check. I’ve got just three weeks to improve my lifestyle!

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

What happens if you don't? Do they take your whisky supplies away?

[trogg 2,019]

It appears normal now to never see the Doctor, if you are lucky after waiting eras for the phone to be answered you speak to the receptionist and if you are one of the chosen few and there is a spot left the Doctor will phone you late in the afternoon. Blood test sometimes the nurse at the surgery will do it but mostly you are given a phone number for another surgery to have  an appointment weeks in the future. Blood pressure tests its do it yourself with your own machine or go to the surgery and use their machine . Prescriptions you have to tick what you want and then take it to the surgery. 

[philmayfield 6,180]

They just don’t know what it’s like to work in a customer orientated business where your first duty is to delight your customers in order to keep them coming back. The trouble with a surgery is that it’s an upheaval to change.

[philmayfield 6,180]

Just now, Jill Sparrow said:

What happens if you don't? Do they take your whisky supplies away?

I only drink whisky for medicinal purposes if I have a cold. Otherwise I avoid spirits. I consider I have a healthy lifestyle and I’m constantly active with five acres of meadow, orchard and garden to manage. One pint of beer a week and one glass of wine with my dinner.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

1 hour ago, Beekay said:

It transpired our youngest son picked up the infection while being transported in ambulance to special school. The kids were two on a bed,top to tail. It was at Christmas so we never went anywhere, but stayed home. I said we should have a bell and wear an 'Unclean' sign.

I once had a stand off with a parent whose child had scabies. School policy was that the child must stay at home for at least two days after diagnosis and they should be treated at home.    The morning following diagnosis, I saw the mother walking across the playground with the child whom we knew had scabies.  I intercepted them before they entered the building. She offered me the medication and asked me to administer it as prescribed. I refused, told her to go home and advised her of school policy, which she was already aware of.  She threw her rattle out of the pram and said she had to go to work. "So do I," I retorted, "and I can't have a child with scabies in my classroom." Undeterred, she tried the same argument with the head and was escorted off the premises.

[MargieH 7,611]

Reading all the posts about problems with GP surgeries, I feel very fortunate

here in a fen village as I just send them a message on ‘Askmygp’ stating any health isssues we may have, and they phone up the same days to

assess whether we need a face to face appt or not.

The nurses at the surgery do annual blood tests (and BP) for us and the doctors follow up any abnormalities.

We really are very fortunate ….

 

 

 

 

 

n

 

[philmayfield 6,180]

My surgery recently received a poor assessment and it seems as if they are getting off their backsides to do something about it. I’m getting attention once more. Mainly part time doctors so they are obviously paid well!

[mary1947 2,086]

On the post of Scabies?  can you remember that awfull purple lotion that kids had on there faces. I don't know what it was for but every child seemed to have this lotion in one place or another.

 

B you at least got rid of your Scabies in one session. 

 

At least it's better to have Scabies than tsetse fly   this fly is one we found while living in South Africa  if  this fly lands on you then it will lay its eggs under your skin, and you then suffer with what is called sleeping sickness. Must say can't remember much about it I did have a friend out there who did get the skickness. It took her years to recover.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Another school nasty was impetigo. Again, highly infectious and required a period of absence from school so as not to spread it.  

[Beekay 5,172]

1 hour ago, mary1947 said:

On the post of Scabies?  can you remember that awfull purple lotion that kids had on there faces. I don't know what it was for but every child seemed to have this lotion in one place or another.

 

 

 

 

Mary that 'purple stuff' you mentioned is, I  believe, 'Gentian Violets' and I wish you could still get it. It was used for  various treatments and I particularly recall having it applied to me loads of times on visits to Children's hospital. Whether was rashes, infections or more usually, to put on stitched up wounds, which I was a regular casualty as a dopey kid who was always in mischief.  Happy days eh?

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

I think you can still obtain gentian violet, Beekay, but perhaps not very easily as it is a known carcinogen.  It has antifungal properties but is most probably now considered old fashioned.

[philmayfield 6,180]

We used it in the 6th form for preparing microscope slides. Of course we used to call it genital violet!

[MRS B 532]

Wasn’t gentian violet used to treat verrucas ?

[plantfit 7,625]

Just back from the pharmacy which is in our doctors surgery to pick up mine and Mrs P's repeat prescriptions and the girl at the counter got the prescription then asked me to tick which ones I want next month on the prescription paperwork, I said we will need all the items again as it's a repeat prescription, she again told me to tick the boxes for what I will need, after a bit of tooing and frowing (sp) I gave her the paperwork back because I couldn't see the tick boxes because I didn't have my glasses with me, she abruptly told me to take them home and tick the boxes there then bring them back to the pharmacy, I handed the paperwork back to her and said "don't bother you can have this lot back" and I walked out, it would appear that no one is at all helpful these days, what is different now to what it has been for the last ten years or more when they always ticked the order boxes? rant over

 

Rog