Bob F. said:
Why are you going to an out of hours service? They ARE intended for emergencies so it's no wonder you were given drugs to treat the immediate problem and shoved out the door. Did he tell you to contact your regular GP about it? I bet he did. Will you? Even if he didn't, it's obvious that you should. Men in particular just let things slide with their health - "oh, it's just too much hassle" and go around moaning about the lack of treatment when in reality they did not keep the appointment or didn't even make a follow-up appointment in the first place.
I went to an out of hours service because Bolton now only offers out of hours at weekends. I did not feel that I was in a condition to wait until Monday, and it was either that or A&E. I was given no advice to contact my GP. I contacted them, described what had happened over the phone and they told me to come in for an appointment. I went in, the light lit up for me to go into the consulting room. He asked [name]? I said yes, he pressed what I imagine was print, handed me the prescription and bid me good day. When I attempted to ask what I had been given, he bid me good day again and clearly intended me to leave. I had to ask the pharmacist what I had actually been prescribed. No "go see your regular GP", no "please don't do this again until you've worked out what the problem is", nothing. Just a "good day".
I make a point of *always* keeping appointments. My father is a senior charge nurse for A&E and my mother, before becoming a classroom assistant was a ward nurse. I try my damndest to stay in good health, I do only see my GP when I need to and just that. I've paid for private physiotherapy for several years because the NHS was unable to provide the service I needed (I was point blank told that I would be near pernamently at the back-end of the waiting list because there was/is a shortage of physiotherapists in the local area). Each time I have approached the NHS with a problem, they have simply shrugged it off and told me to simply quit. If I followed all their advice to date I would have no carrer, no sport, no hobbies, and would probably have more medical problems than I do now (I am now in relatively good health, with the occassional niggle. Oh yes, and a hypersensitive reaction to an unknown chemical
)
Maybe that's a reflection on the service in this area, but that's the experience
Bob F. said:
Perhaps I have been lucky but every time I have had an ailment that my GP can't deal with he or she has sent me off to a specialist. OK it may have taken a couple of weeks to get the appointment in non-urgent cases, but I got it and I was never told to go away and stop bothering them with little things.
Back problems: Go away, stretch a bit, find private physiotherapy. (The last bit was the best piece of advice I was given. I found an excellent sports physio and stuck with him since).
Eye problems (muscles in left eye): The *one* specialist I was given. After a twelve month wait. I had three sessions, the lady I was seeing quit, and I was told I was back on the waiting list. For another twelve months.
There are various others, but I'm not listing them. There's no point, the story pretty much reads the same.
Bob F. said:
The second favourite pastime in this country after moaning about the weather is moaning about the NHS. Both have their moments, but in neither case are things as bad as some like to believe.
I think that really does depend on where you live, and how much money is in the pot. Unfortunately Bolton is somewhat suffering at the minute, and while some services *are* excellent, others are struggling.
I agree though that moaning about the NHS is the second favourite past-time of the UK