I will defend the NHS to my last breath. My praise for GP's, nurses, consultants, even the porters and all the other vital people knows no bounds, I owe them all debts of gratitude that can never be repaid. Sometimes despite best efforts things go askew and many faults exist within NHS but the dedication of almost all medical staff is not one of them. When I see our wonderful health service under threat I cringe with horror and tremble at the thought the health and safety of myself, my family and everyone else dependent on this wonderful service would be placed in jeopardy if the government continued stripping away the fabric.
Personally I've always acknowledged issues exist within NHS, but the problems lay not with the dedicated the medics, the blame lays firmly in the hands of administration, managers and decision makers within the health service. I've seen this proved time and time again. If I as an individual can truthfully point fingers at repeated cases of bad management then I remain confident I am right. Those familiar with my blogs or Facebook or Twitter with also be familiar with my complaints of discrimination and lack of reasonable adjustments and access to the most basic services and the most vital ones incuding NHS.
The lights are on but no one is home.
Perhaps that seems a cruel assessment of managers and administration within the health service, but it doesn't even come close to the feelings of anger I have towards these departments. Don't get me wrong some of the receptionists at my local health centre are friendly and approachable. I say most because there's always the odd one who'll shake her head disapprovingly if I stretch up of tiptoe to try and get a closer look at her mouth when she talks to me, she'll give a hefty sigh and look extremely annoyed if I ask her to repeat herself. Fortunately nowadays I rarely attend the health centre without the support of a guide and notetaker. Much to the irritated receptionists relief she's spared the process of head shaking and hefty sighing. Well at least with me.
Unlike England it seems Scotland doesn't recognise a secure web system to allow deafblind and some disabled people to use internet email contact for medical advice and prescriptions. That said, I know of a couple of GP's with small health centres that do make their help and services available to patients. My health centre has a web page where repeat non urgent prescriptions can be ordered. If you happen to need an urgent prescription...You guessed it...phone. Not their problem if you can't use a phone or don't have anyone on hand to phone. After a two year battle with the health centre management they conceded and gave me their email address but with the strict instructions/ "Only for use in making or cancelling appointments nothing else." They refused to relent to any other concession. They'd also warned "We don't check emails frequently." An odd statement considering they'd given the email address to me to make or cancel appointments. Despite the fact my wonderful support worker is only paid to support me for 3 hrs a week, she tries to make herself available as often as she can. I know she has a family and other commitments, it would be extremely unfair to expect her to be on hand 24/7. I live alone. The health centre is aware of my limited support time and my living situation. 'Patient awareness' and 'consideration' seem to be alien words to my local health centre management. Before I had support I'd been placed in a terrifying situation of feeling really ill and having no means at all to contact the Health Centre, they knew of this too which makes their attitude even more appalling. They have a web page where patients can request non urgent repeat prescriptions. Anyone requiring an 'urgent' prescription must...wait for it...phone a request.
Breaking News!! Deafblind woman living alone without specialist equipment makes telepathic breakthrough in contacting her Health Centre.
The Health Centre took stupidity and disregard to new levels recently. On Tuesday 4th December I looked up their web page intent on making a regular repeat request. The web site was down. It was down on Wednesday and Thursday too. Finally on Friday 7th the web page was up and I sent the request. "Allow 48 hours" is the usual time for repeats. On Wednesday 12th I got hold of a family member who went to collect the medicine from the local chemist. It's less than 10 yards from the Health Centre. No prescription there. The medicine was for 'mild heart failure' I was almost out of medicine.
I awoke early the following morning and struggled to see, I'd developed an infection in both eyes. The blind one didn't trouble me much but I'm almost paranoid about losing the last of my vision in the other eye. I knew what was needed, I'd had the same problem before. No one was on hand to phone the health centre and I knew the infection would get worse without treatment. I emailed them using the account they had given me. No reply. Later on that afternoon I emailed them again saying how urgent the issue was and that I was in pain. No reply. The following day Friday. My support worker contacted me early in the morning via Facebook to tell me a Doctor had phoned her to say he would issue a prescription to be collected immediately. It was late afternoon before I could get hold of a family member to go to the chemist for me. They came back empty handed. The chemist hadn't received the repeat prescription or the 'urgent' one!!
Over the next hour and a half the family member made four more calls to the health centre and two to the chemist. At 5.15pm the chemist announced it had both prescriptions.
What would have happened if I hadn't managed to get hold of a family member to phone up and run back and forth to the chemist?
ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, HUMILIATED, ALARMED and most definitely DISCRIMINATED against. I had specified the words 'urgent, painful. restricting my very limited vision.' The Doctor acted immediately as soon as he was notified. It took over a day to notify him. They didn't notify me that the doctor had been informed. A distance of less than 10 yards from a chemist. A health centre with at least 10 secretaries, receptionist and management. Have I been wronged? I'm my opinion yes I certainly have. Shame on the administration to treat someone who cannot access the things everyone takes for granted in such a despicable way. Yes I will always defend the NHS and yes I'm quite aware that administration is a necessary part of the system, but nothing on earth will convince me that was not bad administration and management or convince me the attitudes of both are discriminatory and prejudiced...
Personally I've always acknowledged issues exist within NHS, but the problems lay not with the dedicated the medics, the blame lays firmly in the hands of administration, managers and decision makers within the health service. I've seen this proved time and time again. If I as an individual can truthfully point fingers at repeated cases of bad management then I remain confident I am right. Those familiar with my blogs or Facebook or Twitter with also be familiar with my complaints of discrimination and lack of reasonable adjustments and access to the most basic services and the most vital ones incuding NHS.
The lights are on but no one is home.
Perhaps that seems a cruel assessment of managers and administration within the health service, but it doesn't even come close to the feelings of anger I have towards these departments. Don't get me wrong some of the receptionists at my local health centre are friendly and approachable. I say most because there's always the odd one who'll shake her head disapprovingly if I stretch up of tiptoe to try and get a closer look at her mouth when she talks to me, she'll give a hefty sigh and look extremely annoyed if I ask her to repeat herself. Fortunately nowadays I rarely attend the health centre without the support of a guide and notetaker. Much to the irritated receptionists relief she's spared the process of head shaking and hefty sighing. Well at least with me.
Unlike England it seems Scotland doesn't recognise a secure web system to allow deafblind and some disabled people to use internet email contact for medical advice and prescriptions. That said, I know of a couple of GP's with small health centres that do make their help and services available to patients. My health centre has a web page where repeat non urgent prescriptions can be ordered. If you happen to need an urgent prescription...You guessed it...phone. Not their problem if you can't use a phone or don't have anyone on hand to phone. After a two year battle with the health centre management they conceded and gave me their email address but with the strict instructions/ "Only for use in making or cancelling appointments nothing else." They refused to relent to any other concession. They'd also warned "We don't check emails frequently." An odd statement considering they'd given the email address to me to make or cancel appointments. Despite the fact my wonderful support worker is only paid to support me for 3 hrs a week, she tries to make herself available as often as she can. I know she has a family and other commitments, it would be extremely unfair to expect her to be on hand 24/7. I live alone. The health centre is aware of my limited support time and my living situation. 'Patient awareness' and 'consideration' seem to be alien words to my local health centre management. Before I had support I'd been placed in a terrifying situation of feeling really ill and having no means at all to contact the Health Centre, they knew of this too which makes their attitude even more appalling. They have a web page where patients can request non urgent repeat prescriptions. Anyone requiring an 'urgent' prescription must...wait for it...phone a request.
Breaking News!! Deafblind woman living alone without specialist equipment makes telepathic breakthrough in contacting her Health Centre.
The Health Centre took stupidity and disregard to new levels recently. On Tuesday 4th December I looked up their web page intent on making a regular repeat request. The web site was down. It was down on Wednesday and Thursday too. Finally on Friday 7th the web page was up and I sent the request. "Allow 48 hours" is the usual time for repeats. On Wednesday 12th I got hold of a family member who went to collect the medicine from the local chemist. It's less than 10 yards from the Health Centre. No prescription there. The medicine was for 'mild heart failure' I was almost out of medicine.
I awoke early the following morning and struggled to see, I'd developed an infection in both eyes. The blind one didn't trouble me much but I'm almost paranoid about losing the last of my vision in the other eye. I knew what was needed, I'd had the same problem before. No one was on hand to phone the health centre and I knew the infection would get worse without treatment. I emailed them using the account they had given me. No reply. Later on that afternoon I emailed them again saying how urgent the issue was and that I was in pain. No reply. The following day Friday. My support worker contacted me early in the morning via Facebook to tell me a Doctor had phoned her to say he would issue a prescription to be collected immediately. It was late afternoon before I could get hold of a family member to go to the chemist for me. They came back empty handed. The chemist hadn't received the repeat prescription or the 'urgent' one!!
Over the next hour and a half the family member made four more calls to the health centre and two to the chemist. At 5.15pm the chemist announced it had both prescriptions.
What would have happened if I hadn't managed to get hold of a family member to phone up and run back and forth to the chemist?
ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, HUMILIATED, ALARMED and most definitely DISCRIMINATED against. I had specified the words 'urgent, painful. restricting my very limited vision.' The Doctor acted immediately as soon as he was notified. It took over a day to notify him. They didn't notify me that the doctor had been informed. A distance of less than 10 yards from a chemist. A health centre with at least 10 secretaries, receptionist and management. Have I been wronged? I'm my opinion yes I certainly have. Shame on the administration to treat someone who cannot access the things everyone takes for granted in such a despicable way. Yes I will always defend the NHS and yes I'm quite aware that administration is a necessary part of the system, but nothing on earth will convince me that was not bad administration and management or convince me the attitudes of both are discriminatory and prejudiced...