Gp surgeries

Haven't seen my GP for about 3 years. Been waiting for a hip replacement for 4. Worked for 42 years and never been on the dole. Self entitled my arse.

Are you waiting to hear back from your hospital about your hip surgery?

Four years is an exceptionally long waiting time. Around 5% of orthopaedic waiters are waiting more than a year, two years is mostly unheard of, and you must have been waiting at least two and a half before COVID.
 


Are you waiting to hear back from your hospital about your hip surgery?

Four years is an exceptionally long waiting time. Around 5% of orthopaedic waiters are waiting more than a year, two years is mostly unheard of, and you must have been waiting at least two and a half before COVID.

Yes. Live in Northern Ireland. Worst healthcare in the UK. They're farming out stuff to the Republic where you pay them up front and claim it back.
 
Haven't seen my GP for about 3 years. Been waiting for a hip replacement for 4. Worked for 42 years and never been on the dole. Self entitled my arse.

I think you'll find most people on this board have worked a full shift.

So what's the average wait for hip replacement in your area? Are you an average patient or just someone who whines a lot on a SAFC board?
 
I think you'll find most people on this board have worked a full shift.

So what's the average wait for hip replacement in your area? Are you an average patient or just someone who whines a lot on a SAFC board?

Dinnar. Just think 4 years of bone on bone is a bit much.
I think you'll find most people on this board have worked a full shift.

So what's the average wait for hip replacement in your area? Are you an average patient or just someone who whines a lot on a SAFC board?

Hurry up man will ya - haven't got all neet to wait while you're trolling somebody else - Jeez.
 
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when i used to go to the surgery i'd no doubt have to wait over half an hour past the appt time
had a phone appt yesterday and the doc called me exactly on time, gave me a prescription via a QR code and we both moved on. too easy
 
I think you'll find most people on this board have worked a full shift.

So what's the average wait for hip replacement in your area? Are you an average patient or just someone who whines a lot on a SAFC board?
NI is fucked mate.

Are you waiting to hear back from your hospital about your hip surgery?

Four years is an exceptionally long waiting time. Around 5% of orthopaedic waiters are waiting more than a year, two years is mostly unheard of, and you must have been waiting at least two and a half before COVID.
Up to 5 years for orthopaedics with Southern Trust.
 
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You shouldn’t have to go private to receive cancer treatment.

Not sure why who I vote for matters in this instance, but NI certainly didn’t vote Tory. DUP didn’t even get a majority.

I think who you vote for matters greatly when it comes to the NHS. Especially if you want to complain about it.

Hope you end up OK.
 
Im not going to blindly defend Gp's as with any walk of life I have met Gp's I wouldnt trust with my dog and absolute lazy bastards but by and large the vast majority are hard working, committed and professional.

The issue isnt with the GP's its down to the NHS - it was underfunded for years before Blair and the catch up from then nearly caught it up to average funding for health but after this its been left to rot.

I left in 2017 and could not have worked in the system much longer - mainly due to the red tape and admin but also because of the way a small section of the public behaved. The problem is that small section make up a large amount of GP work and its exhausting dealing with these people on a daily basis.

When I had reached a point where I felt I had to leave I emigrated and am in Canada where there are huge challenges but the attitute of the press and public at large is so very different and my profesional life is so much better.

The bottom line is the UK will get the primary care service it deserves so if the funding is at the current levels and the attitude of the public remains as it is it will remain shite. You have no idea what a unique blessing the NHS is. People here regularly have to pay hundreds of dollars a month for drugs and I have many patients who cant afford their meds for things like asthma and diabetes and it blows my mind from working in the UK to imagine this is possible.

NHS GP is in a pretty bad state right now but it was many years ago that Jeremy Hunt promised 5000 extra GP's to plug the gap that was present then and the situation is now very much worse. I am in contact on a weekly basis with Gp's who are desperate to leave the UK as they cant imagine working in the NHS any longer. I do worry that with the current Government its not going to get better as the dont seem to show any inclination they want to try to improve things
 
Missus phoned up ours on Wednesday afternoon.. was called back about 2 hkurs later and had an appointment at half five same day...

Luck of the draw often
My experience too. Couple of months ago, got a slight infection in my fingernail (so hardly an emergency), rang up, and told to come straight in. Bit annoyed as I was at work in Newcastle and was hoping for a phone consultation.

As you say, just luck of the draw.
 
To be honest our GP's are not worth a toss.
It's just a conveyor belt of people to them.
I nearly died because my GP decided my ailment over the phone did not require antibiotics and to just rest and take plenty of fluids, even I'd explained I'd been in bed for nearly a week.
They send you letters for you to come in for blood tests and such and change the appointments or forget they'd sent out a letter.

A lot of people I talk to say they don't trust them.
At one time I did because the male GP actually did listen and actually did help. Now it's just a fob off to get you in and out or through this covid carry on it's been the phone interaction but same thing. A quick few words and you're binned.
 
Aye, just depends how many you have locally. I reckon south of the river we must have over 30 to choose from.

No idea what Washy is like for @becs .

The process is really simple though.

I'm not in Washy!

The one where I am is just a mile from home, has a massive car park and I like the doctors and nurses. It's just the receptionists and the way it's managed that have always been poor. We've lost a GP through retirement and he hasn't been replaced and they've built loads of new houses at Pelton which all need to access services. They're still building more as well.

Out of the others I can register with - one is a one man practice with a high proportion of old people and difficult to get an appointment. The next one has two doctors who I know as Dads of my sons friends and I'd feel awkward having them examining me. The last one is in the town centre which only has a couple of spaces for blue badges, so that put me off as it's awkward parking up and crossing busy roads to get there if you feel poorly.

Just had bother with the receptionists this week. I'm on meds that can cause liver failure so it's vital I have regular liver function blood tests to monitor my liver. I rang up to book an appointment but the receptionist refused due to the shortage of blood tubes. I explained I needed it and I am allowed to have it but she refused to book an appointment. I ended up having to contact my consultants team who had to get a nurse to ring them and tell them to book me in.

Then I when I was in, I asked if they could check if I'm due the third primary Covid vaccine as I'm not sure. She started talking about boosters and I explained I didn't mean the booster, I meant the third primary one for immunosuppresed people. She said I must have the wrong end of the stick as there's no such thing. I pulled up information on my phone and even though it was on a Government website, she refused to believe me, so I'm still no further forward on that one! I'm due a phone review from the hospital in a few weeks, so I'll ask them when they ring.
 
Think theres massive differences in service depending on the surgery, which there really shouldn't be.
Mines ok, had to contact them myself 3 times in the past year, twice got a call back within 24 hours, the other time was last week, rang on Monday, told he would ring Thursday, but rang the same afternoon, apologised for ringing early :eek: and said he had managed to get through the calls in front of me early and was managing to do all calls same day at the moment.
Granddaughter was sent home from school yesterday as she was coughing and seemed to be struggling to breathe, rang the Dr at 1.15, had a call back at 1.45, was in the Dr's at 2.30, and the hospital being seen at 3.30. Can't complain at all about the service yesterday, better than I would have expected before the pandemic!

However, a friend who has got COPD, just been through a cancer operation in April last year and still has some serious issues, has been told by his GP if certain things happen, he's to call them straight away to speak to a Dr. He rang them last Monday. Told to ring back 8.30 Tuesday morning as they had no appointments left. He rang dead on 8.30, was 32nd in the queue, when he spoke to someone, was told they had no appointments left, and to ring back the next morning. Same on Weds, same on Thurs, when he kicked off with the receptionist and finally got a call back that afternoon. I get that they probably can't see everyone immediately, but when someone has serious health problems, and has been told he MUST speak to a GP when certain things happen, then you would think they could arrange for that to happen.
 

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