How to get treatment?

GwylimT

bunk_bed wrote: »

That's a good analogy. And what would one do if the garage you kept taking your car to didn't spot an obvious problem or fault? Take it to another garage! But of course you can't do that with your own health. Even animals get better treatment than we do, in that regard. If the vet's a bit rubbish, you take your dog/cat/guinea pig to another one. If your GP's a bit rubbish OTOH, you just get told (in no particular order)

Doctors aren't Gods you know
You just need to keep going back to them
Are you sure you've explained the problem properly

and so on and so forth..

You're more than welcome to see a GP privately, which is the equivalent of using a vet for an animal.

Missus_Hyde

I've always had very good treatment from the NHS (as good or better than I could obtain privately) once I can actually get to see a consultant, but the process of getting to see a specialist can be painful and often a logistical nightmare, for which a tenacious and determined personality is required.

Unfortunately I've found that the Admin is sadly lacking in the NHS; the right hand really has no idea what the left is doing and there is a deplorable lack of communication between different hospitals, departments and doctors' surgeries. At one point I was contacting one hospital every day to chase up various paperwork needed from one hospital to the other and did point out that I was actually the patient and should not be expected to do their running around for them.

My doctors' surgery are, to be fair, pretty good and the doctors are usually on the ball; having said that I do know a lot about my various conditions and the medication I take, so when I have a doctor's appointment, we can get straight down to the problem and eliminate a lot of unnecessary chit-chat. I always keep a copy of any letters I get from my consultants, to produce to my GP should I need to go there, as I've found from experience that the GP is the very last one to be kept in the loop and is therefore at a disadvantage if I have an appointment with them.

seven-day-weekend

Today we were in Sainsbury's restaurant and a young man said 'Hello Sir' to my husband (not an uncommon occurrence for retired teachers ). Turns out he is now a local GP. Anyway, we have had a good talk to him and he has told us how to change Drs and recommended a local practice. We can even join his practice if we want to.

A most useful contact, it often serves well to have been a popular teacher.

We will get this treatment sorted and then change.

Ames

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Today we were in Sainsbury's restaurant and a young man said 'Hello Sir' to my husband (not an uncommon occurrence for retired teachers ). Turns out he is now a local GP. Anyway, we have had a good talk to him and he has told us how to change Drs and recommended a local practice. We can even join his practice if we want to.

A most useful contact, it often serves well to have been a popular teacher.

We will get this treatment sorted and then change.

If you've lost confidence in his current GP then surely it's better to change as soon as possible? When I changed last month it only took three or four days for my notes to move across, but it sounds like a new GP could investigate without the notes anyway.

Save

seven-day-weekend

Ames wrote: »

If you've lost confidence in his current GP then surely it's better to change as soon as possible? When I changed last month it only took three or four days for my notes to move across, but it sounds like a new GP could investigate without the notes anyway.

Save

Yes we may do that - depends how tomorrow's appointment goes.

seven-day-weekend

My husband has booked a private consultation with an ENT specialist, it takes place tomorrow evening. Any further treatment will be NHS.

Glad to say his chest x_Ray came back as normal.

Our GP was helpful this morning. He can have a stay of execution

Thanks all for your help and comments.

fred246

Would be interesting to know if the teacher was useless as found in state schools or a super high quality one who are only found in private schools.

seven-day-weekend

fred246 wrote: »

Would be interesting to know if the teacher was useless as found in state schools or a super high quality one who are only found in private schools.

?? If you are referring to my reference about my husband being a teacher, he was a very successful and popular teacher for 25 years, most of them in an oversubscibed Church of England Secondary School.

Why this is relevant I have no idea.

seven-day-weekend

The Consultant gave a definite diagnosis of Gastro-oesophagal Reflux. He has recommended some dietary changes and a further procedure, which he says can be done on the NHS if my husband chooses (I think he will chose to go private again).

He also said our DR had provided the right medication, so he did get there in the end. (He didn't prescribe it until a week ago). We have decided not to change Drs at the moment.

Thank you all for your input.

fred246

I am going to stick my neck out here. I don't think these several visits to the GP actually happened. He was given gaviscon and anti-histamines by his GP. A second doctor on holiday gave antibiotics and said he needed a referral by his own doctor. The patient never went back to his GP. Months of neglect later his wife decides he needs urgent treatment and blames the GP. They still don't actually see the GP. She sees cash as the only way to jump the queue but there was no need to be in that situation in the first place.