Physio Appointment via phone call!

parcival

Manxman - very interesting. Like you I have applauded the NHS generally during the pandemic but enough is enough.

briskbeats

A GP wanted to see me face to face end of March as wanted to feel/physically examine a couple of issues.

Apart from nurses taking blood tests- got a GP phone call next Friday as my latest were abnormal. When I have looked onto Facebook groups of thyroid issues and searched these groups for the thing in my blood which is very high,there’s a very strong chance that I may have got  Hashimoto’s. Which needs attention immediately as without treatment, it will shorten my life 

ripplyuk

In my area, NHS physio is totally hands-off and has been for years now (long before Covid) so talking on the phone wouldn’t be any different. They just give you a printout of exercises for whichever part of the body you’re having problems with. There’s no touching at all. Apparently they have evidence that this is ‘just as effective’ as traditional physio. I disagree and so does my neurologist who recommended a private physio. Personally, I found YouTube more helpful than the NHS physio. 

[Deleted User]

I saw a physio at my local NHS hospital together with 2 (TWO) orthopaedic surgeons for an assessment in early January (at the peak of the pandemic) - and was told to expect a follow up with the physio in 3 months - this never happened - and due to the hospital cancelling the physio appointment, I ended up at the bottom of the queue again !

I am unable to get a F2F appointment with my GP either and have seen no medical professionals for 18 months (apart from 2 covid jabs)

Barny1979

I think they're trying to find that sweet spot of getting rid of the malingerers who tie up lots of time and resources for practices and giving genuine cases the time and effort required, unfortunately it's not there yet.

MattMattMattUK

Unfortunately the NHS is under funded, a lot of the budget that is allocated to the NHS is spent inefficiently, we are also in the middle of a pandemic that has hugely stretched the already strained system. That means those on the front lines, doctors, nurses, physios, psychiatrists, cleaners, receptionists, porters etc. are under paid and over worked (whilst much of the management is overpaid and under worked, or sub-contracted at huge cost). Alas most people in the UK are also hugely against the idea of paying more tax (although they are in favour of people other than them paying more tax) and very few are in favour of any kind of reform (even worse no party is really offering proper tax increases or NHS reform).

I accept that in a pandemic non-urgent things go to the bottom of the list (or perhaps even fall off of the bottom), it would not be my choice of how things should operate, but by their unwillingness to make a contribution many are ensuring this is what happens. 

sheramber

My GP referred to to ENT. 
I got a letter telling me they have no idea when I will be dealt with.

Manxman_in_exile

Since my earlier post today I've had a telephone consultation with my GP regarding four separate issues.  One of them is a hand problem that my GPs have been aware of for several years.  In the normal course of events I'd simply ask my GP to check it during a normal appointment - which, of course, I haven't been able to do for over a year.  I hadn't raised it as a particular issue recently as it's not been particularly painful but it has got worse.  On seeing my photographs of it, the Dr basically said "How has it got like that?  It needs surgery but it might be permanently damaged by this point.  I'll have to do an urgent referral".  I wasn't very impressed as they'd never told me before that it might need careful management to avoid permanent damage so I wasn't aware it could become a real issue!

Since speaking to my GP I've checked the waiting times for this procedure, and I've been told the first referral just to see a specialist could take "up to a year".   

As I posted earlier, I'm a retired NHS manager and I certainly do not under-estimate the threat that Covid has presented to people and to the NHS.  But if the only way of protecting the NHS is to keep preventing patients physically meeting GPs and other Allied Health Professionals, and to make them wait months and years for needed procedures, you have to ask if it's worth it.

I know I've only got a problem with my hand and I can live with it.  But if I were a cancer sufferer or had serious heart or other life threatening conditions and my care had been jeapordised by this country's response to Covid, I'd be pretty hacked off.

Manxman_in_exile

ripplyuk said:

In my area, NHS physio is totally hands-off and has been for years now (long before Covid) so talking on the phone wouldn’t be any different. They just give you a printout of exercises for whichever part of the body you’re having problems with. There’s no touching at all. Apparently they have evidence that this is ‘just as effective’ as traditional physio. I disagree and so does my neurologist who recommended a private physio. Personally, I found YouTube more helpful than the NHS physio. 

That is wholly unacceptable in the NHS.  I played a lot of active sport when I was younger and had a lot of injuries - especially my knees.  There are some diagnotic tests that can only be done hands-on and I'd only trust a physio (certainly not a GP) to do them.

Complain to your local clinical commissioning group.

(Ask them where this evidence has been published.  I'd really like to read it)

Manxman_in_exile

ripplyuk said:

In my area, NHS physio is totally hands-off and has been for years now (long before Covid) so talking on the phone wouldn’t be any different. They just give you a printout of exercises for whichever part of the body you’re having problems with. There’s no touching at all. Apparently they have evidence that this is ‘just as effective’ as traditional physio. I disagree and so does my neurologist who recommended a private physio. Personally, I found YouTube more helpful than the NHS physio. 

That is wholly unacceptable in the NHS.  I played a lot of active sport when I was younger and had a lot of injuries - especially my knees.  There are some diagnotic tests that can only be done hands-on and I'd only trust a physio (certainly not a GP) to do them.

Complain to your local clinical commissioning group.

(Ask them where this evidence has been published.  I'd really like to read it)