I've a long term eye condition which I manage well without much help from the wonderful eye clinic in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. But I urgently needed help around 6.30 this evening and realising it was 'out of hours' I phoned NHS 24 for the first time.What a dreadful experience. My medical history was told to five people, all who openly said they knew nothing about eyes, but when I suggested I just to to Ninewells A & E, I was informed I would not be treated as I required to be seen initially by a GP who would refer me. In fact I was told to go to another hospital to see a doctor and he would refer me if he thought it necessary to Ninewells - a 22 mile journey from his hospital! Can you believe I told him he was daft? I most certainly did.
Eventually we agreed I would visit a small hospital not far away and a nurse there would telephone Ninewells to ask advice. This happened and the advice was I was to go to ward 25 at Ninewells right away.
What I never asked during my evening out was why are foreigners treated at A & Es without doctor referrals. When I was hospitalised a couple of years ago queues formed outside the A & E department every morning from around 6.30am and when I chatted with the reception staff, I was informed 95% were eastern Europeans and they never bothered registering with a doctor because they knew they would be treated at any A & E. But that doesn't apply to British nationals, strange isn't it.
I'm typing this with a pad over one eye, the other eye is being most sympathetic and wants to close, but I'm furious at the complete waste of time and money my small problem has cost the taxpayer. It was an emergency and I was treated quickly, efficiently and with kindness once I met the ophthalmic doctor, but so much time and money was spent on silly red tape. Fortunately the kind doctor gave me the direct line for the ward and now, should I require help, all I have to do is telephone to say I'm on the way. That's the type of NHS service we need in Scotland.
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18 comments:
OK never mind about the dam foreigners...what is wrong with your eye? I think that's the most important issue
Over here the CMA has effectively stopped doctors coming in from other countries - even Scots who founded the med schools here. The result is a shortage of docs everywhere, and scarcity increases value and cost.
Go to an emergency department here and you're triaged - a good idea in principal but infuriating in practice. I work with vulnerable populations with multiple medical and psychiatric conditions. If I take one in to the emerge I can expect a minimum of a six hour wait before being seen.
Their stats say otherwise and the way they get away with it is a nurse takes your TPR and and BP after being there for about thirty minutes. Then you wait - hour after hour.
What's really going on, of course, is they're making the system unworkable in order to privatize. Canada's system makes private health care illegal. The state has a monopoly thanks to a Scotsman - Tommy Douglas. Born in Falkirk he has been voted the greatest Canadian to ever live.
tinyurl.com/lh8kqo
But the US insurance companies and the doctors themselves want more and more money. So the system is being sabotaged from within. More and more private health clinics are springing up, and although illegal governments are ignoring them.
I think over the next ten to fifteen years we'll lose our universal health care system here. So Nicola Sturgeon needs all the support she can get for I'm sure the pressures on her to go down that road are tremendous.
Baron - given Subrosa's advanced years I would hazard age related macular degeneration except you wouldn't get a patch for that. So possibly a recurring infection of some kind.
My wife has glaucoma - successfully treated with herbal remedies:0)
Have a lovely weekend Sb! I hope the weather's as good as they're promising! ;-)
Morning Baron. I have a corneal dystrophy which means my corneas are super sensitive. The other day I bought a new type of dry eye drop in individual wee plastic bottles. When using them I happen to touch my cornea and pow - it exploded because there's nothing to hold it together. Thought I'd manage to control it myself but no, by last night eye was closed and head was mince. Hence the emergency.
Nothing too exciting is it? lol
Written by a one-eyed monster this morning.
Dear SR,
Well you're clearly my fave cyclops! Hope you're not in too much pain; I agree with the NHS being less fretful to get assistance, I'm going to be buggered when I leave the Andrew!
Crazy D
Good for your wife scunnert. You couldn't tell me the names of her herbal treatment could you please? I've a friend with glaucoma.
You too TP. It's overcast here right now but I expect it will burn off - so the BBC says anyway and I ALWAYS believe the BBC.
I hope your lamp feels better soon honeybunch. We all need to be able to keep both eyes on that shower in Westminster.
I know what you mean about getting to see the one person you need in hospitals. Only the fittest survive that far.
I took myself off to the hospital early this year with one leg all ballooned up. The chap on the reception was new and no parliamo Glasgow so good. He led me down one corridor, then another, then gave up and took me back to where we started from. And me wi a bad leg tae. The doctor I eventually got to see was lovely though. She gently inquired about breathing difficulties. 'It's ma leg no ma chist, Dr Zoidberg' I wanted to say but, soft, wandering emobolism is what she's really asking about. No, no problem. Fine. Blood test, check back tomorrow, in the meantime, a quick jab of rat poison for you just to be on the safe side.
Fine ever since. No wonder rats are so resilient if they're on that stuff.
xx
Glad to hear you got the appropriate treatment in the end, and here's hoping for a speedy recovery, but your experience with the bureaucracy is certainly an, ahem, eye-opener.
Morning Stuart thanks for your good wishes. In my case, this morning, my NHS 24 experience was an eye closer, but hopefully, like all bonny flowers, it will open during the course of the day ;)
I enjoyed your story Jim thanks :)
It made me think, do you consider all this flaffing around is to make is feel more than grateful when we do see someone who can help?
Going to rest now because even though they text is about 10 feet high I'm still having trouble reading. Thank goodness I'm a reasonable touch typist!
Get well quick SR.
Hope your eye gets better soon auld yin!
I have never really understood what NHS24 was about and am none then wiser having read this.
Glasgwegians are much like Eastern Europeans in that we just go to our local A&E if we need treatment out of hours. Never heard of anyone being turned away.
Thanks Tris, look like it might be another day or two and I was going off for a couple of days too :( Never mind, might be better tomorrow.
Less o' the auld if ye diddnae mind Rab. I'm only jist a pensioner...
Indy I'll never use NHS 24 again for anything like this. As you say I'll just go straight to A & E. Mind you, every one of them insisted I needed a doctor's referral. More bureaucracy.
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