loss of RURAL doctors.

[paulb]

intresting letter.

and i must say i agree with the author.

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/letters/6399-nhs-ignores-patients

[Silvercloud]

Bresail well put, and Paul I was just about post same thing. They do ignore patients a very fitting letter .

[bresail]

So we are getting a reason for the cuts and why there is a problem for the NHS in Shetland.

Ian Kinniburgh is a member of the NHS National Performance Management Committee, Chairman of the NHS National Evaluation Committee and Chair of the Chairs and Chief Executive North of Scotland Planning Group. Within Shetland, he is the Chairman of the Shetland Partnership which is the group responsible for delivering the Community Planning agenda in Shetland and holding partner organisations to account for delivery of the Single Outcome Agreement. Ian is also a Trustee of the Shetland Recreational Trust and actively promotes the close links between physical activity and good health.

In 2005 he noticed that there was an exceptional number of town dwellers, "seeking face to face appointmernts with doctors and nurses." he was criticised for saying this but, the number seeking appointments has now mushroomed.

So the population has either increased or the problem has worsened.

If the population has increased bring in compulsary neutering or the snip.

If it is a worsening of the situation it is surprising how much can change in 8 yrs or not. So after the increase in people trying to see a doctor face to face now in 2013, not much has been achieved by the board.

(Sorry but I keep wanting to say ass to ass.)

I presume that some of the folks wanting to see a doctor F to F or A to A

may be patients who have mental problems. Others may have other problems and symptoms.

So how can we cut the amount of people wanting to see doctors?

 

1. Staffordshire managed to cut their patients by 180 as you will have seen in the news.

2. Another way is to cut spending for the mentally ill.

3. Cut back the rural doctors.

No money/ doctors less patients, simples.

Doctors nurses, meerkats and asses should all be kissed by the board.

Regards,

Rex.

[bresail]

Shetland Peat.

 

I know that there seems to be a sustained attack on the healthcare, many surveys have shown, the superfluous reasons folks have taken up doctor time when a pharmacist could have advised. As well as attacking practices, some attention should be given to those who waste time as well.

 

I am bringing down my list from above.

In order of importance My own list.

 

1. Everyone has the right to free health care.

2. Doctors of the same standard as the mainland

3. The Nursing Staff as above.

4. The relatives and loved ones of the patients.

All of the above should be protected by law.

5. The Admin staff.

They should be made responsible and encompassed by law.

The dead wood, inefficient, lazy should be pruned.

The NHS itself is an empire, when it should be a democracy.

Petty local empire building that costs us money is ridiculous and that is why we have our problems. We have given away too much money to quieten people This must stop.

The admin staff know full well that there are inefficiencies and they also know why..

Feel free to alter my priorities list.

 

I am wondering if the list should be amended, should the pharmacist come before No's 2 & 3, but I am unsure that Boots etc are a part of the NHS.

If our first port of call should be a dispensing chemist are they covered to give diagnoses?

Not all persons can make a sensible decision on what is a case for a doctor or for a pharmacist. Other persons need the reassurance of a doctor wether it is because of fear or loneliness.

I am a warfarin user and I am often given a doctor's prescription for medication for other oldies illnesses that are not recommended for use by warfarin takers. Thank goodness for Jim and the staff at Boots Pharnacy who usually sort it out for me and for lots of other folks too. I was also given some painkillers on discharge from GBH that were dangerous for my condition. When I challenged the use of the medication and told them why. The next question I was asked was, " Do you always use warfarin."

I had been in the hospital 2 days and it wasn't known that I was a an AF sufferer, hence the use of warfarin.

We can't just close our eyes to the fact that the NHS is failing Britain. I cannot understand why people are even willing to close their eyes and make excuses for the NHS.

I misquoted the number of killings in the Staffordshire NHS in my post above, apparently it was in the thousands.

 

Still Saddat is doing that in one day.

 

I personally cannot just stand by and not attempt to make a difference.

 

Why put your families at risk?

 

So Peat I am sustaining my attack on an inefficient and dangerous NHS

and the people who are willing to cut and gag our doctors.

Regards,

Rex.

[shetlandpeat]

If you have tangible evidence, you would not be on here, unless it is part of a wider campaign, which, given your posts, I am assured it is. If there is something wrong, why has nothing been done by yourself and like minded people. I am fully aware of the mistakes humans can make, and in many cases, there is little harm done. I am sure no one could say they have not made any professional errors in there life time to date.

For folk who are vulnerable, I agree, the safe guards have not been put in place, except the last safeguard in the chemist. Sadly, the more this is covered up by folks good nature and concern, the less it is reported. There are things that can be done.

For instance, I have been involved in part on a campaign to raise awareness of paediatric brain tumours. The PCT here did not fund research, this was because of the way deaths were recorded. The place they were fully recorded was if the death happened in a hospital. Sadly, many children die at home or in a hospice, the PCT did not count these because of the way the doctors recorded the deaths so therefore no funding for research. We have finally got attention to this problem, especially the lack of GOV funding. This was eventually done by continual attendances at any meeting or forum that involved the PCT and now the new CCG.

You have to keep going.

 

I still stand by what I have said, there are many folk who attend doctors and hospitals who could quite easily get advice from the chemist.

 

I look forward to your campaign in highlighting this and I will support it as I have had issues with healthcare professionals which need to be continually monitored until it is the norm.

[Silvercloud]

Hi, I agree with you both, but it is necessary to get it out into the wider community.

[paulb]

well peat its funny that you campaigned about brain tumours but want folks to avoid the doctors. a lot of which are spotted because people attend with migraines ect. what you could class as minor.

 

it may seem daft to you that folks are going for what you think are minor conditions. however to try to discourage visits will cause missed serious illnesses. seriously it often takes a lot to get some folks to the doctors.

 

the follow up if more people then dont use there local doctors guess what the boses will do.

 

what really needs sorting is missed appointments in lerwick.

[shetlandpeat]

I am not advocating folk avoiding doctors.

 

The school were the ones to notice something seriously wrong with my friends case, in fact it took several visits to ascertain. Also, the campaign is for research, as there is very little, well almost none with a problems that kills more folks than may be realised.

 

When you come to colds and coughs, there are indications of any further severity after a prolonged event. Also, as you highlight, folk not attending when they make an appointment can add to the problem or delay, it is not all cut and dried. There are several reasons appointments are the way they are. I would advocate a FOI request to get details so as you can be accurate with the reasons. How else are you to get something done if you do not have facts. Collecting the evidence over a period of time is the only way, unless you can obtain documented facts another way.

 

Their bosses Paul will do the same if appointments are missed at the level you are concerned about. Then, bosses will do as they like.

[Silvercloud]

Missed appointments is a big issue and one hard to tackle.

With repeat offeners - I would suggest fine them circumstances dependent - money going to drs surgery or good cause. Not sure you could fine them in reality or not.

[shetlandpeat]

It could be said that the appointment problems could be a problem caused by this if they are so bad. Perhaps then, something to highlight this further.

I understand the reasons some folk may not attend, I would bet some of them got better to some degree, others may have white coat problems. The trouble is, a sledge hammer is used to split a strawberry seed in some cases and does so much more damage to folk who stick with the rules, sorta familiar with policies that emanate from South.

[Berserker]

The NHS can help themselves with missed appointments as well. Has anyone tried to cancel an appointment?

 

I have only missed an appointment once as I had accompanied my Mother on an ambulance flight to Aberdeen the evening before my appointment. I phoned the Health Centre at half past eight in the morning to cancel, but was told I would have to call the appointments line. Numerous attempts later, always met with an engaged tone, I again called reception and explained I was trying to cancel an appointment but couldn't get through, could they pass the message to the appointments staff? Nope, I was told i'd have to keep trying the appointments number. After half an hour of trying, I gave up, switched off my mobile and went back into the Hospital.

 

I still feel guilty about this, but don't see I could have done much more. I guess I'll be listed somewhere as having missed an appointment as well!

[paulb]

dont feel guilty you tried. there are clearly problems at lerwick. which i really dont get its only a small practice. compared to south town practices.

 

maybe if they were their own bosses it may improve.

[bresail]

I really do not wish too and I am certainly not meaning to pick on individuals on this forum.

Peat you have experienced problems in the NHS with the PCT reporting, silvercloud is campaigning for One World Birth, Paul is suggesting that the doctor cuts for outlying areas is a mistake. My campaigning is to bring to the fore the basic but dangerous flaws in the NHS. I am not gagged so I can say what I need to as long as I don't break the law. So we have at least four people here that see problems and faults with the NHS and all from different angles and cases that is approx 50% of the of the folk using this thread.

If you have tangible evidence, you would not be on here, unless it is part of a wider campaign, which, given your posts, I am assured it is. If there is something wrong, why has nothing been done by yourself and like minded people.

 

Have I got tangible evidence? I will not answer any questions about this at this moment. I'm ex military and would not set up an ambush with a brass band and bunting. Each time there is a complaint reported to the NHS and it is not acted on it puts people in danger. It also gives the NHS forewarning so that they can trot out the excuses like, "We are aware of this problem, and have the case in hand."

I do not have a wider campaign no, that is wrong my campaign is to try to get some sense of dignity and welfare for patients. I can remember when nurses used to come into the wards oozing confidence and cheer. When there was none of the internecine fear and rivalry that pervades today.

I do not hate anyone, I am not gunning for anyone.

Our NHS is rubbish. I am not interested in it being better than a hospital in timbuctoo or worse than a BUPA health servce in Barbados.

Regards.

[Silvercloud]

Bresail you say how it is, well put.

[Silvercloud]

How exactly are the GP surgeries up here funded ?

 

Does the money come from NHS Shetland budget or are they centrally funded in some way.

 

Then how is it decided how much each surgery gets ?

 

Obviously in England Gp surgeries are in control of their own budgets they are responsible for employing their own practice nurses and District nurses are employed by NHS Trust.