Ever get the feeling the NHS don't know what they are doing..?

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

Not been on for a while and that I apologize for!

Been having problems, started to get really down and ignore my diabetes. My doctors basically laughed in my face.

Had a lot of problems with my feet including painful blisters that they cannot explain and don't seem to want to do anything about. It became that much of a problem that I have had to quit my job as a Kitchen Assistant because working 7 hours on my feet was so painful I would end up in tears, and not only that I have been unable to go to college, because of the walking and being on my feet.

College font understand my condition and I now have to go in and ask if I can start again next year, as I have missed at least half the year with the chaos of being diagnosed.

And to top it all off, I may be a celiac! Though they haven't done anything about that yet either!


Anyone else feel like they bluff their way through half the time? It annoys me how they dont promote places like this, where people can let off steam with people that know what they are talking about and not people who nod and ignore you..

 

[pgcity]

That's awful. I was told by the podiatrist to treat any injury to my feet as an emergency to be sorted within 24 hours.

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

That's what I got told too, I had an emergency appointment with the hospital podiatrist about my toe nails and they were getting infected and they were worried it would lead to gangreen (however you spell it) as a family member has died from that they were worried. But i've now been passed on to the doctors for them to pass me on to a specialist...its taken weeks to get into the doctors, yet its supposed to be an emergency!

 

[Vix]

Unfortunately this doesn't sound uncommon... Don't even get me started on the NHS and diabetes - I have been admitted to hospital twice for non-diabetes related conditions and quite literally nearly died because they didn't understand diabetes and I was on a sliding scale before an operation and had a hypo and was left for 20 mins at which point I went unconscious and they couldn't work out how to turn the drip off!!! Luckily a diabetic nurse came along from another ward and yanked it out of my arm... I don't think the seriousness of diabetes and it's complications is common knowledge amongst most NHS departments... The incompetence of the NHS for me varies from getting an appointment through for last Monday, dated last Monday (how does any competent person think sending a letter on the day of the appointment would ever get to me in time!!!) and then I got told off for not turning up... to a doctor not taking it seriously that i had ketones

Right, off my soap box before I can't stop typing 😉 I hope that you get it all sorted soon music&insulinsavedmylfe - can you get your diabetes team to get it sorted more urgently? My DSN is great when I need appointments bringing forward

xx

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

Unfortunately this doesn't sound uncommon... Don't even get me started on the NHS and diabetes - I have been admitted to hospital twice for non-diabetes related conditions and quite literally nearly died because they didn't understand diabetes and I was on a sliding scale before an operation and had a hypo and was left for 20 mins at which point I went unconscious and they couldn't work out how to turn the drip off!!! Luckily a diabetic nurse came along from another ward and yanked it out of my arm... I don't think the seriousness of diabetes and it's complications is common knowledge amongst most NHS departments... The incompetence of the NHS for me varies from getting an appointment through for last Monday, dated last Monday (how does any competent person think sending a letter on the day of the appointment would ever get to me in time!!!) and then I got told off for not turning up... to a doctor not taking it seriously that i had ketones

Right, off my soap box before I can't stop typing 😉 I hope that you get it all sorted soon music&insulinsavedmylfe - can you get your diabetes team to get it sorted more urgently? My DSN is great when I need appointments bringing forward

xx

I've been diagnosed 3 months and can already see so many flaws in the system! They wouldn't let me see the children's specialist because Id have to be moved in May, yet the adult team don't seem to realise that I am still a child no matter how mature I seem!

I tried that, I went to the hospital first and they rushed me into an appointment..but then they referred me to the doctors to refer me to the local specialist. Then I know for certain they can refer straight to the specialist, I understand they probably want a second opinion, but its taken weeks for the referral to be sent through and then to get an appointment! Now I still have to wait to get referred again!

 

[Steff]

I do the same job you used to do and cn totally get where you are coming from I have neuropathy in my foot and by god it plays up at times, I'm sorry you have had to go through what you have its awful

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

I do the same job you used to do and cn totally get where you are coming from I have neuropathy in my foot and by god it plays up at times, I'm sorry you have had to go through what you have its awful

Yeah it does, I have always had bad feet but the blisters are getting too bad to carry on, Spend half a year at college doing BTEC Level 3 management in hospitality too...got half way through and diagnosed, havent been back properly since! Definitely a struggle!

 

[Lauras87]

The NHS are useless, like vix I've been in hospital & gone hypo & nearly died. I now will not be admitted for anything unless I'm
Dying.

I only trust my diabetes team, my gp is thick About diabetes & has said they don't feel confident in treating me coz they don't know about diabetes

 

[megga]

Its bad, but they dont give two hoots, all they want to do is send you away with a tablet, they never seem to get down to the problem. And as a young person (thats you not me) how much are you going to cost the NHS in the long term if they dont sort thing out now, then all they will go on about is diabetics cost this and that

 

[Vix]

Its bad, but they dont give two hoots, all they want to do is send you away with a tablet, they never seem to get down to the problem. And as a young person (thats you not me) how much are you going to cost the NHS in the long term if they dont sort thing out now, then all they will go on about is diabetics cost this and that

exactly!!! I think most of the time diabetes is just an excuse for them not to get to the bottom of a problem as well 'oh it must be your poor diabetes control causing it' - that was even what I got told when I broke my hip/shattered my femur aged 25, nothing to do with the fact that I had undiagnosed osteopenia!! Like Laura I will not go into hospital unless it is absolutely necessary, and then my husband has to spend the first hour telling the medical staff what to do and how serious my diabetes is...

If I were you I would ask them who your local PALS contact is and say you will make a complaint unless you get a referral in the next 5 days xx

 

[Catareta]

I wonder this all the time.. some people are in pockets of excellent healthcare her in the UK..

Having to try and travel on ?20 worth of train for good (not excellent) healthcare.. it's disgusting

I am 28 and am classed as severely sight impaired - should have had an operation to help with the PDR and Maculopathy however NO because they don't have time or resources to assist a high risk patient.. it sickens me..

rant over

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

The NHS are ****ing useless, like vix I've been in hospital & gone hypo & nearly died. I now will not be admitted for anything unless I'm
Dying.

I only trust my diabetes team, my gp is thick About diabetes & has said they don't feel confident in treating me coz they don't know about diabetes

I know how you feel about the GP! I have bad feet and he gave me antibiotics BECAUSE I was diabetic and he didnt know what to do, so just covered his own back and made me worse in the meantime!

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

Its bad, but they dont give two hoots, all they want to do is send you away with a tablet, they never seem to get down to the problem. And as a young person (thats you not me) how much are you going to cost the NHS in the long term if they dont sort thing out now, then all they will go on about is diabetics cost this and that

Diabetes is getting more and more common, especially type 2, so I dont see why they dont train the GP's etc. Even just the basics like learning what is effected!

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

exactly!!! I think most of the time diabetes is just an excuse for them not to get to the bottom of a problem as well 'oh it must be your poor diabetes control causing it' - that was even what I got told when I broke my hip/shattered my femur aged 25, nothing to do with the fact that I had undiagnosed osteopenia!! Like Laura I will not go into hospital unless it is absolutely necessary, and then my husband has to spend the first hour telling the medical staff what to do and how serious my diabetes is...

If I were you I would ask them who your local PALS contact is and say you will make a complaint unless you get a referral in the next 5 days xx

I havent even got a doctor appointment till next wednesday! My specialist said im lucky to get it that early..but in the meantime I cant go to college!

 

[Music&InsulinSavedMyLife]

I wonder this all the time.. some people are in pockets of excellent healthcare her in the UK..

Having to try and travel on ?20 worth of train for good (not excellent) healthcare.. it's disgusting

I am 28 and am classed as severely sight impaired - should have had an operation to help with the PDR and Maculopathy however NO because they don't have time or resources to assist a high risk patient.. it sickens me..

rant over

I agree! I have to rely on my mum to take me to the hospital, and even then we pay a fortune in petrol and car parking charges!

 

[LeeLee]

I've had good and bad experiences with the NHS, so will reserve judgement on this thread. What I will say is that as a patient you have the right to complain - and if you want things to change it's important that you take the trouble.

If you go to NHS Choices and look up the service you have an issue with, you can post a review. Also, you can complain directly (and less publicly) using the PALS page on your hospital or PCT website. Be specific - they can't do much if the complaint merely says 'this service is rubbish'. They need to know what bit/s is/are rubbish. If you get nowhere, contact your MP with copies of everything, and maybe the CQC, GMC or NMC depending on what the issue is.