NHS changes afoot

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Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Not sure what I make of this - I've got used to the hospital dealing with my diabetes, but will these changes mean that my GP decides who looks after me in the future? I've already had it suggested to me that I can have my annual check up with the practice nurse instead of the Consultant. She's a nice lady, but I suspect she knows very little about Type 1.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jul/09/nhs-reforms-lansley-unions-gps

Loads more (management/admin type jobs) will go in PCTs, and extra burden on GP practices. Apparently something similar in the US led to surgeries going bankrupt.
 
Well ive never had the hospital deal with my diabetes it has always been my GP and now i have changed GP'S i will trust my gp to make the right choices for me, so I guess what i did not have i wont miss.
 
I can't see it working at my surgery. The practice has 6 gp's 1 of which is a diabetic specialist, and it has taken me 8/9 months to get an appointment for this wednesday.
And to get that my wife had to rant at the practice manager.

So I sit here writing down all the questions I have for him, hoping that my 8 minute slot turns into two hours lol:D
 
It really is terrible.
I can't believe some sort of controlling body doesn't make sure all t2 and t1 get identical care where needed.
Is this ever going to change.

I am tempted to change my gp but how would i know if a new one would be any more sympathetic?
 
well up untill i when on to insulin it was my gp that saw me now i go to the diabetic clinic and see the dsn and the consultant so i wander if that will change for me too?
 
So far, these are proposals, not plans, so let's not get too concerned yet. However, there is an underlying issue that, since the start of the NHS, most GPs have not been NHS employees, but are paid for most of what they do by the the NHS. They are paid for reaching targets, and often reluctant to do things for which they do not received extra payments. Other staff (practice nurses, receptionsists, paractice managers etc) are paid by the GP practice. Of course, rooms in GP practice buildings can also be used by NHS staff, with rent paid.
 
i have to say, if they try and make me see the nurse at my GP, then I will refuse. I love BOTH of my hospital clinics and will not go and see some nurse who has no clue what T1 actually is and has it in her head that restricting test strips is a good idea 😡

speaking of, you've reminded me to change my clinic appointment! It's supposed to be on thursday but I can't get the time off (well, I can BUT I'd rather not seeing as how I have hospital appts for the next three weeks anyway)
 
I see a nurse who hasn't really got a clue at my Dr's surgery because of the distance (and i hate to say effort involved) in getting to the hospital. Although since being on here i have learnt lots and in the future, any problems i may have with work, i will go to town on them for paid time off as it is a long standing medical condition! Sam - i see you have a similar problem!

As for changes although not linked directly, hubby works for the Ambi Service and he recently told me that in an area of London, a private company won the contract for PTS (Patient Transport Service) and LAS (London Ambi Service) were 4th on the list.

The NHS have BIG business plans to, dare i say it, save money and nothing would surprise me of this issue as it saves money whichever way you look at it from their points of view. Wrong but the future of government cut backs will hit the public sector the harshest....errrm dare I say it but that darn Budget springs to mind 🙄

Bernie x
 
Grrrrrrrr, knew the Tories would be bad for the NHS....
I would far rather see my hospital diabetes team than my GP (the supposed "specialist" although the nice lady i saw at the hospital last time hadn't heard of him), it would be rediculously more convenient for my home and work. However in my PCT i don't have a choice, i have to go to my GP for regular stuff but can drop into the clinic for advice on tuesday mornings.
ok, everyone, prepare for grumbles...
The government seems determined that the NHS should be runs as either a business or a charity...either way, where does the money come from? Do we have to start charging people money everytime we treat them or give them medication? You'd have thought the mess that dentistry has gotten into would have been some kind of indication that this isn't going to work. We can't have people performing minor surgery on themselves or just not seeking medical advice because they can't afford to go to the doctors or can't find a doctor who will take them, it's stupid. We can't charge everybody with cancer thousands of pounds, your ability to survive illness should not be determined by your ability to pay!
yeah, the NHS is getting more and more privatised by the day, we already tender out for cleaners and caterers, somewhere has got Boots running it's pharmacy (which is cunning, coz Boots pays it's staff less than the NHS do for longer hours.) which is something that i dread happening to my pharmacy.
As for charities and not-for-profit, again where's the money coming from? Sponcered events? NHS-a-thons? Charity Shops? What does "not-for-profit" mean anyway? At a loss? Who's going to run anything at a loss of not the Department of Health?

Gaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Right, that's go that out of my system

Rachel
 
I've only ever had my checkups with the practice nurse. I've not seen the doctor since I was diagosed in June 2009.
 
This is so wrong. I would not trust my GP to know what I needed or how to control my diabetes. They have no clue, which is shown by the numbers of diabetics who have terrible trouble getting their GP surgeries to prescribe enough test strips, or any at all. My GP does not know the difference between test strips and ketone strips - that's the truth. GPs can diagnose minor illnesses and are useful as a conduit to a specialist, but are not equipped to deal with any sort of long term condition - knowing about a wide variety of different things means that you don't know very much about any single one of them. And they are certainly not equipped to deal with budgets - that is a full time job, if they are working on that when will they see patients? And how do they stay unbiased? There has not been much information about how they will be regulated.
 
I have to see the practice nurse and it has never been mentioned that I could attend a clinic if I wished. Minimum time is given and I feel she is ticking boxes to check what she has done but there is not a box to say "listen to patient".

A GP may be fantastic at being a GP but a total moron when handling money.
 
Consultants and DSN's are now working in the community, so it doesn't necesarrily mean that you will be seeing a GP and practice nurse. You could be seeing the same specialist people just not in the hospital setting.
 
RachelT said:
Grrrrrrrr, knew the Tories would be bad for the NHS....
I would far rather see my hospital diabetes team than my GP (the supposed "specialist" although the nice lady i saw at the hospital last time hadn't heard of him), it would be rediculously more convenient for my home and work. However in my PCT i don't have a choice, i have to go to my GP for regular stuff but can drop into the clinic for advice on tuesday mornings.
ok, everyone, prepare for grumbles...
The government seems determined that the NHS should be runs as either a business or a charity...either way, where does the money come from? Do we have to start charging people money everytime we treat them or give them medication? You'd have thought the mess that dentistry has gotten into would have been some kind of indication that this isn't going to work. We can't have people performing minor surgery on themselves or just not seeking medical advice because they can't afford to go to the doctors or can't find a doctor who will take them, it's stupid. We can't charge everybody with cancer thousands of pounds, your ability to survive illness should not be determined by your ability to pay!
yeah, the NHS is getting more and more privatised by the day, we already tender out for cleaners and caterers, somewhere has got Boots running it's pharmacy (which is cunning, coz Boots pays it's staff less than the NHS do for longer hours.) which is something that i dread happening to my pharmacy.
As for charities and not-for-profit, again where's the money coming from? Sponcered events? NHS-a-thons? Charity Shops? What does "not-for-profit" mean anyway? At a loss? Who's going to run anything at a loss of not the Department of Health?

Gaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Right, that's go that out of my system

Rachel
Click to expand...

You got that out of my system too...i totally agree

Bernie xx
 
sofaraway said:
Consultants and DSN's are now working in the community, so it doesn't necesarrily mean that you will be seeing a GP and practice nurse. You could be seeing the same specialist people just not in the hospital setting.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of when i was young lol 🙄 that i used to see the consultant at my surgery as he used to do visits. I don't know if this would be the same again...things do have a habit of going full circle?

Interesting point though.

Bernie xx 🙂
 
The plans mean GPs working in groups will be in charge of a vast collection of hospital, mental health and community services - although specialist services and dentistry will not fall under their remit.
Click to expand...

-- from the BBC website
 
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