Jennifer's Advice used not to mention testing before the meal as well as after it, ISTR? Was it changed? - cos we used to say look at this - but add the 'before'.
I was the 4th appointment this morning with the nurse at my surgery doing D checks. However I was actually the first since the first 3 hadn't bothered to turn up. She was bored as heck. Now I not only made the appointment and went and donated blood and pee for the lab tests last week, but I had an immediate email and text to say it was booked then last Wednesday I had email and text reminders, and same on Friday cos you always get another one the day before. Except originally I had two of everything because it was two appointments. So why don't they turn up? They ring them to enquire, if the number is correct and they answer, they are mega apologetic and remake it, only to not bother to turn up again, time after time.
They waste about 27 person hours a week from people not turning up. They are contracted to work 7.5 hours each day - but actually work an average of 9. The surgery is expected by their NHS contract to be able to offer 60 appointments each week per 1000 patients based on the intake of 12,000 patients. However they average 87 a week - almost 50% greater than the norm - and yet there is still a 3-week wait for one unless you are actually 'urgent' - but just like A&E absolutely everybody needing to see a GP believes they are 'urgent'. Our friends from the EU are certainly not prepared to wait that long for NHS services - they do not have to wait that long in their own country.
we are talking 'State provided' treatment here not 'Private' - eg one of our mates in France was diagnosed with 'most likely cataracts' by his GP last November so was ref'd to the hosp. Apt the following week. A fortnight later he had the first eye done and a month later, the other. Ha bloody ha. You can still be waiting for the first apt in the UK by THIS time forget last year!) - so whyever should they expect to wait, here in the UK ? What they do not appreciate though is where they have to go. If you are lucky, it may be relatively local to you in France as it was for ke's cataracts. We know someone else with a weird migraine thing, who lives and works near Chateauroux and has to go to Paris to see the consultant. She prescribes a drug eough for 6 months. However his Departement will only let him have ONE month. So he needs 6 scrips - but Paris don't allow the Consultant to supply 6 scrips. He can't get the scrip filled at a pharmacy in Paris because he does not live in their catchment area ......4 years down the line he is still on 'Magic Mushrooms' 'as and when' he needs them (recommended by the Consultant - he gets them sent from America - she told him where to get them) and I month on the drugs, which work! for 1 month in every 6 .......
Anyway my surgery has a mega proportion of 'under16 yo patients' in comparison to the adults - and let's face it - all kiddies can be 'urgent' genuinely.
