NHS - just wait 8 months...

[Stravaig]

I had an audiology appointment today. (I'm a bit deaf and wear hearing aids, one of which had stopped working.) The doctor I was supposed to see had been there but she'd gone off sick an hour or so previously. The remaining doctor was doing his best to see everyone rather than cancelling appointments. Obviously he was running a bit late - no huge deal.

Anyway, before we did the hearing aid stuff he had a look in my ears and said they needed wax removal (presumably syringing). No surprise there, I'd expected as much. Anyway, he went on to say that as well as his NHS work, he could be hired for private treatment to visit your home to carry out such treatment. He was perfectly nice so I didn't feel under any pressure, I just thought it was a little bit odd that he would say such a thing.

Anyway, got home after, and husband phoned the local GP. Yeah sure, I could have my ears syringed on the NHS - I could have an appointment in about 8 months time. Huh?

Where's that guy's number again? He'll probably come next week to the flat and do the biz.

What a mess.

No wonder people will take out their own teeth and stuff like that. If you need treatment of whatever kind you want it ASAP not the best part of a year down the track.

The NHS seems to have disintegrated. These days it's private or die of old age before you get an appointment or you have to DIY.

[Westi]

Some of the pharmacies have opened 2nd stores totally for vision & hearing, including syringing & you get a wide choice of hearing aids with the appropriate specialists. We have a Boots vision & hearing store almost opposite the main pharmacy in the square. Might be worth seeing if you have one local to you?

[Stravaig]

Yeah, I forgot to say SpecSavers does it, I think for about £55. Sounds OK. But it'd be more convenient to have the doctor visit rather than traipse to the local shopping mall. Maybe I'm just lazy.

Also, given the guy is still doing what he can within the NHS, I'd rather support his private endeavours than give the money to a big company.

[Colin2016]

Feel your pain Stravaig, our health centre used to do wax removal then stopped, found gadget for £12 on Amazon which allowed me to do it myself.

A few days of olive oil in the earole then squirt of warm water and hey presto hearings back...Not the selective hearing though!

Thought it a bit wearied to go to opticians for a hearing test but seems all the norm.

As for dentist last time I went was told she is going private, no chance of finding another NHS one.

Whilst on NHS Er in doors is waiting for exray no chance till July.

[robo]

Find it all a bite strange up here where I live X-rays are usually with in a week , hearing specialist is usually 2 to3 months this was before the strikes ,I waited three months from seeing a specialist to having my knee done ,if you do your own ears put a good wax removing ear drops in for a week before

[Westi]

On the subject of the NHS & their staff pay demands I am getting really worried about patients being cancelled & then having ridiculous times to wait. It has become all personal to their pay not the service they signed up to provide, & they knew the wage structure as it is easily accessed online & if bothered to look you will see it is pretty generous, although I have always argued the care assistants, cleaners etc should get more.

Also they are forgetting the fact that the government prioritised all the NHS for Covid vaccines & the huge cost of the pandemic on the country which has to be recuperated before we can move forward again. Now cancer care & emergency care staff also striking - where is the compassion for their patients fighting for a few more months of life? They are after all supposed to be highly educated individuals who can work this out! The next generation will be paying which is an unfair legacy! I wonder how long before Joe Public raises their call to arms to stop this nonsense as they pay for this service after all & have done all their working lives! If this is isn't stopped it will be a 2 tier service which is against the ethos of it's creation!

[Colin2016]

The way it is run leaves a lot to be desired...As new referral for hearing check I am entitled to new hearing aids, the NHS ones (supplied January before lockdown) cannot be used/ modified by Specsavers.

As for the current strikes I feel they are loosing public support plus they don't seem to be consistent with their demands...Is it strike for pay or conditions.

I get the feeling that the conditions part is added to make the high pay demand look better.

[Primrose]

Mr Primrose has to have his ears syringed privately every 3 months now or he goes completely deaf. I despair at the NHS.. it needs a complete review and overhaul but probably as the largest employer in the country it,s too overwhelming for anybody to know where to start.but start they must, and very soon. We have too big a population now for most services to be free any longer. This is probably the biggest issue facing the country today now because virtually everybody is impacted. I suspect it probably requires treatment on a par with a "war footing".. far too big for one person to have responsibility for overseeing.

[Stravaig]

The doctor phoned this morning. he can come and do it today. NO THANK YOU. Husband is in London, the flat is in a tip, and I have a heap of stuff to do. Trying to schedule it for later this week.

Gawd, I feel so sorry for those stalwarts who are trying to do their best in the NHS. Sometimes I just wonder why they bother. Much easier and more lucrative to go for the private practice. Then those folks without much money (eat or heat) just get left behind. It's disgraceful.

Nye Bevan would turn in his grave.

[Colin2016]

The doctor phoned this morning. he can come and do it today. NO THANK YOU. Husband is in London, the flat is in a tip, and I have a heap of stuff to do. Trying to schedule it for later this week.

This seems the wrong attitude to my mind, so the flat is a tip who cares, it's the ear that he is coming to look at.

[Stravaig]

Fair enough. Maybe it is the wrong attitude and I should be grateful of the attention. I prefer to have advance notice of any appointment. I have a life and things to do. I don't live in a cupboard waiting for someone to call me out of it. I'd prefer the flat to be clean and tidy. It's currently a complete boorach with all the boxes we're trying to wade through.

I'd just like to be expecting the visit, have the flat nice, and maybe even have some snacks on hand. Not a big deal but not caught out any more than the usual Amazon delivery. I'm sure they have some kind of detector thing. You know, you wait all day for them and then the minute you sit on the toilet in desperation - they ring the bell!

I'd just prefer if he tells us when he'll visit and we can be ready for him.

[Primrose]

I think the reality of any health service these days, Stravaig, because they,re all under so much pressure is that you have to grab them when they,re available and personal choice or convenience sadly doesn,t enter into the equation. People have to turn up at Hospitals at 7 am for day procedures and are perhaps kept waiting until mid afternoon before they,re performed. No way is this very satisfactory but sadly it,s probably the only way patients can get anything done.

[Primrose]

Just been onto the NHS app and booked our Over 75's Covid Spring booster jab for later this week so pleased to report one aspect of the NHS which is actually working!

[Stravaig]

How many Covid jabs does a person need?

I had my two jabs and then a booster. Goodness knows how long ago - a year ago maybe? Are we supposed to be getting more? it seems as though people think the pandemic is over. (I don't think it is. it'll come back with a vengeance and bite us on the bum.)

[Westi]

Yearly update also like the flu jab & for the same reason. We track how the flu morphs in the Southern Hemisphere so we have time to add the element that will protect us from that into the vaccine if needed. Obvs early days for Covid as it is still very actively morphing.

You are spoiling everyone Stravaig, need to be more British & just remind the visitors not to trip over the boxes. I'm absolutely positive even in the worst circumstances your home is infinitely better than some of the homes they visit. For my district nurse allocation the lead nurse would tell me before the visit what seats not to sit in or to even stand & not to accept tea or coffee or use their toilet facilities. It was a total eye opener regarding the accommodation but the folk were generally really nice & grateful.