what IS happening to this country?

[chesters1]

Our daughter said her son suddenly got a phonecall saying his mate had been in a car crash .It was just down the road so off he went to see the story .A black scooter holding a black clad rider (they don't help themselves!) Had plowed into the nearside of the car as he turned left .Anyway the police and an ambulance were summoned the police just said exchange details and left it at that.The kid had pain in his leg but otherwise was mobile . Cut a long story short the ambulance never showed (it happened almost outside the kids house) the mum swept up the bits from the bike while waiting and in the end the dad took the kid off to a&e in his car after 2 hours waiting.

One off we hope?

Nope last night my Mrs suddenly had a severe pain in her chest and I took her blood pressure 223 over 110 so I went online and the app after filling in many tick boxes said call 999 (does it ever say anything else?)

Vert nice lady triaged my Mrs via an interpreter (me) we retook BP it was still about the same so she said ambulance on the way ,we waited ...... 2 hours later the pain subsided but her BP was still very high and she was hot and trembly (unusual like most women she continually says she's cold ) and we waited .....

We first called at 6 pm and now it was midnight her BP was still 183 over 110 but the pain was gone so we lay fully clothed in bed waiting for the knock .

At 4am the phone rang " do you still need an ambulance" I bit my lip it's not her fault but I was close to losing it ."sorry we have been busy" !

She triaged again and I took her BP luckily by then it was 153 over something and then she said it's going down can we make our way to frimley? I explained we had no transport and the first bus a mile away was hours away .she went quiet (obviously consulting her tick chart sheets) then said an online doctor would call .

An hour later one did went all through everything we had said now 3 times and did a BP  as before before and he said take her meds now !(this was 5 am) and he would call back in an hour's time .

He duly did and her BP was now 160 over 89 so improving so he was happy to dismiss her but said if it rose again ring 999.

So what has happened to this country ? I think the ambulance handover system is wrong .A large ward should be set aside with a couple of nurses and the ambulance crew simply drag in the patient NFC their pad over to one on the bed the patient is put into then leave .Going by experience the crew cannot leave until the patient is handed over )the reason their backed up outside)
 and in my last case they say with me for over 2 hours then told my story and if they had administered drugs etc then hung about laughing with the nurses for half an hour before (probably ) going to the cafe for a nosh .The whole system is old it needs overhauling it lucky my Mrs is still here

Don't wait to A&E let you in simply drop the patient off with nurses and go and rescue the next poor sod it's so simple

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by chesters1

[Ken L]

Sorry to hear that, Dave, and hope she's feeling better today.

You know what's wrong. A massive increase in population, with no correlated increase in services - and nobody prepared to join the dots.

Lesson learned! If you (or the Mrs) are ambulant, and it's an emergency, get a taxi, or beg a lift to the hospital. Yes, it's expensive, but what price a life?

[*Ant*]

I'm hearing stories like this almost on a weekly basis. The unfortunate truth is that you just can't put any faith what-so-ever in the NHS anymore. I remember a time when one thought if one gets ill then the NHS was there to take care of you and you'd be in good hands. 

These days I wouldn't trust them to look after a pet hamster, the NHS is nothing but a very bad joke. 

.......and the doctors have the nerve to say they don't get paid enough and go on strike!

Hoping Mrs Chesters feels lots better Dave. 

[chesters1]

On 12/9/2023 at 1:05 PM, Ken L said:

Sorry to hear that, Dave, and hope she's feeling better today.

You know what's wrong. A massive increase in population, with no correlated increase in services - and nobody prepared to join the dots.

Lesson learned! If you (or the Mrs) are ambulant, and it's an emergency, get a taxi, or beg a lift to the hospital. Yes, it's expensive, but what price a life?

The trouble was being old we look back and lived in a time when promises were honoured and ambulances came (there's an ambulance station 2 miles away near the hogs back) it was a tossup getting a taxi and her getting a heart attack on the way or waiting for the ambulance with the knowledge they had the means of treating her if she did.

More annoying (yes she's fine the blood pressure still high but only just outside her upper "normal" range thanks) amusingly you cannot contact the local doctor to get it looked into .The surgery uses a dire app called patches (no the NHS APP only allows contact FROM the doctor you cannot contact them via it) .But worst of all the first contact available is 6.30 tonight most probably for being looked at tomorrow .When we first used Dr Brown (he came into Dr Mays surgery when we were patients of him) you turned up at 8 am formed a queue took a wooden number and was seen that morning ! I am not sure progress is progress when everything seems to get worse .

I have already sent in her weekends omron BP chart via email I have no doubt they will 'overlook' it like they did when I sent my 3 monthly weeks worth the last time (been going fine up to then) I try my hardest to do my bit why don't they do theirs all they do is shift their workload onto some app with no doubt poorly paid Indians with English as their second language to do it for fourpence or worse still artificial crapness while the surgery staff moan about the conservatives (who don't run the NHS) drinking tea and eating biscuits doing **** all

It reminds me of taking in my first weeks worth (as a print out) the doctor was a bit smirky when I told her I had one ,she was probably thinking it was some wrist BP machine . Soon changed her smirk when she realised it was a machine above her one and went into far more detail than just pushing a button and looking at a screen and judging on that. Hopefully the old boy practices disappear Drs are no longer gods who know all, they are GP's IE they little about lots they use the internet just as much as us to diagnose I have more respect for vets who's clients don't tip them off what the problem is

I think her pain didn't cause the high BP I think it was the other way round her pulse rate didn't shoot up it was steady BUT the high BP could cause a heart attack so finding out what caused the sudden high BP is for concern it's bad enough she lives with me she doesn't need any more pressure lol

Edited December 10, 2023 by chesters1

[chesters1]

21 hours ago, *Ant* said:

I'm hearing stories like this almost on a weekly basis. The unfortunate truth is that you just can't put any faith what-so-ever in the NHS anymore. I remember a time when one thought if one gets ill then the NHS was there to take care of you and you'd be in good hands. 

These days I wouldn't trust them to look after a pet hamster, the NHS is nothing but a very bad joke. 

.......and the doctors have the nerve to say they don't get paid enough and go on strike!

Hoping Mrs Chesters feels lots better Dave. 

Yes she seems ok but laying off the continual (enough to give me high BP) tidying and taking it easy, enjoying my post meal farts as nature intended and looking at temu for more gadgets that are used once then go and live in a cupboard until new crap ousts them .

The countries buggered most probably orders from our masters at WEF or something in the water ,hopefully voters realise nothings going to improve if they keep voting in the problem!

[chesters1]

The saga continues the surgery just texted me " Sorry Mr .... We cannot discuss Mrs ..... using patches she must fill in the form herself and send it .

I returned with if you look at the very first page for the request it states I am filling this form in for "myself" or "someone I care for" so the request CAN be used by a third party ....

Half Ann hour later a phone call from surgery arranged a blood test and scan for tomorrow .The doctor? (Who knows who's on the phone ) yet again went through the details (despite a 1000 letter explanation on the form )then asked for any previous BP readings (despite sending in by email AND attaching them to the form on patches they insist I cannot use) .half way through I mentioned this (this seem to annoy him until I mentioned I was her carer thus privy to answering for her) and he found it and arranged the visit

They also sent an online form to give consent for wife to be discussed by me (as a carer that's been filled in years ago) the crazy thing was it was online ,I could fill in the details but could not find a way to sign it and it wouldn't allow it to go back without it .I have printed it out (by downloading it changing it to a pdf and printing it ) and it will be handed over tomorrow .Why is everything becoming more difficult today next you will be filling in forms to leave home

It's quiet obvious why they cannot see it is beyond me

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sxjrssx6flviltr46bq5c/Screenshot_20231211-104657.png?rlkey=eqrn38vxh6i9iuymkvx019np5&dl=0

Edited December 11, 2023 by chesters1