Doctors Blunder!!!

[moignard]

Hi to all,

i am new here and didn't think i'd ever find myself complaining about something a GP has done!!!! that is until today.

A month ago i was refered to the hospital by my GP to have an operation to remove 2 ganglions on my wrist and hand.
3 weeks after surgery i am still in pain so i go and see another doctor who says i need to take anti imflamatry and if that didn't work i needed to go back and could need futher surgery... today i see Another GP who says that it was wrong that i ever had the surgery and apologised and said don't sue as the GP is new.
Now i don't know what to do, i'm in pain everyday even doing household chores and when i'm working.
Do i seek further advice on this or do i just leave it for this doctor to sort my hands?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Moignard ---

Welcome to the new NHS Sucks forum. Thank you for your posting --- you've had a horrible time.

As far as I've been able to figure it out, there are three courses of action that you can take:

(1) Do nothing.

(2) File a formal complaint with the NHS.

As your complaint is against a GP, you would either start with the Practice Manager --- or, I believe, you can write directly to the Chairman of your local Primary Care Trust. They have 25 business days (recently increased from 20 business days) in which to provide you with their response. (If they need more time, they can ask for your consent --- I don't think you have much choice in the matter.) I've used the complaint procedure a couple of times in recent months. I found it to be very ineffectual: it is also asking folks to judge their colleagues. My view of the NHS complaints procedure seems to be echoed by others who have posted on this forum, and elsewhere on the internet. I would be hugely interested to hear from someone, anyone, who has actually had a positive experience with the NHS complaints procedure. There is a whole appeal process as well --- but I would guess that all of it is pretty frustrating. Please see:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/ComplaintsPolicy/NHSComplaintsProcedure/fs/en


(3) Consult a solicitor.

If you do this, then you cannot use the NHS complaints procedure, which seems fair enough. What you're talking about is potentially "clinical negligence." Your solicitors will need to prove that the GP was not up to the normal standard we can reasonably expect from GPs. It means experts reports, etc., and the liklihood of any significant monetary recovery is fairly low. You may find that your household insurance has coverage for legal fees, and may cover clinical negligence. Otherwise, you may find a solicitor willing to take your case on a contingency fee basis. This seems rather unlikely as the amount that can be recovered would probably be quite low.

Of course if you complain, your GP will probably ask to have you removed from their practice. In my experience all these fears that if you complain your GP will get even are, in fact, true.

One possible advantage of complaining is that they may get a specialist to look at your hands for you --- essentially to shut you up.

Another course of action is to see a private specialist. I've personally had good luck at the Cromwell Hospital in London, but I'm sure there are other good specialists elsewhere in the country. If you don't have medical insurance you'd have to pay for it yourself, but how much is your health worth?

I've also discovered that this "must be referred by your GP" stuff is largely nonsense. It's really only the insurance company that wants this. If you're willing to pay, I've discovered that most private specialists are willing to see you. You can get a photocopy of your medical records from your GPs' surgery by simply filing a request under the Data Protection Act with the practice manager. You might be surprised at what you find in your medical notes!

I'm neither a doctor nor a solicitor, so some of this information may be a bit wrong. It's what I've learned myself in the past few months.

Of course you can always post their names here for the benefit of others. If you are writing about your own experience, and expressing your own opinions, there's nothing wrong with that. And I promise it will make you feel much, much better. :)

[craigwalsh]

BTW, there's lots and lots of information on the internet about ganglions. Just do a Google search.

Here's the page that came up first when I did a search just now:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/ganglion1.shtml

[worker]

I'm sorry you've had such a hard time of things.
I don't know much about the legal side of complaints, but can try and offer some advice on how to approach getting some more medical advice if you feel you need it. If you are not happy that things are getting sorted with the GP, you could ask him to refer you back to the surgeon who did your operation for his advice on pain relief/causes of the pain/what the future is likely to hold.
I cannot imagine the surgeon would have done the operation if he didn't think it was necessary/appropriate. If you have a follow up appointment with the surgeon, try ringing either the appointment line or the secretary (if you have the number) and ask for the appointment, or for it to be moved forward if at all possible because of the problems (it may not bring any luck, but you can but ask in these situations).
Good luck

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Worker ---

Welcome to the NHS Sucks forum. Glad to have you here.

I cannot imagine the surgeon would have done the operation if he didn't think it was necessary/appropriate.

I've had five different surgeons (one in Worcester, two in Birmingham, and two in London) look at my Achilles' tendons --- I have problems walking. The reasons for five different opinions complicated, but it wasn't me "shopping" for an opinion. There was a valid reason for seeing each of the five doctors.

The current score: three have recommended surgery. Three completely different procedures. The two (in London) are the more experienced guys, with lots of letters after their name. The London guys are about 15 years older than the Midlands guys. Both of the London surgeons have said that surgery would not produce a good result.

Do I go with the majority vote? Three to two. If I go with the majority, which of the three procedures do I pick? Or do I go with the gray hair and maturity?

I am reminded of the old expression: If the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems look like nails.

I think surgeons are quick to cut because, like the Bishop of Southwark, "it's what I do."

[gp2]

patients would like operations and drugs to be uniformly successful without complications or side-effects.The correct way to proceed is a combination of experience,skill,luck,and tolerance of risk.Sometimes you will get different answers depending on who you ask.

[Elen]

Hi to all,

i am new here and didn't think i'd ever find myself complaining about something a GP has done!!!! that is until today.

A month ago i was refered to the hospital by my GP to have an operation to remove 2 ganglions on my wrist and hand.
3 weeks after surgery i am still in pain so i go and see another doctor who says i need to take anti imflamatry and if that didn't work i needed to go back and could need futher surgery... today i see Another GP who says that it was wrong that i ever had the surgery and apologised and said don't sue as the GP is new.
Now i don't know what to do, i'm in pain everyday even doing household chores and when i'm working.
Do i seek further advice on this or do i just leave it for this doctor to sort my hands?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure what you mean about complaining of something your GP has done. The most your GP did was refer you to hospital for a consultant (specialist) opinion. This is not worthy of a complaint.

Like all things, there are times when things go wrong. The pain you're experiencing may be abnormal, but your GP and consultant don't have the ability to look into the future before they make a decision. If the pain is the result of a poorly performed operation, then I would be inclined to complain - if only so others don't experience the same result.

I would be wary of taking the opinion of another GP over the surgeon who performed the operation. GPs by their very nature practice general medicine and will know far less about the operative procedure than your surgeon.


As far as differing opinions in general - we're talking about human beings with independent thought. Someone I knew once got told - by a private consultant - she needed a hysterectomy and then by an NHS consultant that she didn't. She opted for the latter and has been absolutely fine and very glad she weighed up both options and made her own decision.

[silver760]

I'm sorry to hear of your plight.Having had major surgery done to both my elbows I know exactly where you are coming from.There are a couple of things that cancern me though.

There is no way,a GP would have said to you "Dont sue,he's new round here".Never,never in a million years would he have said that about anyone,it implies liability.
Also,again,it's not the GP's fault for refering you on to someone more in the know than he.
I thought the usual cure for ganglions is hitting them with a book to rupture the sac and disperse the fluid?
You must also remeber that it takes a LONG time for the body to recover from surgery of any kind,sometimes it never fully does.I have sections on my arms that have lost all sensation due to small nerves being cut,I still have pain in my left elbow and nerve troubles,and were talking years on from here.

My arms are certainly far better than they were before the surgery.Did you have the ganglions removed because the "looked" bad or were they painful beforehand?Unlikely as they are usualy asymptomatic.

The decision as to what you do at the end of the day is up to you and your solicitor,who is the first person you should talk to about this,only they can really help you.But remeber get you facts 100% straight and ensure that what you say others have said is true and not a convienient version,we all do it!I do!!It's because you tend to hear and only remember what you want to hear and even then some time after the event,what you heard/were told gets distorted by your brain to what you thought you heard,not what was actually said.

Hope you sort it,but as I say solicitor first and carefully think about what has been said/done,you dont want to end up with egg on your face if you went to court now do you!!

Stew:)

[craigwalsh]

I thought the usual cure for ganglions is hitting them with a book to rupture the sac and disperse the fluid?


I thought it had to be a Bible. :)


Never,never in a million years would he have said that about anyone,it implies liability.


I absolutely agree with silver760 (http://www.sucks.org.uk/forum/member.php?u=33) about being sure that you have an accurate recollection of who said what and when. It would be a good idea to write this all down, in as much detail as possible.

Notes written at the time are called contemporaneous notes, and Courts really love them. Of course, in most medical cases it's the doctors who keep the notes, and patients rarely do so. The result? Doctors = 1, Patients = 0.

For this reason, I keep contemporaneous notes. I hope I never need them, but they're there --- just in case. (I would also point out that postings on this website are all date and time stamped, so no disputes as to when they were created.)

I found this interesting explanation of contemporaneous notes on an Employment Triburnal website (http://www.etclaims.net/?p=32). Not the same as a clinical negligence matter, but the principles are the same:


Where (as there often is) there is a dispute before the tribunal about what was said or done on a particular occasion, tribunals tend to set great store by any notes of what happened that were made at the time. These are often called ‘contemporaneous notes,’ and the party that has contemporaneous notes is usually at a great advantage.

This requires forethought. Often when things start to go wrong between employer and employee, neither side realises that the dispute may end up in the tribunal - and neither side keeps careful notes. Once an employee does realise that his or her employer’s behaviour is or may be becoming intolerable to the extent that a tribunal claim may have to be made, it is prudent to start keeping detailed contemporaneous notes of what has happened.

Notes need not only to be genuinely contemporaneous; they need to be in a form that convinces the tribunal that that is what they are. For this reason, handwritten notes are better than word-processed notes, because it is obvious when handwritten notes have been altered. For the same reason, ink is better than pencil. A bound notebook or exercise book is better than loose sheets because it is obvious in what order the entries have been made. Each entry should give the date of the events it describes, and also (if different) when the entry was made. It is best to write up each incident on the same day when the memory of it is freshest, but if the events of several occasions are written up a few days or even weeks later, the date on which the notes were made should be recorded.

It is very important to be strictly accurate about this. Witnesses - on either side - do from time to time produce documents that they claim were made at the time when in fact they were made much closer to the hearing, but any attempt to fudge the truth here is likely to be disastrous.

It is surpringly difficult to cover all traces of a document having been created later than it is supposed to have been created, and once a document of this nature has been discredited, the tribunal is likely to be extremely sceptical of any other evidence given by the same witness.


I don't necessarily agree with silver760 (http://www.sucks.org.uk/forum/member.php?u=33) that a GP would "never, never" say "don't sue as the GP is new." In my last 18 months or so of dealing with GPs I have been often surprised by their arrogance. Perhaps I'm being cynical, or unfair --- but I can almost hear at GP telling you "don't sue as the GP is new" more as an instruction than as a request.

If you think you are the victim of clinical negligence (and it's hard to prove --- and the damages can be quite small even if proven) I say see a good solicitor, and do so quickly. And I would see a second surgeon, even if I had to pay for it myself, to get a fresh opinion. A wise friend of mine once said, "You either take what you get, or get what you want." When it comes to pain in your hands --- get what you want.

You can also go through the free NHS complaints procedure, but I have been thoroughly unimpressed with it to date.

[paul]

Craig- I am new to "NHS sucks" and I think the website is fulfilling a useful purpose in highlighting deficiencies in the NHS. Like you I worked in the US and like you I have experience of private medicine in the US, London and in the W. Midlands. I don't have much experience of the legal profession. I should state that my experience is as a provider- a doctor- a radiologist to be exact. It is interesting that you think you get better advice if you go private, especially if you go to London and that you think the legal profession are there to help you. The strength of the NHS should be that the person giving his advice has no financial interest in the outcome- this is not the case with private practice or with the legal profession and you should wonder in whose interest they are really acting. This is especially true in London, where the greediest, but not necessarily the better doctors work. Some NHS doctors will be lazy and some inexperienced or just distracted but most genuinely want to do the best for you. The trouble with any socialist system is that the good and hardworking ones get nothing extra for their efforts-in fact the more patients you see as a doctor the more complaints you get- simply as a statistical fact, and its the complaints that eventually ruin your career and stress you out.
I also find it interesting that you managed to get the higher rate mobility allowance for problems with your Achillies tendons. I claim for my disabled daughter and to get higher rate (and the other benefits that come from this) one virtually needs to be a double amputee. Most people with a medical problem try to cope and get on with life. Others let it take over and become professional victims. This may give some financial benefit but doesn't really help get over the problem-hence the reason I think your Achillies tendons have reduced you to such a state of immobility.
Yes - sometimes the NHS sucks but please recognise who the suckers are.
Paul www.uk-radiology.co.uk

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Paul ---

Welcome to the new NHS Sucks forum. Thank you for taking the time to register --- I look forward to reading more of your postings in the future.

The strength of the NHS should be that the person giving his advice has no financial interest in the outcome - this is not the case with private practice or with the legal profession and you should wonder in whose interest they are really acting.

This is theoretically correct, but (at least in my experience) not really what happens. Because many of the folks that I've encountered in the NHS don't view patients as "customers," they are acting to placate bureaucrats and politicians at HQ. An increasing number of decisions seem to be made based upon some variable mandate or another from On High --- and not always based upon what's best for the patients.

In the private sector, the doctors (and solicitors) must actually please their patients (and clients). If they don't, the "customers" won't come back. And dissatisfied "customers" will tell their friends. And the check-out clerk at the supermarket. I believe the "financial interest" of private consultants is best served by doing what's best for their "customers."

(BTW, I don't go to see the doctor in London because my solicitor is there. I have visited doctors in London because, in general, they seem to be more experienced than the consultants I've seen here in the Midlands. I'm certain there are many exceptions to the rule: bad specialists in London, great ones in the Midlands. And, at least so far, I have not been able to find a private GP any closer to me than BUPA in Birmingham or BUPA in Bristol.)
You managed to get the higher rate mobility allowance for problems with your Achillies tendons
Yes, I can barely walk more than 20 - 30 feet at a time. All medical records were fully disclosed to the DWP, and the award was made quite expeditiously.
Most people with a medical problem try to cope and get on with life. Others let it take over and become professional victims. This may give some financial benefit but doesn't really help get over the problem-hence the reason I think your Achillies tendons have reduced you to such a state of immobility.
You, of course, don't know me at all. I hardly think that the princely sum of £43.45 per week from the Department for Work & Pensions is a great motivator. (Not to mention my £10.00 Christmas bonus.)

I would gladly give it all back to be able to walk without excruciating pain. And as for being a "professional victim," I have struggled with the system at every opportunity in an effort to find a doctor somewhere who has an answer on how to possibly reduce my pain. I have seen (so far) five consultants in three hospitals in an effort to get better. And two pain management specialists.

I love SCUBA diving. I am a professional photographer --- and cinematographer. There are parts of the world (not many) that I haven't seen. I have places to go, people to meet. And pretty much the last thing I want to do is to be battling the NHS. I want them (within their financial constraints) to help me. They just haven't got a clue on how to do this. Which I why, at least in my opinion, they suck.

I've had a look at your website --- thanks for the link. As your interest is radiology, here's an extract from a report that Dr. U. L. Udeshi wrote (at my request) on June 26, 2006 following the failure of the Worcester Royal Hospital to find my fracture at T11:

http://www.aquarena-springs.com/images/radiology-report.gif

I'm not a physician or a radiologist --- so your comments on this would be appreciated.

Dr. Udeshi says that "the initial clinical assessment at WRH on 5.5.06 suggested a possible spinal fracture but this was thought to be likely at L1/L2 level" --- when, in fact, it was at T11. They were looking in the wrong place. If the assessment "suggested a possible spinal fracture," why not look at the whole spine? Money?

"The initial CT scan did not include the T11 vertebra because clinical suspicion [sic] was of an injury at L1/L2. It is appropriate that this high radiation dose examination should be limited to the area of suspicion."

But when I requested a copy of my x-rays and CT scans from the WRH to take to my private consultant, I was told that it could take up to 40 days for this to happen because that's the deadline set by the Data Protection Act. I protested that I wasn't asking for a print-out of my shopping patterns at Tesco but copies of examinations so I didn't need to be exposed to more "high radiation dose examination," but the NHS was unmoved.

Fortunately.

Because the NHS wouldn't provide copies in a timely fashion, BUPA South Bank was forced to repeat the CT examination. As Dr. Udeshi points out, the scanner at WRH "is a spiral scanner but not a multi-slice scanner. The scan images are adequate but do not compare in quality to the subsequent scan at BUPA South Bank Hospital, which used a much more technically advanced scanner, with thin slices and specific bony high resoluton algorithims."

The BUPA scan found the fracture at T11 --- after I'd spent three weeks of misery.
It is interesting that you think you get better advice if you go private
Q.E.D.

[paul]

In many ways you are right about the NHS. I saw a quote once which summed up the problem.
If someone asked you to use your own money to buy them a car they would end up with a very basic car but at least it would be cheap. If someone said you could use their money to buy yourself a car you would buy the most expensive car but it would probably also be quite good. If, as in the NHS, someone asked you to buy someone else a car using someone else's money they would end up with an overpriced but mediocre car.
The staff in the NHS don't see patients as customers because they get paid whether they treat patients or not. The majority of NHS staff now could continue to work quite happily if no patients at all were seen as they are employed away from the front line. This is beginning to change as New Labour realise that all the money put into the NHS has largely been wasted and are now planning to close NHS hospitals and have private companies provide NHS care. We are more threatened than most in Hereford and, as you can see from what I am trying to do, I am kicking ass and trying to raise our standards to match the private sector but its a hard job and some redundancies in our hospital would make my job easier.
I really cannot comment on Dr Udeshi's comments for professional reasons. Like myself he works in both the NHS and private sector. I do know that a fracture in the lower thoracic or lumbar spine that is not visible on plain film and is not associated with neurological deficit probably doesn't need a CT scan at all, let alone two and an MRI scan. This is not to say that such a fracture won't be painful but the treatment will be analgesia. I know that most people would like to know whether there is a fracture (especially if they are planning to sue over it as the courts attach more importance to a bone injury than a more serious ligament injury) but on an evidence basis there is no reason to scan.
The radiographers/radiologists will scan where they are told to and will try to restrict the field to the area of interest because of the radiation dose- nothing to do with cost. An unnecessary scan is a form of assault and I, personally, am looking forward to a company being sued over private screening CT scans now being sold to the unwary worried well.
Good luck Craig. Before you lash out identify the enemy. Many of us in the NHS are on your side.

[craigwalsh]

An unnecessary scan is a form of assault

Yet the NHS wouldn't give me copies of my x-rays and CT scans to show to my private consultant: they wanted "up to 40 days" as permitted under the Data Protection Act. They were unmoved by my telephone calls and e-mails --- some of them to John Rostill's office (the Chief Executive).

When I asked to speak with the head of radiology, I was told by Mr. Rostill's PA that Dr. Udeshi wouldn't speak with me. I was told that he was "too busy treating other patients." When I insisted, she sighed deeply and transferred my call.

Dr. Udeshi was a gentleman, and went out of his way to assist me. He also told me that there was a five day protocol: if a patient needs an x-ray, CT scan, etc. to be reviewed by a private specialist, the NHS is apparently obliged to provide this within five days, and not 40 days.

When I subsequently raised this point with Jane Clavey, the Head of Legal Services at the Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, she honestly admitted she was unaware of the five day rule. She wrote to me on June 5, 2006:

http://www.aquarena-springs.com/images/radiology-request.gif

Another case of bureaucratic bungling.

In an earlier post you wrote:

Most people with a medical problem try to cope and get on with life.

I can assure you --- from my personal experience --- the pain from a fractured back is fairly unpleasant. But not knowing the cause of the pain makes it far worse. I assumed that after 11 hours in A&E, complete with x-rays and CT scans, they'd accurately ruled out a fractured back. In subsequent visits, they took me on a wild goose chase pursuing a non-existent kidney infection.

To have to hassle with the NHS about copies of my own x-rays and CT scans is absolutely unacceptable. I was only connected to Dr. Udeshi because I was like a terrier, and was not put off --- even by the PA to the Chairman. Why was I made to fight for something so fundamental?

I find it fairly unacceptable that the Head of Legal Services cared so little about my getting well that she initially stuck with her 40 day disclosure timetable, permitted under the Data Protection Act. And that she was unaware of the much more sensible five day rule.

Because the NHS would not release my x-rays and CT scans in time for my private appointment, the procedure was repeated at BUPA South Bank. And, fortunately, that's when the fracture was discovered.

An unnecessary scan is a form of assault

I had a second scan at BUPA because of the failure of the NHS to release my own films, in accordance with my request, in a timely fashion. Can I sue the NHS for assault? :)

[paul]

Hallo again Craig. Hope Xmas has been OK for you.
I don't know much about the Data Protection Act (or is it the Freedom of Information Act that applies here) and it may be technically correct that the NHS is allowed 40 days (rather biblical don't you think) to divulge information but it is also true that the cross-over between NHS and private treatment should be seamless and it is clearly unacceptable to impose such a delay where an ongoing illness or problem is under treatment or investigation so you can see how the administrator and the doctor have approached this from a different angle. The 40 day rule is probably intended for sending records to solicitors. Incidently this is hugely expensive for the NHS. In our department the films, often many dozens, used to be copied onto expensive copy film costing hundreds of pounds per patient not counting the considerable time it took one of our technicians. Some one else would be copying the notes, which, in complex cases, often ran into 3 or more volumes. Often the info was asked for just as a "fishing trip" and never came to anything. The hospital was, I think allowed to charge £50 ( you probably know a more accurate figure). We put the x-rays on CD now so its not such a problem but I don't know if Worcester does this yet.
Whether you sue the NHS is up to you but in the UK you only get compensation for any additional harm you have suffered as a result of a mistake or negligence and this would be difficult to prove. Certainly you suffered pain but you would have had that anyway. As I said before I think you will find radiologists who will argue that neither scan was strictly necessary so you can't really say that the second one was needed because of the delay and oddly enough the first one was probably done because you were being treated as a "customer" (or a vexatious litigant if you don't mind me being blunt). I often go ahead and give the patient or their doctor what they want simply because the pros and cons are too complex to explain each time and no one, as far as I know, has ever been sued for asking for too many investigations so why should I stick my neck in a noose? The days of the paternalistic doctor are over (and good riddance you might say) but often the doctor did know best because thats what they had trained for. We can't say this anymore since opinion and political correctness rather than experience or skill is what matters now. The alternative will be an explosion in patient or politician demanded medicine which we will just have to go along with (and, it has to be said, some will profit from) whether it is in the patients interest or not.
By the way, I don't know your age but a vertebral fracture in a man from standing fall is a little unusual and you may need to be checked for osteoporosis.
Remember, in most organizations, people are promoted to the level of their incompetence. I do believe you have been badly treated at times. I never use to announce myself as a doctor if I attended hospital with my children and I was shocked how I was fobbed off by people who didn't know what they were talking about. Nowadays I just phone a consultant I trust and take the child in directly to them and they do the same with me. I'm afraid its not a level of service we can provide our patients. If fact in Hereford (and probably elsewhere) you could go through the entire system from going to your GP to having your colon removed for cancer and the first qualified doctor you would see would be the surgeon (and maybe the anaesthetist) on the morning of your operation. Do the general public know that this is going on under their noses? Its called skill mix but its basically "bare foot" medicine as goes on in the third world and its being done to save money. After all, people require most medical care in the last few months of life and dead people don't vote.
Now you know why the NHS sucks but don't confuse the organisation with the majority of people who work for it.
Regards Paul
www.uk-radiology.co.uk

[craigwalsh]

Nowadays I just phone a consultant I trust and take the child in directly to them and they do the same with me.

I think we should all be entitled to that level of care.

I'm always amazed when I go to an office building to find staff parking nearest the entrance, and visitor parking in a remote corner. Surely they have this the wrong way around?

It was never my intention to sue the NHS. I went through the formal complaints procedure, as outlined on their website, because I wanted them to recognise that I'd been given shabby treatment, and I wanted them to apologise. And to promise me that I would get --- in the future --- the type of care that you apparently get. And nothing less.

But they couldn't even handle my complaint properly. John Rostill put it in the "meeting to be arranged" folder, and it sat there for circa 45 days --- until I started to chase a response.
vertebral fracture in a man from standing fall is a little unusual
I have had quite serious rotoscoliosis since childhood. I've managed to live with it reasonably well, but the fall seems to have set the whole thing off. I think of that executive desktop plaything where the silver balls bounce back and forth.
Now you know why the NHS sucks but don't confuse the organisation with the majority of people who work for it.
I have never said that the majority of people who work for the NHS suck. (In fact, my sister is a speech therapist and she works for the NHS.) And I've met some pretty nice, caring people along the way. I have also met a lot of insensitive people as well: I wonder if they were insensitive when they joined the NHS, or if years of working for an uncaring bureaucracy has just sapped the Qi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi) from them.

There is a compliments section on this forum, and there are even some postings there. I would be thrilled to bits to see the compliments overtake the complaints!

[paul]

Hallo again Craig,
work kept me busy last couple of days. I am trying to persuade the local chiropractors to use our services rather than sending folk off to Cheltenham for their scans.
I thought you might have a go at me for calling you a vexatious litigant in my last post and I realise this was a bit strong but I bet I'm not the first to think it and it may be why you are finding people so unwilling to help you in Worcester. What works with me, and what I found worked with my seniors when I was a junior doctor, is to put the ball in their court and instead of telling the doctor (or whoever) what you want you tell them what the problem is and ask them what they would do in a similar situation, or what would they do if it was their father/son with this problem. In face to face conversation this usually elicits a very honest (off the record type) reply. When I was a houseman a patient rang through to the juniors mess during lunchtime and explained she needed her gallbladder removed and who would we recommend -well she certainly found out who to avoid- even the most junior people in the hospital recognise who the incompetants are. Most people will go a long way out of their way to help someone they think genuinely needs help. I'm afraid getting a letter threatening legal action usually does the opposite and the word has probably got around Worcester about you. I think if I saw a patient photographing the department and taking notes I would conduct the entire consultation in total silence with an expressionless face. In fact I did this with a mass murderer from Nigeria I had to treat many years ago and whom I couldn't stand and he had the nerve to complain to my boss that I didn't smile enough.
Why don't you get involved in running the hospital. You are obviously talented, energetic and articulate and the hospitals are always asking for members of the public to act as patient advocates. You will have more influence as an insider. Companies employ mystery shoppers to highlight problems with their products or outlets and you are doing it for nothing and not getting the credit for it.
Even the renumeration and consultant awards committees in hospitals have lay members.

[craigwalsh]

why you are finding people so unwilling to help you in Worcester

Huh?

I've had no problem finding consultants willing to help me in Worcester. And there's also near-by Birmingham. I am the one who made the decision to see consultants in London: I have found that they are willing to see patients relatively quickly, they seem to have more time, and they write a detailed letter after-the-fact. The choice to go to London is entirely mine. I'm sorry if my postings have given you the wrong impression.

The problem is more with GPs in Worcester. I have decided I just don't have much time for them anyway --- since they don't seem to have much time for their patients.

Most people will go a long way out of their way to help someone they think genuinely needs help.


Based upon my experience, this is generally not true in today's NHS.

hospitals are always asking for members of the public to act as patient advocates

If I could do anything that resembled work, I would start to help my poor wife around the house. I find that I am having difficulties even putting dirty dishes on the bottom shelf of the dishwasher. Forgetting (for a moment) the small matter of my complete disability, do you really think the NHS would like me as a patient advocate?

:(