NHS out of hours GP's

[katie]

For some reason doctors do not like me and when i have to attend the out of hours surgery they seem to hate me even more. I went in and had a mole removed at the hospital on wednesday it subsequently became infected, the wound wasnt swollen or red it was just weeping pus and was unbelievably painful, i went to the out of hours gp begrudgingly (as they are never nice to me) on friday and for a change i met a really lovely doctor who said youve definately got an infection gave me antibiotics and said if it got worse to go back asap, so i went this evening because i am in agony and the pain has spread from my shoulder to my armpit and all down the left side of my back. The doctor was so rude to me and when i told her i was in this much pain she said she was unconvinced and that it looked fine. For the record i am not new to pain i have arthritis which is really progressive i spend most of my time on crutches and i also suffer from bowel and bladder problems. So i dont know whether she just didnt like me or whether i seem like i am lying. I am so fed up of this. Speaking of my bladder problems i once went for a really bad urine infection as i got them persistently and despite telling her that i had been tested for everything just to be sure she was so horrible to me and told me to get myself to an sti clinic. I dont understand why people this rude went in to a care profession? Its like they think i enjoy being there, i have to be forced to go because i never get treated well. I am 22, i dont know whether its my age or what but they doctors always treat me like dirt, the surgeon whose bowel clinic i was at stated the only thing he could to help me was remove my bowel completely otherwise he couldnt help me, he said i dont advise we do this at your age so you do that or just get on with it. I dont see why they seem to be incapable of treating me with any decency or kindness, you are there to be helped as you are obviously ill. I really just dont get it. My GP on the other hand is the most fantastic man i have ever met, he actually wants to help you and seems to understand that maybe this isnt something i chose.
Sorry for the rant but im so fed up, i am currently in a lot of pain but the doctor seems unconvinced, ok im lying then.

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Katie ---

Welcome to this new forum. I started it last month because I was really, really ticked off at the NHS. And it just made me feel a little bit better to post my grievances -- even if nobody read them.

You're not alone, Katie. I'm 57, a retired company director, and I also marvel at the fact that so many people in the NHS can be downright nasty. Nobody forced them to go into a profession where they must (a) deal with people who are sick, and (b) display a modicum of compassion.

Either a career in the NHS thumps whatever compassion they may have had out of them, or they become so demoralised they take it out on the patients. I often want to say to them, "Hey, I didn't create the NHS. And when I don't feel well, don't expect me to rise up from my bed or wheelchair and fix the NHS."

Have you thought about filing a formal complaint? I'm in the process of doing that now. If you'd like to file a formal complaint, please let me know and I can send you the information on how to do so.

You're definitely not alone. It's sad, but the description of the service you received is almost the same as my own experience.

Pretty sad. :(

[Mike]

Katie, you are not alone. I say keep going and ask for second opinions until you find a doctor who is to your liking. You cannot possibly be treated by someone you do not respect. Mike

[basher]

Katie, you are not alone. I say keep going and ask for second opinions until you find a doctor who is to your liking. You cannot possibly be treated by someone you do not respect. Mike

mike - a doctor is a professional and not your friend. they may say things that are not to your liking.

[turnthetables]

Of course they are going to, but surely what is important is the way they say those things.

[craigwalsh]

A doctor is a professional and not your friend. They may say things that are not to your liking.

The same can be said of my solicitor. I have a wonderful family solicitor who has represented me for almost 15 years. He's listed in the Legal 500 as the most pre-eminent solicitor in his field. He has written several legal textbooks and has acted for many prominent families in the UK. We are, without question, his smallest clients.

And, yes, he sometimes says things I don't want to hear.

But he is friendly, polite, soft-spoken, and when he speaks he just makes a lot of sense. He treats me with respect --- as a fellow professional. I am pleased to accord him the same courtesy.

In the final analysis, of course, I am his client and he takes (in legal-speak) "instructions" from me. But in practice most of the time I am convinced by his arguments, and follow his sage advice.

Contrast that with my experience with Dr. Robert Ingles at the St. John's Surgery --- at the time my GP.

I'd developed problems with my knees that kept me from sleeping. I'd read about Restless Leg Syndrome some time before, and I when I did a Google search and found the www.rls.org (http://www.rls.org) website I realised that was exactly what I had. I read several scientific articles on the subject, and went to see Dr. Ingles with pages I'd printed off from the various websites. He refused to even look at them, and when I gently protested, he arrogantly advised me that "this is not a debating society."

Instead of the appropriate, EU-approved medication for RLS, he prescribed a totally inappropriate, and addictive, tranquiliser Temazepam. This "is considered to be one of the most addictive of the benzodiazepines." I'd just stopped taking the Class A narcotics prescribed by Dr. Ingles and his colleague, Dr. Salter, without any warning of their addictive properties --- and here he is writing a script for Temazepam.

And all because he wouldn't take a moment to really listen to me.

I had to see a neurologist in London to get the correct prescription. Here's what the neurologist subsequently wrote in a letter to my GP:

http://www.aquarena-springs.com/images/Restless-Leg-Syndrome.gif

Sorry to go on and on about this. I spent an extra week with sleepless nights, and almost nightly telephone calls to the GP out-of-hours service (including one fairly useless actual visit by a doctor and nurse). All of this could have been avoided if Dr. Ingles had simply treated me with a little bit of respect and courtesy.

He's not my friend. And, after these postings on the NHS Sucks website, I doubt I'll be invited over to the Ingles residence for tea.

To quote New Labour:

http://www.respect.gov.uk/images/sitewide/respect-logo.gif (http://www.respect.gov.uk/)

[gp2]

copied from another website:-

Modernisation Fund
1.5 This funds the Governments modernisation agenda for the NHS. It contains funding directed at:
· Reducing waiting lists;
· Improving mental health services;
· Developing Primary Care services (eg HAZs, NHS Direct);
· Investing in IM&T

Education and Training and Research and Development
1.6 There are 3 budgets in support of education and training and one in support of Research and Development (R&D):
· NMET: Non-medical Education and Training. Funds the education and training of nurses, midwives, some professions allied to medicine and scientists and technicians;
· MADEL: Medical and Dental Education. Provides funding to enable the NHS to secure the continuous supply of appropriately trained doctors;
· SIFT: Service Increment for Teaching. This funding meets the additional service costs of supporting undergraduate medical and dental education;
· R&D: funds the NHS research & development programme.
1.7 Since 1999/2000 increases to NMET and MADEL are funded from the MF.

Special Allocations
1.8 These fund specific services allocated to health authorities either by reference to a weighted capitation formula or another method specific to that allocation. There are 4 special allocations which support:
· HIV/AIDS treatment and care;
· HIV prevention;
· Out of Hours;
· Drug Misuse Services.
1.9 Since 1999/2000 increases to Out of Hours and Drug Misuse are funded from the MF.

Statutory Bodies

1.10 Statutory Bodies include such organisations as the
· Prescription Pricing Authority;
· National Blood Authority; and
· Dental Practice Board.
1.11 Each body is funded directly by the NHS Executive or the wider Department of Health acting for the Secretary of State.

Other initiatives and services
1.12 These cover a wide range of activities from which the generality of health authorities benefit. About 100 budgets are funded in this area. Some of the budgets pay for patient activity through a central contract with NHS Trusts. Others pay for services on behalf of all health authorities (eg the purchase of vaccines) and support special initiatives. These budgets fall within the following areas of activity:-
· Demand led services;
· Centrally purchased services;
· Developmental activity;
· Policy support;
· Technical and IM&T.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

OK - now that you understand that, let’s look at some numbers (taken from the DH’s own Annual Reports, 2005 and 2006).

The budget for CFISSA for 2004/05 was £16bn, with a forecast budget for 2005/06 of £11.3bn (this was confirmed in a written answer by Liam Byrne to Andrew Lansley in March 2006 (<http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060303/text/60303w20.htm#60303w20.html_sbhd5 <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060303/text/60303w20.htm#60303w20.html_sbhd5>>). Now, just a few weeks later, the 2006 Annual Report gave the actual budget as an amazing £18.3bn - an overspend of a /mere/ £7bn.

Stick with me: we need to look at where the money went.

The losers were:
£ millions
-42 ....Cancer
-2 .....Coronary heart disease
-14 ....Mental health
-0.4 ...Older people
-138 ...Reducing health inequalities
-311 ...IM&T
-12 ....Modernisation Agency
-18 ....Central payments on behalf of the DH (eg injury allowances)

So who won then? Well, that’s where it gets really interesting (highlighted).

£ millions
+68 Better emergency care
*+34 Waiting, booking and choice*
+20 Children
+73 Improving patient experience
+269 Workforce
+24 R&D
+188 Statutory bodies
*+719 Special health services (eg audiology, dentistry, ophthalmic)*
+132 Primary care
*+740 Residual CFISSA budgets (eg SHA running costs, NHS Bank)
+4373 CFISSA budgets issued with PCT allocations
+1046 Non-cash CFISSA budgets (including capital charges, provisions etc)*

So what does that mean? Well, I suspect that “Waiting, booking and choice” means that delightful Choose & Book system: a £34 million overspend, then.

But what about the rest? There is an overspend of
· *£719 million* on special health services /(looking at the list, that’s mainly the ones where “competition” has been introduced)/
· *£740 million* on SHA running costs / NHS Bank /(how much does it cost to run a SHA?)/
· over *a billion* pounds on “Non-cash CFISSA budgets” /(answers on a postcard as to what this one means!)/
· a truly amazing *£4.3 billion* on monies to PCTs /(more work needed here In particular: what went to (for example) ISTCs (and shareholders) for work that wasn’t actually done?)/

Thank you for your patience in reading through this. I trust this may be useful the next time someone at the DH blames the lack of frontline money on doctors salaries.

[zubzubes]

Katie,
Why do you attend out of hours clinics and not the day ones like everyone else?
Anne

[zippyRN]

For some reason doctors do not like me and when i have to attend the out of hours surgery they seem to hate me even more. I went in and had a mole removed at the hospital on wednesday it subsequently became infected, the wound wasnt swollen or red it was just weeping pus and was unbelievably painful, i went to the out of hours gp begrudgingly (as they are never nice to me) on friday and for a change i met a really lovely doctor who said youve definately got an infection gave me antibiotics and said if it got worse to go back asap, so i went this evening because i am in agony and the pain has spread from my shoulder to my armpit and all down the left side of my back.


when was 'this evening' in comparision with friday ( when you were prescribed the antibiotics?)

what painkillers were you taking ?


The doctor was so rude to me and when i told her i was in this much pain she said she was unconvinced and that it looked fine.
For the record i am not new to pain i have arthritis which is really progressive i spend most of my time on crutches and i also suffer from bowel and bladder problems. So i dont know whether she just didnt like me or whether i seem like i am lying. I am so fed up of this. Speaking of my bladder problems i once went for a really bad urine infection as i got them persistently and despite telling her that i had been tested for everything just to be sure she was so horrible to me and told me to get myself to an sti clinic. I dont understand why people this rude went in to a care profession? Its like they think i enjoy being there, i have to be forced to go because i never get treated well. I am 22, i dont know whether its my age or what but they doctors always treat me like dirt, the surgeon whose bowel clinic i was at stated the only thing he could to help me was remove my bowel completely otherwise he couldnt help me, he said i dont advise we do this at your age so you do that or just get on with it. I dont see why they seem to be incapable of treating me with any decency or kindness, you are there to be helped as you are obviously ill. I really just dont get it. My GP on the other hand is the most fantastic man i have ever met, he actually wants to help you and seems to understand that maybe this isnt something i chose.
Sorry for the rant but im so fed up, i am currently in a lot of pain but the doctor seems unconvinced, ok im lying then.


i wonder whether with your other problems you have some kind of pain problem - have you been referred to a chronic pain service at all ?

the pathophysiology and pathopsychology of pain are very complex areas which a lot of health professionals do not have the time to become experts on
please don't take this as an insult but perhaps you find fulfillment in 'the sick role'? something to consider ...