I know many of us can complain about bad admin in various NHS and private hospitals and I have many stories from the NHS but so far have had very little problem when using private hospitals. When I know I have a long wait for tests or procedures I often use Benenden healthcare - I have no complaints about them their admin seems to be great as far as I am concerned. Next week I have a colonoscopy at a private hospital nearby - there are two and I have only used this one infrequently because Benenden usually uses the other one. Indeed 2 Docs at the other hospital were suggested by Benenden but couldn't get an appointment with either one until June whereas with this other hospital I got a consultation a week last Friday and can have the procedure on 19th. Maybe that says something? I have had innumerable phone calls from them asking for information I have already given and e mailed them - the Dr actually had all this information on the file when he spoke to me just over a week ago at the hospital - so why I have had 3 phone calls asking for the information I can't imagine. The last was yesterday so I was able to read out the information from the confirmation letter (they have a copy of this on file) and also emailed it to them again. I asked to have e mailed and hard copies of any communication from the hospital. So far have only had e mails and most of the information does not apply to me -why do they not just pick out the information necessary to each procedure and individual I don't know? Working in an office you could always manage that when collating information to be sent out for various courses etc so why does no one seem capable of doing this now? I am getting old I know! I just feel lucky I am computer literate I pity other people who just do not have or cannot use the internet.
I also asked for a face to face pre-op assessment and saw the Dr write that down. I had a message yesterday saying I have a telephone pre op on Monday though will not tell me whether am or pm. I am hard of hearing and telephone pre-ops are really bad for me. Have also been asked to complete some of the pre-assessment on line but fall at the first fence when I have to add my consultant's name and it is not on the drop down list! It has made me giggle I am driving past the hospital on Monday for a dental appointment in the afternoon so if not heard from them by then will call in and try and sort it out face to face. It's always the best way I find.
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Desanthony
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Nothing appears to be straightforward these days does it? I think it's about time doctors started working as they did before Covid. When I go to my doctors surgery now to have a wound dressing the only people there are waiting to see the nurse, the same as me. There are about 10 doctors employed at my surgery, many Nurse Practitioners and nurses. Where are all the patients?
Funnily enough we were just talking about the same thing with a friend who just popped in. We both like our GP surgery they hold surgeries at two centres when I go to the nearest one in the village I wait for ages - sometimes an hour or over for my appointment and there is usually only about 3 of us waiting and there are at least 3 Docs, , practice nurse and phlebotomist on duty. I go to the surgery in the town which is shared with another practice - not that much further away, and get seen either on time or within 20 mins of my appointment when there is usually only 1 or 2 of our Docs there. It makes you wonder what they are doing I used to think they are reading through our notes before seeing us but have found that is usually not the case.
According to a recent article that I read, GP's are now so well paid that many of them have elected to work part-time. The situation has contributed significantly to the longer waiting lists that we see and the lack of GP appointments. It's not so much a shortage of GP's but a shortage of GP hours worked.
My GP practice has run on part time and locum GPs for years, gone are the days when we had a GP who knew us and our medical history. Despite having multiple complex health issues I’ve not managed to see a Dr at my practice for probably 3-4 years, most I get is a phone call from an unknown random Dr who hasn’t a clue what to do.
Re your hearing problems, and apologies if I'm "taking coals to Newcastle", but I am 77 and have also had problems with hearing important details during calls from medical staff, mostly when using the speaker on my phone to leave my hands free for taking notes. My only phone is a mobile and I've only just discovered that this problem is solved for me by wearing over-the-ears headphones during such important calls. Doh! I'm a bit embarrassed to admit my years of being unable to use a phone properly, but am much happier now.🤔 Better late than never.
Now if only I had your "skills" in negotiating your way to medical appointments and procedures.🤕
Yes I have tried headphones but they make little difference to me because quite often the speaker turns away from the mouth piece or mumbles or there is background noise. I really operate far better in a one to one face to face basis where I can actually see the lips move, especially for important conversations such as pre-op appointments.
I too am hard of hearing. We still have landline phones, 4 dotted around the house because my mobility is very poor and I can't get to a phone quickly. I also have a mobile but even the speaker phone on my mobile is too quiet for me to hear properly. I rarely use it except for texts and when my son uses pre arranged Whats App from America. The loudest ring tone is even quieter. I have a large message on my GP notes next to the phone numbers saying "USE LANDLINE ONLY" yet every single time, they phone my mobile and I often miss the call. I could remove my mobile number from their records but they use it to send me text reminders.
Good morning - I was shocked that you had to wait so long for a private slot at the hospital of your choice. Seems like there’s a knock on effect to the private sector, with so many desperate for treatment at any cost. I usually google the hospital and doctor if they are list selected rather than personal referrals and read the reviews. I have found the one where you rate your doctor quite enlightening and useful!
As for GPs - well I won’t start on our one. Instead I’ll do a ‘in my day’ which I’m beginning to do more often …. I remember when few folk had phones, so you went to the surgery and patiently stood or sat until it was your turn. Everyone knew their place in the queue and there was no queue jumping or bad behaviour. You waited as long as it took for the Dr to see you . Nobody was allowed or attempted entry after the morning surgery cut off time and the Dr had his lunch once everyone was seen and the surgery was empty. House calls for him in the afternoon and then a repeat for performance for evening surgery.
I have permanent AFib and for that reason am on DOAC - so shld have yearly checkup which I don't think everyone gets, but my NHS GP (primary care) surgery is pretty good about doing full bloods and urine every year - I never see the GP, but a v well informed practice nurse-specialist does the report for her ---- about 10 years ago when first on the anti-coag, it took about 5 weeks for results -- last and this year, with the new lab up and running, (Sheffield Northern Gen NHS) the full blood results were available (over 30 different measures) in 24 hours including transport of sample. The 5 diff urine measures and ECG, BP were all done at her desk by the nurse. All by our creaking, but still fine NHS. How do I know they had the results so quickly? ---- well finally, after false starts, my GP on-line record is very easily available to view online (all details back to 2008, some before and my vaccination record back to birth of NHS (and me) in 1948).
Fairly similar story with my EP consultant specialist cardiologist physician - very thorough in person first visits in 2015, but since then just his v competent team - scans, ECGs, CT every 2 years - also keeps an eye on mitral valve and enlarged aorta - he then sends a report which I see - also NGH Sheff, NHS. Have to say though, that despite millions spent the hospital electronic record it is lacking and is not easily available to me, which it should be.
No time spent on sorting insurance, billing me etc, total cost of all this, plus meds, to me $0.00.
I am still waiting for my confirmation e mail so that I can start using the NHS App. I registered just before Easter. Here in Wales it has only just gone on line, indeed our surgery only started it up a week before I registered. I can't wait to get into all this as my friends in Oxfordshire get all their info and get blood test results, like you within 24 hours on the app and can also access the hospital waiting lists and find out where they are on the list just by looking at an app - brilliant!
I have a brief medical record printed out from the GP surgery to send to the private hospital - they were very good and got this done within 12 hours of request but so much is wrong on it once I have got all this over with I am going to have to go over this with the GP surgery - again. Luckily I typed out my own medical history and medication list as I just can't rely on the records from the Surgery.
When I was first diagnosed with AF I was 4 months out from finishing my radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer which had been diagnosed about 9 months prior to that. As our Hospital didn't have a cardiologist - it actually took them 14 months to recruit one, I again made use of Benenden to see one. Again the hospital asked for a brief medical history. All done very easily and quickly but when I read it my Prostate Cancer, 9 months Hormone Therapy (HT) treatment and 1 month of radiotherapy (RT) was not on there - over a year since diagnosis! There were other mistakes which I made the surgery aware of. Now again when I get this print out I find there are still mistakes on it. I am not sure whether they are the same mistakes as those on there back in 2017 but it will be interesting to find out - thankfully now my Prostate Cancer treatment from 2016/2017 is now on there.
I am not getting any problems with billing and paying as Benenden is very efficient and it always goes smoothly without any intervention other than the initial phone call from me. It is the hospital admin which is bad not looking at the file with all my info on which they have had since I first started with them on 25 March and phoning me 3 times in less than a week to get that information which they already have. I don't know why Admin has to be so difficult? I know we can all blame it on the computer and computer systems but with things like record keeping it is up to the "button pushers" - human beings, to get things on the on line record correctly. I know and appreciate that the NHS is over worked and understaffed but not generally so with private hospitals. It just seems that they just can't get a file out - whether electronic or hard copy and look for the information.
All in all I am glad that I can get this colonoscopy done within a month rather than waiting up to a year for the NHS. With cancer in the family it would be good to know if there is any cancer present so that timely treatment can be given - better still will be to know that there isn't cancer present. Here's hoping!
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Don't ignore the side effects of drugs
yay! Ablation in sight! 
Could you give your experience re range of INR and self testing/ management please?
Time to come clean.
To go to hospital or not?
