Last week I had my worst infection to date and ended up in hospital for the week. All summer I’ve been infected with H Influenza and have had repeated treatments for it. 2 weeks ago was told quite bluntly by a GP that there was nothing more they could do for me in primary care and that I needed to wait to hear from the respiratory department at the hospital. Long story short saw a different GP last week who had me admitted immediately. I had a severe infection requiring oxygen around the clock and IV antibiotics. The team there were amazing. They had to deal with some very ‘challenging’ patients and did so constantly with dignity and respect. The system is broken. Too few GPs seeing patients face to face, too many people in A&E because they were unable to get a GP appointment. Winter flu season is only just starting. I honestly don’t know how the nurses and doctors who work well beyond their shift do it.
Praise for an overwhelmed NHS - Lung Conditions C...
Praise for an overwhelmed NHS
Hoping you’re on the mend now and good to hear you were so well cared for. Xxx
Hi sassy59 , So sorry to hear things have been tough ... I do sympathise , and appreciate your condition , I have been admitted 43 times to the mighty " Royal Free " Hospital in London in the last eleven years ... ... marvelous Hospital , great staff - they all know me .. ! ..as the ambulance arrives , somone says = .. " Its him again ... wheel him in .! ...-. usual place - 8th floor ! ... . I wish you well , I , as they say , " keep taking the pills " ..!.. and I'me now heading towards 80 ! .. but its only a number ! .., AND, AS THEY ALSO SAY = " A CREAKING HINGE HANGS ON THE LONGEST " !!., and don't half creak at times !! God Bless .👍😀
Hi vittorio I think you meant to reply to Poppins23 not me. Lovely to hear from you anyway. Keep going.
Love and hugs, Carole xxx👍🤗❤️
Thanks for that Poppins, they have an extremely difficult job. In my opinion they don't get paid enough for the amazing job they do. I hope you're on the mend now and well done you for seeing a second GGP
Unfortunately you are right! Often you have to become very sick before you get the treatment you need as it is so difficult to get an earlier diagnosis or medicaton. Once you are in that bracket, care is exemplary. I hope you are feeling better now 
xx
Totally agree with that from recent hospital experience x
Hope yr on top of hib now.i had it in spring and was also v ill with it.same position,gp wanted me admitted but im v stubborn+ stayed home.took 3mths b4 antibiotics etc got on top of it.u can be immunized against Hib. I hope yr feeling better xxxx
Glad you've spoken up for the NHS staff who give so much for such a small reward. Glad they've got on top of horrible H Influenza. xxxx
Hope you recover soon. I totally agree as havent seen my GP face to face for over 4yrs. I am fortunate as have both a wonderful Respiratory Team and now a new COPD team . I can contact either of these daily and they will visit my home if necessary. I feel for the nurses and staff at hospitals as all overworked especially A&E where patients go who are unable to see GP. Get well soon xxSheila 👍⚘
I am amazed that you get such wonderful treatment Garshe and am considering moving to Wales lol. My consultant said there was nothing more he could do for me and discharged me. I have never had access to a respiratory team and feel quite disgruntled that I am left to get on with it myself. Not having a go at you and so glad you are well looked after. I dont know why there should be such a division in care but so wish we could all be treated the same x
I totally agree. Ask your GP to give you the Respiritory team tel no. Or ring your Consultants secretary as the team work in that dept. I've only recently had this new COPD team this past few weeks. They ring me often and were here on Thursdays advising me as I have cataract OP tomorrow. I can ring every day even for a chat. I was down hospital wednesday having oxygen assessment with Respiratory team . I wish everyone was as fortunate. I am one to persevere and manage to get tel numbers etc and ring direct. Good luck xx💕⚘
It just feels like survival of the fittest right now. It's a different world since covid. I'm so glad you saw a different GP. I had awful trouble with HI for a long time and was colonised. Touch wood it has not reappeared in two and half years which is miraculous tbh. However, I'm no longer working in a building with 100 other people! Hope you fully recover and beat the bug!
It is sort of survival of the fittest. People are dying in the ED here waiting to be seen. Triple threat. RSV, flu and Covid.
That’s interesting that the same grim thing is happening in USA in Emergency Departments. I thought it was only here that the health system was on life support!
Oh no! A man just died in the ED in a major Seattle hospital!!
Hope you are feeling much better. I agree the NHS is in dire straits and it is only the caring staff that work over and above their paid workload that keep it going. Are we being pushed to private health care? Best wishes Marlbee
A & E staff are the most overworked in the system and deserve the pay award they are fighting for. I must say that i dread having to go into hospital and hope that I stay fit long enough not to. So glad you were well looked after x
Much truth in these posts. We do sometimes forget that medical staff are first and foremost people, and they have different skills, abilities and priorities. These sometimes clash with what we want as patients - if this were some other business, we would go elsewhere, but that's difficult with a large monopoly like the NHS. There has been a lot of "tinkering at the edges", but I suspect that there is a structural problem with the NHS which prevents it from responding to modern challenges, particularly those of longer lifespans and diseases of old age. It is remarkably good at dealing with acute illnesses and injury, but awful when it comes to chronic conditions (at least in my experience). But I think things will only change when people stop defending the concept at all costs and consider what alternatives (which are also "free at the point of use") might provide a better service and also benefit its overworked staff.
lovely to hear you had good care from the overworked NHS staff. They do a great job Hope you’re feeling much better soon xx
Im sorry you've had a stay in hospital. I too think our hospitals are amazing. Not so much gps. My surgery closes two afternoons a week and the recorded message tells you to go to A and E! No wonder they are stretched.
When I was at A&E last week the staff were working their socks off but still found time for a kindly word and a joke. xx Moy
my sister was admitted to hospital she is 78 and she was in a &e over 40 hours . she has pneumonia and now on drip with antibiotics but i am over 200 miles away and dont know which antibiotic . I was a micro biologist all my working life in the nhs and retired 20 years ago. for many years we could see the service being run down, mainly while jeremy hunt was in charge . introduced commercial attitude and nhs could go hang . so many managers and the workers did lon !ger and longer shifts . does anyone think that a 12 hr shift is good for anybody !
i was in 2 months ago and although i was ion a trolley overnight i was then snt down for emmergency op. I had a strangulated hernia . was in for week but was sent home alone to a house with 2 sets of stairs and No afte care . i know nothing about this op at at all , nothing from the surgery who have received a report I could nhot get any help at all for 10 days to even get an aoppointment with any care organisation even at twice the hourly rate . after 19 days relying on neighbours i got a man volunteer to do shopping and and i found a cleaner privately through another neighbour . my computer router is being attacked for months by a team who are using my maximum gb for some nefarious purpose and and monitor my phone too through the router . my computer has now had remote access desktop on it and cannot get any help with computer problem as phones are made to not comnnect if asking for help for computer . even my cleaner was blocked on my phone as it was thought she was a threat ! age uk sent someone to help and hackers switched off when any body came to house and so no one could finfd a problem . Which technical computer magazine was blocked when i phoned . you dont realis e how much is done by e mail until you dont have it . you might get this mail or you might not . things do disappear . just had 10 days with no access or linited access . I was even put under "parental control " at one time ! i am far from being an unruly teenager.
hospital staff are worked to the bone nowadays and get little thanks. So thank you! Thing will just get worse until we all pay more into the NHS no other way around it.
Wouldn’t it be lovely – Volunteering for the NHS
Pneumonia followed by empyema. please help. 
CT scans
Rant
Medication
