Consultants

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I have a great relationship with my Consultant. At any time I am feeling rough I can just email him, or phone his Sec and he will see me within two days.

I recently had a pretty bad session and he seen me 3 times in a 5 week period, after he had finished his ward rounds. So it was him, his senior Registrar and 4 Housemen/women all taking an interest.

After the appalling NHS the previous Tory Govt were inflicting on us, it is good to see all this extra funding the Labour has put in to the NHS is providing far better health care.

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I'm glad you've had such good service from your consultant, but I don't think this is a political thing, rather the attitude of an individual doctor to give his/her patients the time they require. I'm pleased to say that my consultant is also excellent, giving me very frequent appointments (roughly once a month at the moment) and more if required, but I know of others at other hospitals who don't have this kind of relationship, or get this kind of service from their doctors. As I say, I think it's an individual decision by our doctors rather than down to governmental rule.

Becky.

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Gornfishing, I think it is more to do with your consultant and his attitude towards patients that probably rubs off onto his staff. I have a super consultant but I am not going to worship at the feet of nooooo labour.

Bex

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From the inside out....I agree that it's far more to do with your consultant's personal attitude and commitment to patient care than anything to do with politics. Under this government, we have seen doctor and nurse posts cut rather than created. The NHS needs more doctors and nurses, but the money simply isn't there to employ them.

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I've had two consulans (I moved) and my last one was very good. He would see me every four weeks when my asthma was not under control, then as i got it under control I would see him every three months, but if something went wrong I could just call him up and get an appointment the day after. When it was known that i was moving, he wrote a very detailed report about my asthma and allergies so that whomever i would see next wouldnt have to do much digging. Plus he had included results for absolutley every test i had done (there were a lot), and after every time i saw him he would write a detailed report on my progress or if it had gotten worse, hed write about that, and send it to my GP. However, this wasnt in england, so the NHS was not involved.

Roughly a year ago, when i moved to england and met my new consulant, it was better than i expected (because i am not a big fan of my GP, and had gotten a rather bad first expression of the NHS) but mine, much like yours, is very flexible. As my asthma was under control, I had a meeting with him every three months just to check up, but I also have the freedom to email him or call his secretary and get an appointment within the next two days.

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The extra funding Labour has put in""!!!!!! As an NHS employee i see a lot of disatisfied patients and not a great deal of evidence of the dosheroonie being spent on patient care. (I'm not a Tory incidently)

I see patients waiting longer for follow up appointments for instance in our area there are insufficient chest consultants so an urgent appoint used to be within the week ,whereas now you are talking months. Its a false economy because admissions rise due in part to things which could have been treated in out-patients being delayed. In our area it costs £60 every time a patient attends A&E JUST to be booked in if they are then triaged that figure rises to £300 if they then need admitting or further treatment ie chest x-ray it leaps again. Hence the ridicolous situation whereby GP surgeries (who meet this cost) are sending letters or calling patients in to surgeries to question their attendance. Which i personally feel is totally unacceptable to question or cause further distress to asthmatics. Asthma is a condition that can deteriorate rapidly and if a patient is in any doubt whatsoever i believe that they should be able to access A&E without question after the event. It is infuriating when it is purely money that is at the root of these letters being issued and is undermining the confidence of the carer of an asthmatic on our boards and probably other asthmatics. I feel it is sooo wrong asthmatics should be encouraged to access A&E when necessary not deterred by other health care providors for monetary reasons.

Sorry for the rant, this is something that i feel very strongly about having myself been reluctant in the past to access A&E for fear of making a fuss, and ending up very poorly and frightening the Paramedic who said he doesn't scare easily and that it could have had a very different ending.

If your asthma doesn't get better after using your ventolin via spacer or neb PLEASE don't do what i did and hesitate, go to A&E life is too short and too precious to jepordise.

I had a bladder operation in January which exacerbated my asthma and due to ward closures (due to lack of funding) i found myself on a mixed ward (supposed to be just Gynae pts) with people with chest infections ond other infectious illnessess that would ordinarily have been treated in small bays or individual rooms. Am glad your experience of the NHS has been positive but it is very far removed from mine and a good few other people. Lois