Friday the 13th appointment. What could go wrong?

[Boudica1]

Finally a face to face appointment at the Skin Clinic not my usual doctor but hey what can you expect during these odd times, I was seen by a Registrar rather than my consultant. The poor thing his eye's nearly popped out of his head when he took a look at my skin, first the back with the added bonus of three separate rash sites which he took photo's of. then he turned his attention to my hands front and back asking all sorts of questions. You know the "is this normal for you? how long has this been happening?" Then he wanted to see the legs and got quite exited again at what looks like the Red Fishnet Stockings effect Hahahahahahahahahaha. So today I've had my back photographed as per normal and also my hands and legs. Prescription written out for the "normal" and of I went to the hospital pharmacy.

Thats where the 13th hit, 101 questions, oh we'll have to phone the doctor, okay I'll come back a bit later. Went back as arranged they hadn't phoned the doctor yet please sit and wait. So I did. Now bare in mind out patients is extremely quiet at the moment there wasn't a reason for not phoning the doctor to ask whatever so I waited and waited. I went back to the counter and got "oh we're still waiting", far too busy gossiping amongst themselves more like. After all this time of being jerked around and the car parking charges mounting I'd had enough and told them to keep the meds I'll go without and walked out.

They call it a Hospital pharmacy but it's a franchise LLOYDS Chemist which isn't even a British company it's over 70% owned by MCKESSEN an American giant no wonder the chemist chain has gone to the dogs and how the hell they got the franchise to run the NHS Hospital Pharmacies the mind boggles because they are useless and not care about the patience just ripping of more British people who fund the NHS and are a captive money making machine for rich Americans.

[suzannah16]

I used to use a lloyds near me but they seemed to find it impossible to count my tablets and give me what was prescribed. what if they did that to someone who wasn't capable of checking their tablets?

[Boudica1 in reply to suzannah16]

I've never been a fan of Lloyds even before they were swallowed up by some big company but they have got even worse now. I won't use their high street branch's so the only time I have to use them is when out patient doctors issue me with a prescription so they have captive customer's and boy does it show. Slow and lazy service at best but their excuse is they're busy. ER this is at a small local hospital with no in patience at all as we have to travel to the nearest city where the "main 1,200 bed hospital is. Our local hospital now only deal's with out patient's who refuse to travel to some city meat processing plant, oops I mean the big city teaching hospital that even the staff don't like, they're actually a lot happier when they can come to our smaller hospital and are more relaxed and communicate with the patient's far better and if you see them at the "big" hospital they really look unhappy and miserable and don't have the time to talk with the patients.

I'm going to phone my consultants secretary next week and ask if in future he can allow my GPs to prescribe my meds that can be got at any Chemist's or I will not be taking anymore meds the consultant prescribes on a prescription that can only be filled out at the Lloyds pharmacy in the hospital.

X

[chrisj]

Boots chemist is in our hospitals, always been busy when I've needed to go in them for prescriptions. It seems to take ages no matter where you are in a hospital to get your meds.

[Olderkitten]

I'm American and your right about Drug Companies, if we don't have insurance the cost is outrageous to say the least and even with insurance it can still be pricey. Drug companies are in control and it needs to change. It's a sad situation when anyone has to decide what's more important...food or medicine because they can't afford both. The government keeps saying their going to do something about the high cost but nothing ever happens, I think big pharma is "contributing " financially to whomevers agenda. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours....it's the brotherhood of greed and we the people have to pay for it.

[Boudica1 in reply to Olderkitten]

I can sort of understand what you are saying, I'm in the UK but slowly and gradually our wonderful health service is being eroded and brought up by outside private companies and sorry to have to say it but mainly by "companies" who's parent company is American who's sole purpose is to make a lot of money for the company and their major share holders and nothing whatsoever about the patient's.

Here in the UK every working person pays a certain amount of their earnings in what is called National Insurance whether they want to or not. It pays for our health services, state pension and benefits to those who need it but the government has sidelined some of this money to pay for other purposes.

So patients with problems are not being seen in the right manor. Example the blood tests that we all have now and then, out of range but ignored as not high or low enough so leave it and wait and see. None of the different departments communicate with each other. This now means patients have a multiple of different health problems with no one connecting them to a common source.

This is not good for the patients and frustrating for the individual consultants unless the patient is lucky enough to live very close to a specialist clinic.

Sadly I don't and even if I paid for a specialist appointment I would actually be seen by a consultant who is working for the NHS so jumping the waiting list just to be seen.

I could almost guarantee that here if I could afford to pay for a private specialist and all the tests I would have a diagnosis and then be referred to that's specialists NHS trust clinic.

That is not right in anyone's book here as here are already paying more every year in National Insurance than we would for private health insurance that only allows people to jump the que for treatment and diagnosis with a doctor that works for the NHS and the private sector at the same time.

♥️

[Olderkitten in reply to Boudica1]

I think our government's need to back off Medical issues, but unfortunately the money is to good to ignore so as long as their getting kick backs it's only going to get worse and that's scary.