I think I brought this to your attention when the study was recruiting - so here are the results.
academic.oup.com/rheumatolo...
It is "free to air" so can be read in full. I suspect it is a case of "well we could have told you that!" - but it does suggest that a lot of our doctors are as upset as we are about poor care. The trouble is, the good ones managed to still be good and poor ones were maybe less caring. And that probably won't change.
As you say - “well we could have told you that!" …and it’s interesting that many patients had more faith in the nursing staff than doctors. That seems seems to have been replicated in many GP surgeries as well.
And yes the good ones (whatever grade or specialism) remained that way despite their frustrations , but some others definitely used Covid as an excuse not to carry on their routine duties.
And some still are ...
..very true.
Found this a very sad read, for the patients and clinicians....When I went for the second time in a year to see Max, I apologised, he said no, this is what we should be doing. There are usually about 4 Rheumies seeing patients at the same time....both times I went, he was the only one!
When I have been for blood tests last year to the GP surgery, the nurse said things were normal.....I said but I'm the only patient in this surgery...it's normally a full waiting room.....
Glad to see the results of a test I took surveys for.I just hope that it gets circulated around all the Trusts and people that work within them.
Unless they get a real grasp on how chronic health issue patients have been changing their behaviour , and how they are still feeling , I'm afraid the urgent need to rebuild trust and get these patients treatments back on track will still keep being brushed under the carpet.
I fear nothing will change quick enough and it won't be until the pandemic is well in the rear view mirror and surgical lists have been caught up with that people with chronic conditions will get the consideration they deserve.
In the meantime , many of us whom rely on monitoring for our conditions and medication , and need physiotherapy and other complementary care , are still going to continue to suffer escalating pain and symptoms and a deterioration in our condition and quality of life.
If they have now said many people won't now need a fourth injection and we must treat the virus like flu....what excuse will G P's have not to see patients as normal I ask myself!
I've not found as much of an issue at the surgery , but I'm sure the hospital departments in my area will find one ... They already had enough excuses for delays in our local Rheumatology Department for nearly two years before we had even heard of Covid.My favourite letter so far has been from Opthalmology whom apparently assessed my eyes and deemed them well enough to go on a 12 month waiting list for a review without even giving me a video appointment or speaking to me by phone.
There powers of diagnosis seem to know no bounds!!!
They have "insight!"...nothing surprises anymore...Rheumi e dept has been fine, but had a doctor ring me last year about a blood test from a linked surgery, when I said I was on steroids he said I need to tell you about them!....err no I have been on them 10 years, look at the screen!!
😂😂😂😂 If you put some of the things they do in a drama the producers would tell them to take it out because it wouldn't be believed.
You are so right!....
Absolutely no surprises here. It's not just existing rheumatology patients that are suffering but potential ones. My hubby was told he would have to wait 18 months for an appointment just to assess him after blood tests showed high ANA and other possible lupus indicators. Meanwhile he has to work full time without any diagnosis or treatment. He had finally managed to get a private consultation through work, but that had taken 4 months due to admin difficulties.
Hi I’m new here - got diagnosed quickly after becoming unwell early October. Couldn’t get a GP appt so went to the Poly Clinic ended up in A&E overnight- practically thrown out next morning cos couldn’t get on a medial ward and fobbed off that I would be referred to an Outpatients Rheumatology Clinic. Went home in great pain and decided only option was to go private. Got seen by a consultant diagnosed and treatment of Prednisone the same night. Expensive but have had a scan for GCA - negative thank goodness and blood tests every time I see the consultant. My GP is in special measures and I’m afraid have no faith or trust in them at all. By the way still waiting on that Outpatients appointment ☹️
A large part of the problem is there aren't enough doctors of any kind. The 'baby boomers' have now mainly retired as they reached 55 (a third of all GPs in the last 5 years according to the Lancet) and we haven't trained enough new ones on the UK, relying instead on poaching doctors from Europe and India as that's cheaper. In my GP practice they have gone from 7 partners to 3, the rest are locums or part-time and it is much harder to get a F2F appointment these days. I have friends who are GPs and they worry as there is such a backlog in hospitals they can't get the tests and appointments they need for patients. The government is to blame, not the doctors
No excuse - all governments have know about baby boomers for a very long time - but none seem to have planned for it!
Baby Boomers were born from approximately 1946 to 1964.
As one of the older ones, I’m to blame for a heck of a lot- allegedly- and I’m a bit fed up with it!
Exactly, no excuse, I'm a tail-end Boomer and have known we have an ageing population since I was young. Yet governments have systematically failed to plan for our generation, and now I need help it just isn't there. In fact, the ageing population will now be blamed for placing high demands on the health service with our chronic illnesses, we'll be the new scapegoat! Successive health bills have concentrated on 'competition' and getting as much public money as possible to private corporations rather than look at the needs of the population.
Agree!
They keep going on about our personal "fortunes" - I'd hardly describe mine as a fortune, it was built up by thrift and denial all my life and I fully expect I will need it to pay for care if I become ill now I no longer have my husband's pension to pay for the bills and the NHS is on its knees. I couldn't live in somewhere much smaller and it would cost to move anyway but I doubt I can cut the utlities bills by a lot. Of course, a certain utilities company suggested we do star jumps to keep warm! All together now ...
Star jumps - yes they are getting a lot of flak about that - quite rightly!
Ditto to the rest....those of us that worked in the public sector are never likely to be millionaires - as the saying goes!
Sober and qualified advice on treatment in the event of Covid-19 infection.
support group-prednisolone- GCA
Covid and loss of smell and taste 
South Tyneside Rheumatology
Widespread aching and stiffness in the morning! Really that's the best definition the American College of rheumatology sites. 
