Labour are supposedly launching a radical reform of the NHS on Monday, I posted yesterday with a link to the Independent story about GP's being able to refer patients directly for diagnostic tests, by passing consultants if necessary.
There's another spiffing wheeze reported in the Guardian today, GP's will be paid £20 each time to use Advice and Guidance protocols to communicate with hospital consultants, to check and see if patients really need to be seen by them or if they can be presumably treated in primary care or just told to live with it?
once again, without the likely £20 payment, I think this must happen where I live in far NW England, as frequently don’t get to see a hospital dr.( in some depts) the GP tries to refer me to. Perhaps it’s left over from Covid when some medic staff don’t want face to face appointments. But there is obviously a post code lottery in NHS…I’m always amazed when forum members talk of their for eg annual checks to endos etc etc!
Am interested in the choice of where to be treated. How will the ICBs react to this? They have a tight hold on their purse strings and positively fiscourshe going out of area.
I'm seen out of area currently but yet to get agreement via ICB for my treatment. Hope Wez has thought this through further.....
Lastly The Patirnt Charter says a patient can choose to be seen at a hospital anywhere in England so Wez new plan of 5 options may reduce this further.......not that many ICBs have been following the Patient Charyer. Thry haven't. Lol....
I have several concerns, not least the extra pressure on tertiary services and staff, the use of staff without requisite training or knowledge, and the potential increase in people attending A&E unnecessarily.
An example:
On Boxing Day, I went to a pharmacy to obtain sudafed, a simple task, so I thought. Before handing over the box of tablets, the pharmacist asked me to state my symptoms. As soon as I mentioned the word 'blood', she visibly looked shocked, snatched the tablets back and told me to go to A&E immediately. Confused and alarmed, I said I was only losing tiny amounts of blood due to blowing my nose, but she insisted.
I sat in the car trying to calm down, wondering what on earth the matter was, at the thought of having to wait hours at the hospital, and the possibility of contacting Covid there.
Once I came to my senses, I decided to go to another pharmacy for a second opinion. The second pharmacist was puzzled by the actions of the first, said that bleeding was normal, and passed over the sudafed.
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Will the government be funding tertiary services to an adequate level, increase staffing and ensure staff are suitably medically trained? We'll find out today. I just hope they've fully thought this through.
Wes Streeting has never even held a role in the healthcare service, and it becomes more and more apparent that he has no clue about healthcare at all. He will most likely listen to some joke advisors who will go for flashy gimmicks that sound good on paper, whilst having no real impact, which will just shift the problems elsewhere. Waste of money on a big scale again.
Using 'advice and guidance protocols' by consultants will, as usually, reduce the patient to the sum of their results, so basically it is a second hand consultation. And not every possibility can be accounted for, and it is likely that something important will be missed. The clue is usually in the finer details.
Another way of saying 'computer says no'. And how much money will it save in the end? And how many patients will be harmed by this second hand assessment?
Yes they are flogging the NHS app again, as though it can solve all their problems. Its the assumption that everyone has or wants access to it, forgetting that there will be plenty that dont. Not everyone has a smartphone, internet access or indeed IT skills. I dont have it, I use my surgery, system online.
My "local" hospital, 30 miles away, covers a population of 386,000. They have ONE doctor trained for a clinic I attend, and ONE consultant for thyroid problems. How much time will these two people now have to spend on the phone, not seeing patients, not getting the full picture, leading to a poorer service?
Our Advice and Guidance referral system is actually very helpful and gives excellent advice on various medical conditions that may be required. Just last week Our consultant of the week ordered a coronary angiogram that came back very same day and was blue lighted for a heart bypass all in 2 days and I understand many other hospital do them too.
A year ago my GP sent a letter for 'advice only' to endocrinology at the local hospital and I have no knowledge of any reply. It would have helped if the GP had sent correct information in his advice letter.
I now have an appointment in a month's time with a consultant which was originally at the end of March. My daughter has had to change her work to come with me as we'd arranged it for the March appointment.
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