Here is why our NHS and Local Government is utterly shafted

Ask to be checked on another blood presure machine, you may get differant result
the machine may be broken

 

We have one of those have a go yourself machines in the waiting room at the Docs.

But my GP relies on one of those pump up things with mercury in it and doesn't pay much attention to those new fangled things.

I tend to avoid the waiting room as much as possible as it's usually full of snotty nosed kids and sick people, so quite minefield for spreading all kinds of pestilence.

 

Not a myth. I saw a documentary about it not long ago. Turns out the gps get treated to lunch on a regular basis by the pharmaceutical sales reps. There they get urged to push the latest drugs.

My missus was nearly put on BP tablets. I bought a monitor and also told her to get her pushbike out more, which she did. BP became normal.

 

Funny, i have the same feeling, had 4 filling when young and then i became a man (left school) i haven't be to a dentist in 50 years, the 4 which were fill have broken away all together with me digging them out and the rest are fine

 

I have a similar story. When I was 18 I was told I need 6 (yes SIX) fillings. At the time I'd just seen a documentary about mercury fillings and was put off, so I said I'd save up to pay for white fillings. I never went back. It was more than 15 years til I next saw a dentist, a different one. I only went because I'd chipped a tooth and it was hurting. I figured if I needed 6 fillings all those years ago, now my teeth will be shocking. The dentist xrayed my mouth. He told me my teeth were in remarkably good condition and only the tooth I'd broke needed work.

Since then I've had two more fillings. One tooth filled twice several years apart, and another filled after another dentist forcibly put a hole in it, by quite literally putting her full body weight onto the metal probe thing until the tooth caved in. A different good dentist filled it in for me and I've had no bother since.

 

T'other half bought one of the wrist machines in Aldi and it seems to be accurate. Our Pharmacies also have the DIY units. They will also do your cholesterol levels.

Transferring our UK NHS contributions to the PT NHS system has been a bonus, especially with me having had two major ops in a year 2/3 years ago and t'other half one. If we went to the UK in the future (which we don't plan on doing) we have to get the EHIC card or whatever it is called so Portugal reimburses the UK for any treatment we may require. We have lots of time for the medical system and staff they employ here.

There is not a NHS dental service here but dentists are cheap enough.

 

Following on from what I said above, two things further. One, we would need the EHIC card or whatever for any EU country we would visit in order to receive free medical attention in that country. Secondly, the PT NHS system is not entirely free. If we visit a doctor (probably for a 20-30 minute appointment) we have to pay 5 Euros, a hospital consultant is 7.50 Euros, full blood tests 7.50 Euros, X-rays/scans/etc 5-15 Euros. Everyone has to pay these contributions. Major ops/surgery is free. My ambulance charge was 27 Euros but I was attended by the Bombeiros, volunteer fire brigade who operate an emergency service alongside INEM the national ambulance service. We paid them 50 Euros, the balance as a contribution (they often have some horrendous forest fires to deal with).

 

I saw some statistics (I know!) around the impact that austerity has had on the different governmental departments. The figures that stuck out like a sore thumb related to the number of staff in each department before austerity and now.

The number of staff in the DCLG (which includes Council staff) plumeted whilst the white hall mandarin numbers were constant. It's Council's that are taking the brunt of the cuts - Council's who deliver the front line services which the public rely on.

How many have seen the new draft ICT Procurement Strategy from central government? How much did it cost to produce - and do people really care - the money used to produce this document (which says nothing new) could have gone into direct service provision.

Certainly from my experience I doubt whether many of the people in Whitehall who issue these various directives have ever worked in local government - some of the instructions which come out are ludicrous.

 

We'll I gave up on NHS dentistry a number of years ago. I'm a supporter of the free at point of delivery NHS - but was put off when I went for a check up my local NHS dentist - I never had the same dentist twice and the final time I went the dentist looked about 12 years old and installed a filling 'just in case'.

I have this 'thing' where I prefer the person wielding a hypodermic and high speed drill to be a little older/more experienced. I suppose you could say, yes I am ageist.

I'm with a prviate dentist now - immediate appointments - no waiting - FREE PARKING - and I don't really care how much the treatment costs as it's provided under a 'dental plan'.

 

Yes, lots of dentists these days seem to be learning on the job.
A couple of years ago I was told by this young lad that I had a tooth that needed root canal work followed by a crown.
Reluctantly I believed him.
After two visits, one of over 45 mins, mouth open and drilling, he informed me that the tooth was beyond saving and needed to come out.
At this point the tooth was pretty much destroyed so I agreed again.

It took 1hr 45 mins to get it out, and on two occasions he called on 2 more experienced dentists as to what he should do next in the effort to remove the roots.
Just cut out a bit more jaw bone was the reply on both occasions.

Needless to say it took ages to heal over, I had stitches in it for ten days, and a hole right down to the jawbone that kept trapping food, which would not close up.

If I see the little prat again I'm going to smash the windscreen of his Porsche carrera.

Oh, and he was NHS, so they aint exactly on the breadline much as they would like us to think.

 

I have an ongoing issue with a smashed in big toe joint. It's been about 2 years since my little accident.

I saw A and E at the time. They xrayed it and said there was no lasting damage. The injury shouldn't have happened if my toe had been working properly (it should have just flexed out of the way. It still would have hurt a bit, but just like bending a finger back a bit too much). I therefore asked the GP to see if there was an underlying problem. GP concluded yes, but wanted a podiatrist to check. I see a podiatrist, she pushes my toe one way, then another, and concludes that arthritis is jamming it. Since then I've seen a different podiatrist twice, and more specialist podiatrist, and several GPs. Yesterday I saw a consultant at the hospital. He wanted a fresh xray so I had that done. When I saw him, he looked at the xray then discarded it, choosing instead to study the MRI I'd had in November. I'm told that next I'm getting a minor surgical procedure and I'll get a letter. I've had it think 4 xrays for this one issue, seen 3 podiatrists, one orthopaedic consultant, several GPs. I must have cost the NHS and fortune.

Guess what. At no point has anyone talked to me about possible cheapo medication options. I have a feeling that a careful balance of anti inflammatory tablets and some paracetamol based pain relief might just make it perfectly manageable without great expense. I'd just buy some but I have another medical condition that common off the shelf meds mess with, but I'm sure one session with the GP would be enough to find something that works, and it would save a lot of time and money for people with more serious problems.

 

So, I'm curious to understand ... if you believe that to be the case, why not simply see your GP for that time/money saving one session, make your suggestions and ask for recommendations for painkillers/anti-inflammatory which will be safe to take alongside your others meds?