NHS in Scotland wasting peoples time

As a couple of you may know, my wife has had a few minor heart attacks this year. As a result, part of her heart is damaged. Her heart rate hasn't been below 100bpm for months because of it.

So, she gets a letter 2 months ago saying she needs to see a doc at the hospital. No big deal, you might be thinking. True, it's not. What is is she travelled an hour on the bus to her there (she doesn't drive) and the doc said "We should be able to put a stent in. We'll send you a letter with an appointment. Bye".

An hour EACH WAY for a 2 minute thing that could have been done on the phone! She even phoned them shortly after getting the letter to find out what it was about. She got told "you have to come down and speak to the doxtor".

Things like this just annoy me (hence why it's in rant).

I know what you mean.

I have epilepsy and require check ups from time to time, some times its just a series of questions which requies the honest truth (duh, be honest about attacks and dont play them to get your license back!) and other times it involves MRI or ECG etc.

One particular recent appointment required me at the local hospital that has just appalling parking and the bus route is horrendous, so i kindly ask a friend to drive me and give up their afternoon. So before ive gone anywhere im a burden of someone. We get there and spend 20 minutes finidng a spot to park, which then costs *questionmark* amount of time, I payed for 3 hours which cost over £5. Then we sat in the office waiting room in the hospital for an hour and a half with just a small handful of other people and get to see the doc. LITERALLY 5 minutes after seeing him we are done! What the hell? It was 3 or 4 questions and that was it.

Why on earth this couldnt have been a phone call i honestly have no idea, it ruined my afternoon, my friends afternoon and cost me £5 and his petrol which he kindly didnt ask for reimbursement for because hes a super nice bloke.

Ive had worse experiences with hospitals but this was the most recent and the most pointless.

a reply to: TerryDon79

AH mate! What a P!55 take that is!

Same thing happened to my brother-in-laws mother who had cancer, i took the day off work because the hospital had rang saying she needed to come in and see the doctor tomorrow about her cancer.

Got there paid, £4 for parking, waited easily 1-2 hours for a doctor to say "yes erm, we are happy with your weight, on this type of chemo keep it up"

Apart from the fact she nearly had a stroke thinking it was bad news, it was just a big farce for something that could have took a 2 minute phone call and saved us the money.

Maybe someone should set up video conference system for doctors to do home checkups or appointments?

a reply to: AMNicks
a reply to: Biigs

I just don't understand why things like this can't be done over the phone. It's not like you're needed to be in hospital to be told something like that.

originally posted by: TerryDon79
a reply to: AMNicks
a reply to: Biigs

I just don't understand why things like this can't be done over the phone. It's not like you're needed to be in hospital to be told something like that.

I got a typed letter sent to me for the appointment, i bet the questions asked by the doc would have taken a few minutes to convey to a receptionist who would have spend 5-10 writing a letter (instead of the request letter) and i could have replied on an email or had a phone call.

We put up with this nonsense and then politicians preach about the NHS and how much it costs! Well no sh1t sherlock, its stupid things like this that ties up peoples time and money all for a poor service!!!

Talk about your face palm moments!

a reply to: Biigs

I know, right? The cost and time goes into sending the letter wouldn't be as high for a simple phone call.

Then you've got the whole problem of lost mail.

originally posted by: AMNicks
Maybe someone should set up video conference system for doctors to do home checkups or appointments?

I like the idea, but I don't know how practical it would be.

You know what the worst thing is? She has her own doctor in the town we live in. Why couldn't this have been done through them?

originally posted by: TerryDon79
I just don't understand why things like this can't be done over the phone. It's not like you're needed to be in hospital to be told something like that.

Not everybody thinks important discussions should be held over the phone.
You think of it as trivial, because you're looking back on what happened.
In advance, the doctor did not know whether or not it would develop into a longer conversation dealing with any questions and problems she might have about the news.

originally posted by: DISRAELI

originally posted by: TerryDon79
I just don't understand why things like this can't be done over the phone. It's not like you're needed to be in hospital to be told something like that.

Not everybody thinks important discussions should be held over the phone.
You think of it as trivial, because you're looking back on what happened.
In advance, the doctor did not know whether or not it would develop into a longer conversation dealing with any questions and problems she might have about the news.

But she already got told this when she was in hospital shortly after her last attack.

All this meeting was was a confirmation.

Hell, it could have been done through her GP. There wasn't any need for the 2 hour round trip. That's my point.

Why are you guys still communicating through letters? I would be irate if I paid a large amount in taxes and y'all just to get #ed around with. Sorry that happened.

a reply to: TerryDon79

As cruel as it appears on the surface, they have to see (literally) see the patient. So much fraud is perped by mail or 'over the phone'. The insurance (yah, I know) for both the patient and hospital requires face to face meetings.

Besides, besides just 'seeing the doctor for "two minutes", they always put you through the check up ringer, check your weight, measure your vitals, record your temperature, it becomes part of an ongoing record of her health so that they can make informed decisions about treatment.

Your (wife) isn't there for her good health shes there for problems she has. Be glad it only requires a stent... and she can in fact somehow get there on her own.

a reply to: intrptr

Its my wife, not grandma lol.

She has bloods taken and a checkup every week with her GP. There was nothing new done at the hospital.

It's not so much that it wasn't done over the phone. It's more that she had to waste 2 hours travelling for something her own GP could have told her in the town we live in. The travelling was completely unnecessary.

originally posted by: avgguy
Why are you guys still communicating through letters? I would be irate if I paid a large amount in taxes and y'all just to get #ed around with. Sorry that happened.

You'd have to ask the government that question. I don't have a clue.

a reply to: TerryDon79

Oh sorry, your wife.

It's not so much that it wasn't done over the phone. It's more that she had to waste 2 hours travelling for something her own GP could have told her in the town we live in. The traveling was completely unnecessary.

I already explained why it was 'necessary'.

They can't do treatment by remote. "Seeing" the doctor face to face is required.

a reply to: intrptr

No treatment happened. It was literally to tell her they think a stent should help and they would send a letter out with an appointment. And a basic checkup that she gets at her GP every week.

That's it.

The NHS is still in a 1950's style view where everyone sends each other letters and i'd imagine the paper trail probably saves a lot of people putting in spurious claims wasting even more resources.

Last time I saw my doc she pulled up some documents about my case and some of them were just scans of the letters meaning there was no way to quickly search through the documents to find out the details so she sat there for 5 mins or so just opening various communications to read up and get herself up to speed of all the crap sent between the two hospitals.

a reply to: TerryDon79

So, she gets a letter 2 months ago saying she needs to see a doc at the hospital. No big deal, you might be thinking. True, it's not.

Actually thats a long time to wait to alleviate a blockage in arteries that could be causing repeated heart attacks. Then to say, we'll make another appointment, by mail...

She has to take the bus too, I'm presuming shes on some form of low income health care, that is reflected in the delays to get a life saving stent.

Sorry about that. The gears of the medical industrial complex grind slowest for those with the least money.

a reply to: TerryDon79

Yes, quite agree.

I don't understand the Scotland reference. I'm sure the NHS is organised and run pretty much the same way throughout the UK.

a reply to: intrptr

Tell me about it.

Apparently upto 6 months waiting time for a stent is pretty normal up here. It's a joke.