And convenience, punkdoc. My hernia repair was sorted out in just over 4 weeks from seeing the GP to having the operating done as I am in the fortunate position of having private health insurance. And it could have been a week earlier but I chose a time that suited me. A friend in Kent with exactly the same condition has had his NHS operation cancelled four times and is approaching a seven month wait.
I've moaned often about the problems of getting through to our GP, let alone actually getting an appointment. I had a shock yesterday when I was only in the queue for 2 or 3 minutes and got an appointment for my missus this Thursday. I know they have been taking on more staff and it is making a difference. Their website is next to useless though.
Cameron did - a wrong decision as it turned it out. Regarding the vacancies, according to the paper this morning, 8000 vacancies have been filled in the last six months but it of course does not say how many nurses let in the same period.
Listening to a nurse in Northern Ireland this afternoon. We think we have it bad in the rest of the UK but nothing compared to over there. They have over 3000 nurse vacancies with a population under 2 million. Waiting time for first consultant appointment averages over 4 years. The billion pounds given to the assembly supposedly to get nurses pay up and other health service projects, was purloined for other purposes by their devolved government, but laws around the powers of Stormont (despite it not sitting) prevent UK government from sorting it (at present).
Lizzie27 you don't mention which paper reported that 8000 nurse vacancies had been filled...let me guess - Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph Daily Express, maybe ? And did it say if the 8000 were new nurses or just nurses who might have left to return to their own countries but decided not to just at the moment so could be counted as new in the Government's way of presenting statistics ? And as for your previous comment about charging £10 for GP and Outpatient appointments you might consider that many people can't even afford to feed themselves and their families so certainly could not afford the money which I, and possibly you, think of as just a small sum And anyone else on here who has complained about poor service from the NHS and yet voted for the Conservatives in the last election then you might like to get your heads examined from one of the doctors in your local hospital - it will cost you nothing and might save your life.
I recently had a relatively minor operation under local anaesthetic. A consultant did the cutting and a nurse did the post-op stitching. I was flat on my back so didn't see any of the procedures. Two days later the dressings were removed and I had quite a shock. Stevie Wonder could have done a better stitching job and the wound is a right mess. The consultant mentioned that they are training nurses to carry out minor surgical operations. Gawd 'elp us.
We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public office. Aesop 620-560BC. Nothing changes.
Posts
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I'd be happier if he did something about the 40,000 vacancies which currently exist .
Just a thought
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjplZXgodhs
Dot all the 'i's and cross all the 't's before announcing stuff
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Nothing changes.