Reply to CrappyColon
A note of percived availability and resources available to Doctors and Patients within the UK .... primarily for info for those outside of UK [and within too!]:
[from a non medic but and experienced patient who has experience of both NHS and Private health care - and Loss Adjustment management of Insurance on behalf of group med tec companies for private care resources too.]
On this particular post much has been said about the inadiquate treatment here in UK .......
- Under NHS rules - protocol allows anyone to request for a second consulting specialist clinitician's Clinical examinination and Second Opinion.
Given NHS waiting lists - following COVID - the waiting list is exceeding long for some / most SPECIALIST REFERRALS in most regions of the UK - irrespective of what your GP is prepared to do
HOWEVER Where yone 's GP suspects a cancer ous condition - the 7 day rule applioes - IE WITHIN 7 days one can have access to a first consultation with a specilist clinician.
[Sometimes a locum GP is more accommodation option where GP's appointments are hard to schedule.
And there is always the ER of any hospital within the UK - but again dependent upon what level of examiniation or subsequent bed instay one is given at the Outpatient emergency room - then equally one can be 'unlucky' and get sent home inappropropriately.
It can come down to pure grit and perserverance in holding firm retaining one's own inner 'knowlege' of being able to accurately report the symptoms - from a journalled diary of actual symptyoms / timeline - and insit on seeing a superior if disatisfied with the initian examining intern / doctor / health care professional.
If one is already an inpatient within an NHS hospital - usually one's own lead specialist nurse or clinical lead clinitician may be seen BEFORE DISCHARGE IS ACCEPTED BY THE PATIENT - but so often the oncall Doctor is the one to sign off - and sometimes inapproprpiately - especially in an emergency admission.
Generally most medics give of their best and although severly overstretched the NHs does do its best - but ALL employed Clinicians within its service DO have strict protocol guidelines and are unable to SCHEDULE TREATMENTS INDEPENDENTLY - in fact the multidisciplinary meetings are a stage to try and safeguard actions - and also to help regulate the overstretched over burdened list awaiting theatre calendar for surgicial interventions.
Private medicine is a different matter - but what may surprise some, is the actual fact, that whilst a lot of excellently highly qualified practicing clinicians - often at the peak of their experience - HAVE LEFT THE NHS AND CURRENTLY WITIHIN PRIVATE PRACTICE [often due to the fact they were severly challenged by the constrainits within the NHS wherebuy they were unable to treat their patients] - amazingly - to some - but a logical situation which is resultant, THERE IS STILL A NEED TO ACCESS THE RIGHT TYPE OF CARE WITIN A TIMELY MANNER WITHIN THE DUTY OF CARE ...... so insurance or money is not the golden road to excellent care!
So I figured I would just share these thoughts as those outside of the UK may not necessarily understand how dire the situation is over here - even for those where money is not the obstickle.
It seems to me that INVETSMENT within health care comes not only in hospital physical equipment [a lot of imaging sytems ansd dother resources are in breadown / prop up mode at present ] but also in recognition of TRUE VOCATION - for when it gets to the point where Doctors are unable to proceed to help their patients - then naturally they feel their training and vocation is best deployed in areas and locations WHERE they can HELP THEIR PATIENTS - and this inevitably means letting go of their NHS contract of employment - and in order to use the best resources to work in conjunction with their own skills, joining Clinics and running their own private practises within and often outside of UK altogether - or moving to use the best possible private healthcare resources available within the private sector and thus enabling the treatment of those patients it is possible to help!.
Quitely, but I believe truly expressed here.
J.