Noms saga.

Several weeks ago i was contacted by my GP because he wanted me to go back on a Blood Glucose monitor because they were adding Glycoside to my prescription,would i contact them and make an appointment with thee diabetic nurse.

This i duly did though the receptionist had a hard job understanding wwhy i had phoned up. Never mind i was eventually given an appointment for two weeks hence.

Two days before it was due they phoned me and cancelled it, the nurse had flu or something.

So i waited a week and made another appointment, again two weeks wait.

This time i arrved and saw the nurse, she asked if i was familiar with blood testing and i assured her i was, and i had brought the stips and lancets they had provided.

Out came the brand new meter, and she decided to test it on herself getting a reading of 1, i informed her that was coma country so sjhe tried one of my strips getting the same reading.

Out came another meter with the same results, i mentioned that all meters i had used needed to be calibrated so she did this and now she tested me. I was 1.4 so i mentioned the lowest i had ever been was 3.0 and nearly had a hypo.

Out came meter number3 a different make this proved to be just as bad as the previous two. She was quite flusterd so she decided that she would get the rep out and contact me to return when he was here.

That was 2 weeks ago im still waiting for something thats bog standard diabetic equipment, so im left wondering was she a diabetic nurse or someone filling in, or is it possible the readings cold have been right in which case something must
wrong with me.


I will try and get a reading at the diabetic clinic on Friday, my already poor opinion of the NHS has nosedived again,.

Re: Noms saga.

I feel lucky. We do not have that problem here. We book on line and get an appointment the next day. You book with the physician or a nurse.

The doctors are lovely and actually talk to you. Also will refer or test you at the clinics. Most clinics run as mini emergency clinics and open 8 till 8

I agree it appalling. Hope it gets sorted though.

Re: Noms saga.

It seems to be the last 5 years or so that i have seen a decline across the board in the services provided to patients from GP surgeries, waiting for appointments is only recent up here.

Re: Noms saga.

Oooh Nommy, don't talk to me about trying to get appointments!

At my GP's we're told to ring on the day at 8 am.
The only trouble is, they tell this to all their patients, so come 8 am, the world and his wife are all trying to get through at the same time.

A few days ago when I needed to make an appointment, I rang at 8 am - engaged. Tried again. . . and again . . and again . . permanently engaged.
After ringing 25 times, I finally got a recorded message telling me I was 5th in the queue.
By the time I got to speak to a human being, all the appointments for the day had been filled!!!

Boy was I angry.
If you ask to be booked in the following day instead, you are told to "phone at 8am tomorrow" and you have to go through the whole palaver again.

I told the receptionist that I really did need to see someone, so she eventually said, (after a loud, audible sigh,) that I would have to have a 'Sit & Wait' appt. This is where you just go and sit there . . and sit there . . until someone fits you in between patients. I accepted this and went and waited.

When I finally got called in, I asked if he could possible arrange a scan because of an ongoing problem, and to my extreme annoyance, was told he couldn't arrange a scan on a 'Sit & Wait Emergency appt.'

I replied I did not know or even ask for an emergency appt.
He told me to make another appt. to see someone else next week!

That did it! I was fuming inside and said to him that I probably wouldn't be able to get an appt again next week.

He looked positively smug!

So I asked him if he had ever sat at home and tried to phone the desk at 8am . . . he said No, he hadn't.
I told him that was precisely why he didn't understand why I was so upset at trying to get help!

He grudgingly phoned the desk and asked them to book me in next week but it was the horrible, mean, nasty way he spoke to me, and looked at me, that made me feel totally worthless.

I eventually walked out of his room in tears.

Re: Noms saga.

Mups does your surgery have the online booking system ? I've registered for it (only used it once) and it is so much easier than ringing up for an appointment.

Apparently the system is updated at 8 PM every day so that's the best time to go online and book your appointment ... all the available dates and times show so you can choose one that suits you with the doctor of your choice.

I can also order repeat prescriptions using this system.

Re: Noms saga.

Hi Myrtle, yes my surgery does have the EMIS system, but there are never any appointments left Mond-Frids.
The only chance you stand is on a Sunday night at 8pm, when the new appointments for the week are put up.
If you don't look until 9pm, it's usually too late.
The only ones occasionally available online during the week are for nurse practitioners, and you can't always find one of those still vacant either.

It really is a nightmare Myrtle.

Re: Noms saga.

Hi

I must be very fortunate with my GP, if you need an urgent appointment, a nurse will ring you back and make a decision.

If you do need one you get one.

We have an onsite Pharmacy as well, they are also very helpful.

I suppose it helps living in a small village, they tend to know who you are.

Six miles away we have a small cottage hospital and Minor Injuries unit, lovely nurses, used to dealing with day to day injuries, of which there are many in an agricultural area.

There is a Doctor on site as well.

We have a First Responder in the village as well.

The problems start when you have to go to one of the big hospitals, they are a nightmare.

Dirty, disorganised, long waits and some services are no longer available.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-39231208

Re: Noms saga.

Jut to update my saga, on Friday attended the Diabetes resource center for my podiatry appointment.

Two years on and the wound from the amputation still has not healed, mentioned the farce with the blood glucose meter and asked if they wold do a testso i knew what my blood glucose was.

Guess what no one available, in the main diabetic center to do a i minute test. .

So i phoned the GP and asked for it to be added to my prescription, cant do that i need to be seen so i can be shown how to read the meter which ii have been doing since 2000.
They were waiting for me to make an appointment, reminded them they were to contact me when the rep comes, oh we will phone you back, iim still waiting

Re: Noms saga.

We've been having bad time last few months getting appointments I wrote about it before. What we've done is wrote to the surgery manager, it's amazing the difference that made, my husband got an appointment the following day and I got one the day after. Complain seems to be all they understand these days. The receptionists can't release appointments but oddly complain and they find some out of no where.

I hope you get what you need.

By the way try to get a free meter from Bayer when I was diagnosed NHS wouldn't supply anything so I looked on line and Bayer give away a certain number each year, my diabetic nurse says they are top of the range she can't get anything as good through the NHS.

Re: Noms saga.

Ta Julie the meter is free its getting my hands on it that is proving hard. I will end up buying my own again.

Im hoping to move to another practice later this year.