howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
How selfish is this? Margate loses one service to Dover and they bleat yet people in Dover have to travel to Margate, Ashford or if lucky Canterbury for everything but the most basic services.
http://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/qeqm-hospital-margate-cataract-surgery-812211Jan Higgins likes this
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
I wonder if the consultant is also fed up with the awful journey to QEQM like the rest of us who do not live in Thanet.
I will rejoice for those needing the service when it actually moves to Dover.
howard mcsweeney1 likes this
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I was fortunate to have mine done at the private hospital in Hythe which is now closed down. There are three visits required for each eye, measurement then the actual procedure followed by the final check up so it is a real bonus for people living in the catchment area of Buckland which now includes many from Folkestone, Hawkinge and Alkham as the 91 bus has been rerouted to stop outside.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Courtesy of the Telegraph, seems a good idea to me.
Paramedics are set to be given new powers to prescribe medication in a bid to speed up access to treatment, and prevent thousands of needless hospital visits.Under the controversial reforms, ambulance workers with special training will be able to take on duties traditionally performed by GPs and hospital doctors - meaning many more patients can be treated on the spot.
Around two-thirds of 999 calls for medical help involve conditions which may need urgent help but are not immediately life-threatening - such as urinary tract infections in the elderly, and exacerbations of long-term conditions.However, legal restrictions on drug prescribing mean frail patients are routinely ferried to hospital, or forced to wait for GP home visits, in order to obtain the medication required.Simon Stevens, head of the health service, said the NHS is going “full speed ahead” with reforms of urgent care, including schemes which will allow paramedics to take on GPs home visits.
Paramedics are currently allowed to prescribe a limited number of drugs, on the authority of a doctor. Health officials want to expand their powers further, so that those with advanced training and several years’ experience are able to prescribe independently.The matter is currently under consideration by the Commission on Human Medicines, which advises ministers, and is expected to recommend in favour of the changes.
Paramedics have backed the plans, but patients groups last night raised concerns about whether the ambulance workers are skilled enough to make an accurate diagnosis. A number of areas have already drawn up plans to expand the use of paramedics to take on the home visits normally performed by GPs.
Family doctors said the expansion of such schemes would allow them spend up to spend longer on appointments in their surgeries, by sparing them time on the road.Doctors in Manchester said their £42m plans mean every GP could spend up to half an hour on surgery appointments which needed such attention, instead of the usual 10 minute slots.A separate pilot scheme in Lancashire found paramedics could deal with two thirds of home visits they were sent on, liaising with GPs about the remainder of cases, with 10 per cent brought to hospital.Dr Tracey Vell, chief executive of Manchester’s local medical committee, said paramedics had already started to do some home visits, with plans to expand the scheme further among its 500 practices.We need to consider changes to speed up access to treatment, and this may be the answer but I would be very cautious.
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Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
I wonder what happened to more trained professional nurses prescribing medication.
Local minor injuries depts. being used to their full potential, local nursing homes [with trained professional staff] being used to proper potential rather than paramedics being the fallback position.
Paramedics now appear to be the secondary medical solution.
I think paramedics do a great job but what a waste of disorganised manpower.
General practice really needs a proper organisational overhaul. Most of the problem starts there.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Agree about nurses Paul, the senior one at my GPs surgery is excellent and on the two occasions I have seen her instead of a doctor she has thoroughly examined me and prescribed the medication that sorted the problem, just seems silly that she has to run to a doctor to get it signed.
I am a great admirer of paramedics having seen them in action quite a few times and would think the more experienced ones could make decisions in patient's homes rather than clog up a hospital car park.
Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
Problem is Howard paramedics are now the go betweens because patients can't see GP's or practice nurses are not allowed to take on more & don't get me started on the community nursing service.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
My neighbour is a paramedic and while I hated asking his opinion when I had a leg problem his advice saved me a trip to the doctor.
When my son-in-law was literally at death's door with pneumonia and sepsis the speedy initial treatment from the ambulance's paramedic followed by the ITU team at Canterbury definitely saved his life.
General practice certainly needs improving, the surgeries complain about missed appointments, after waiting for a fortnight it is easy to forget you were meant to visit the doctor or nurse for that non urgent appointment. I know I have nearly forgotten and had to make a quick dash to the surgery.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 1831- Registered: 1 Sep 2016
- Posts: 395
#10 General practice certainly needs improving, the surgeries complain about missed appointments, after waiting for a fortnight it is easy to forget you were meant to visit the doctor or nurse for that non urgent appointment. I know I have nearly forgotten and had to make a quick dash to the surgery.
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Seems rather odd. Practices always send a text as a reminder - a day before the appointment(s).
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#11 My dentist and optician leave a message on my landline but my GP surgery doesn't.
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Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
christine.a wrote:#10 General practice certainly needs improving, the surgeries complain about missed appointments, after waiting for a fortnight it is easy to forget you were meant to visit the doctor or nurse for that non urgent appointment. I know I have nearly forgotten and had to make a quick dash to the surgery.
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Seems rather odd. Practices always send a text as a reminder - a day before the appointment(s).
Like Howard mine does not and I think we use different practices, so not at all odd.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
if I have an appointment at my doctors surgery I get constent text messages on my mobile phone.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 1535- Registered: 27 May 2015
- Posts: 399
The whole of NHS is a disgrace and ones that suffer are patients and staff under the Dr's Kent is used for a training ground anyway.
If only everyone could be kind and honest what a better world we would be in.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
Amberleaf50 wrote:The whole of NHS is a disgrace and ones that suffer are patients and staff under the Dr's Kent is used for a training ground anyway.
The NHS is by no means a "disgrace" it is stretched to its limit at the moment but still manages to treat those who need it and put up with those who abuse the system. I would have agreed if you said it needed a shake up as it seems to be badly run at times by the top management who from what I have heard from those involved appear to waste millions on abandoned ideas and schemes.
As for your second point every area in the country is "used for a training ground", the doctors and nurses have to learn or there would be nobody to treat and hopefully cure the sick and infirm.
Sorry to say this but I think Amberleaf50 is the most negative person I have every had contact with, all I read on here from him or her is either a complaint, a moan or a grumble.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
The headlines are always about lack of funding causing problems In the NHS but where there is money in place to employ Doctors, nurses etc vacancies are not being filled. Could be that pay and working conditions are not up to par.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
I think all the negative publicity is partly to blame, who would want to join a business where everything is seen as being wrong. The media always delight in the negative and have excelled themselves recently regarding the NHS, nothing but doom and gloom.
Brian Dixon, Judith Roberts, PatrickS and
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
I agree Jan .Staff work hard and the media donot help with doom and gloom.When I recently after a fall had to go to Buckland I had very good attention.The follow up by district nurses the next day was also very good.I know how hard a close relative of mine works.