My sister in law was rushed in to margate hospital in the early hours of thursday morning , i wont go in to details , but she is very ill . There has been no improvement in her condition the on call doctor cannot make a change to her medication until tuesday , which i think is disgusting . I stupidly assumed the reason for only keeping margate hospital and ashford as main hospitals in east kent was to keep the doctors there , lots of other hospitals have closed or dumbed down there services . my family feels very let down and amazed how bad this situation is and a member of hospital stalf agrees . I will be writing to our local mp to complain, Mel is on the war path so i personally wouldnt knock on our door on the run up to the local elections as im sure she would blow , im sure there will be many other similar cases due to the same problems , i would love your views on this many thanks .
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
The first thing is I hope your s-in-l gets better. I have no real answers maybe Bern will be able to offer some useful advice. The hospitals do tend to run reduced services at weekends and bank holidays. May GP and the locum both took time out to visit me in hospital so maybe it may be worth trying to contact him/her. Failing that why not try the NHS helpline and ask their advice. I'm hoping that if she was really really ill then someone would be called in to examine her.
Sorry I have no constructive advice to offer.Hope you find an answer.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
As you know I am a member of the Trust please email me all the details and I will take it up with them this week ,I already have report to make out and i will add that to it. Thank you or ring me.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i am not a fan of the qeqm, no doubt others can relate better experiences of their services.
as for evening and weekends, forget it.
the only doctors seem to be in a & e and the rest of the staff have nobody to check up on them.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
I do not understand why the doctor could not change her medication if this was the cause of her problem, that seems very strange as that is what doctors are there for.
I hope she improves soon.
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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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They couldn't change the meds because they are fearful of making a decision out of kilter with the more senior doctors, not one of whom will have been available to make a decision. For Gods sake don't get sick on a weekend, bank holiday, day with a Y in it or any other day that could possibly use shortage of staff as an excuse for abysmal practice.
This experience (and before you all jump in with your "I had a fab experience in the NHS" stories - I know there is some good stuff going on as well as the truck load of crap) typifies what is excruciatingly bad about UK NHS facilities: They are run for the staff and not the customers, have no concept of the principle of customer care or that patient needs should dictate the level of service, and are managed by people who don't know how to manage effectively.
I am sorry you had a typically poor experience in this hospital, Mark - I hope your S-i-L recovers despite the "care" she has received. Sadly I was angered but not surprised to read of your experience.
PS - Mark, I am as we speak having a conversation with the local Trust about just this sort of thing - if you like you could email me and I could raise this with them. But I respect your choice not to do so, it is a challenging road! I valued very much Charlie Elphickes support with my own issues, which led to the possibility of a dialogue with the Trust. I will be updating the blog, and Charlie, at some point when there has been something worth reporting from the Trust - sadly that is not yet the case.............
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
All too often now the focus in hospitals appears to be in determining what is not wrong with you rather than finding the problem and treating it. At least two of us in my family have found ourselves rushed in by ambulance only to be told in the early hours of the morning that we could find our way home because the condition was not what they were checking for. When you ask what it is they tell you to contact your GP.
Basically this is the hospitals adopting a variation of the old practice of saying "take two aspirins and call in the morning". Nobody seems to be telling them that there is supposed to be an emphasis on prevention and that the quickest way of preventing further admissions is to actually find out what the problem is and deal with it. Being friendly and helpful takes the same amount of time as being off-hand and surly but is better for all concerned.
I hope Charlotte is comfortable and will soon get the treatment she needs for a quick recovery.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i have found that the phrase "rule out" is used as the reason for each procedure.
i think that is so that it does not frighten the patient.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Patients that some doctors think should not be told in a simple and clear way what is wrong or all the side effects of their treatment and or medication.
Thank goodness my new one does.

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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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Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
sometimes you have to challenge
i had to take on a doctor who gave an opinion that i felt to be incorrect
so i got a second opinion from from another doctor who agreed with me.
without going into personal details it was life changing so best to challenge if you feel your not getting the service required
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS