I had to take my girlfriend to the new NHS Primary Care Centre on Whitegate Drive today after she had an accident involving a work Christmas party, lots of alcohol and high heels. I’m sure you can figure the rest, needless to say she has trouble walking at the moment!
We walked into reception and the place was utterly empty with only a scruffy receptionist in an old brown jumper to be seen. He directed us to the NHS walk-in centre which is on the first floor (up that big ramp if you’re outside). On the way there we saw no-one and once in the waiting area there was nobody sat on the new looking blue faux leather seats. Behind the desk were 5 receptionists, though, and judging by the way they were huddled around one computer screen giggling I’d guess they were browsing pictures of a night out on a social networking website.
Completing the scene were two bouncers muttering about how Rumours never has much trouble because they employ an army of Polish boxers and a Ukranian called Turbo as doormen. The bouncers made me laugh quite a bit actually because they were like Laurel and Hardy. One was fat and authoritative and one was thin and submissive. I didn’t hear any shouts of “STANLEY!” though.
Unsurprisingly given the lack of people, my girlfriend was seen by a doctor quickly who, after laughing at her predicament, said it would need an X-Ray to be sure that she’d not broken anything. The new NHS centre has full imaging facilities, of course. Only trouble is they don’t open at weekends, so the doctor gave her a letter to take to A&E at Blackpool Victoria asking for an X-Ray. No wonder there was nobody in the place.
Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the whole point in these super clinics and walk-in centres was to take the pressure off hospital accident and emergency departments. I think it’s fair to say that A&E is at its busiest over the weekend, what with alcohol related accidents in the booze capital of the North West. Yet this brand new facility is for the most part closed down. Do they really think people don’t get ill over the weekend?
We went to A&E at BVH. I dropped my girlfriend off at the entrance and went to look for somewhere to park. It seemed like the whole world wanted to find a space but eventually I found one, at which point I received a text saying that she’d seen a jobsworth Filipino triage nurse who wouldn’t accept the letter from Whitegate Drive Primary Care Centre because the doctor hadn’t filled in an X-Ray form. So she would have to see a doctor again and go through it all like at the walk-in centre. She was told it would be at least 2 hours before she could get an X-Ray at which point I thought, “bollocks to this,” and went home to watch the football.
She saw a doctor after one hour and had to wait a further two hours for an X-Ray. The doctor offered her pain relief in the form of cocodamol (30mg codeine, 500 mg paracetamol) which she rejected as it makes her fall asleep. The doctor then proceeded to write her a prescription for… cocodamol. Bizarre. I’d given her some diclofenac which worked well for pain relief so eventually the doctor wrote a prescription for that, but she was then told that in order to get a sick note she would have to go to her GP and have them look at it as well.
X-Ray showed no breaks and 3 and a half hours later she was home.
It’s no wonder the NHS is so poorly run and requires so much money if in order to get a simple process like a sprained ankle done you have to see three doctors, umpteen nurses and a radiographer, but this is another example of Labour’s wastage of our cash. It has mindlessly thrown money at the problem of the NHS without any attention to where and how the money is spent. So we might have new spangly Primary Care Centres, but if they only run a skeleton crew at weekends what’s the fucking point?
If I had any need of the NHS at weekend now, I’d go straight to BVH, bypassing the walk-in centre completely.
I am sorry to hear of your bad experience with the local NHS and it does sound out of order I am glad your girlfriend sorted eventually. You go all the way to the walk in centre and X-ray is closed at the weekend. Its like saying ‘you’ve had an accident on the wrong day to come here’. But this is the whole problem Labour’s solution to everything is to spend spend spend money it doesn’t even have. I don’t give a toss how much more than the previous Conservative Government they claimed to have spent. As you rightly point out it is quality not quantity that matters. It doesn’t matter how much you spend it is where and how it is used.
Interestingly though I don’t if you have recieved it yet, but I got a Winter newsletter from Marsden yesterday banging on about how ‘hard Labour has worked on the NHS’ and best of all there is a survey and comments on it for you to fill in I’ll leave the rest to you, I certainly won’t be writing anything positive. The so-called party of the NHS won’t be getting my vote.
It won’t be getting mine either!
I don’t have an awful lot good to say about my own experiences of the NHS to be honest, never mind those of my girlfriend.
The problem is the first point you go to, your GP, is just that. A GP. They’re jack of all trades and can’t be expected to know everything about everything. Indeed, the times I’ve been I’ve described my symptoms, they just look them up on the computer or in a reference book. You don’t need a medicine degree to do that.
It would be nice for a policy to be implemented that requires GP surgeries to have a specialist of most types of ailment. For example orthopedics, children, mental health, etc.
I guess that’s why they want to amalgamate GP surgeries into these Primary Care Centres so that this is the case, but if they want them to be the first port of call for X-Ray, MRI, physio, etc, then opening at weekend would be a good start. Second would be creating a much bigger car park.
Sorry to hear about that Phil and I hope your girlfriend is feeling better.
Re the NHS, my experiences of recent have been better but the case you highlight is an example of such poor logic by planners. Like you say have this place open on a weekend to take pressure of A&E. It’s a simple solution but then again we aren’t very expensive management consultants so what do we know.
Sorry you had such hassle. At least you don’t appear to have had the trouble parking at Whitegate that Mrs F and I had – though the staff have it a lot worse (all of the free parking was for consultants only – I agree they need parking so they’re not wasting time but there were so many free spaces just for them and none for anyone else that you could see the consultants had been let in at the planning stage.) And why build it next to two special schools?
The solution is very simple – let the public know that if they have had a fall then don’t go to Whitegate at the weekend or out of hours – go to the Vic instead. Then it can still be open for all those incidents that quite obviously don’t need x-raying.
The entrance at Whitegate is quite impressive – though there’s obviously a lot of space being used to impress whilst not having an actual function. Too much labour money has gone into building projects so that the dim masses will be able to point at what Labour has done. Sadly the best education and healthcare usually depends on the people within, and then less importantly the equipment, rather than the buildings.
Thats exactly it. This place could be the pinnacle of health care centres but if all the facilities are shut during weekends they might as well shut it down completely at weekend.
Furthermore if you do go and get a referral for X-Ray (or anything else) at BVH and then the staff at BVH say that referral isn’t valid and you have to start all over again then again whats the point in the place?
Mrs F had to have an MRI scan at Whitegate as I’ve mentioned before. But what I don’t think I went into was that because she’d had an eye operation in the past she wasn’t allowed to have that scan until she’d been x-rayed to prove she didn’t have any metal or plastic in her eye (she told them she knew she didn’t but you know what they are like).
So she had to go to x-ray – who referred her to the emergency service x-ray (is it x-ray North or something?) who then said they hadn’t got it down for her to be there, but eventually one of the departments did admit she was supposed to be being x-rayed there and did it. The chaos and disorganisation was spectacular – but you have to think that maybe when they have equipment on two sites the organisation is bound to suffer a little – especially when Whitegate’s had only just opened. It’s still miles better than Preston (we’ll send you an appointment and they never do and you have to write in and complain every time for her 3 months recall).
As I said above – people make the service good or bad, then equipment, and buildings don’t really make any real contribution at all.
Hush now… Don’t you know you’re supposed to be using the bicycle shelters… and be grateful for them?!
This the biggest problem Labour constantly brags about how much money its spends (or squanders more like) on education and health but where the fuck is the money actually going? It certainly isn’t paying for more doctors and nurses. It is being squandered on manager’s bonuses and other jobsworths. Jobs that Labour has created to make life hard for the professionals for no reason. I don’t give a toss if we have ‘record investment’ it is QUALITY NOT QUANTITY that matters. At present we have just about one of the worst Health Secretaries we have ever had Andy Burnham slimy smarmy tosser that he is. I was absolutely outraged to hear he is looking at cutting nurse’s salaries in order to keep their jobs. Nurses always get the raw deal. There’s always enough money for overpaid MPs to have a payrise and I bet Burnham who earns 6 times a nurse’s salary wouldn’t take a cut. A nurse’s salary is £20,700 which is one of the lowest paid in the public sector we are outearned by police, other public sector roles and even BA cabin crew despite being among the most highly qualified along with teachers (also disgracefully low paid). It is not all about money but after 3 years at university I think we are entitled to a decent wage.
This is for TB:http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Chris-Grayling-Tories-Want-To-Change-The-Law-To-Give-Homeowners-More-Rights-To-Protect-Themselves/Article/200912315505516?lpos=Politics_First_Poilitics_Article_Teaser_Regi_1&lid=ARTICLE_15505516_Chris_Grayling%3A_Tories_Want_To_Change_The_Law_To_Give_Homeowners_More_Rights_To_Protect_Themselves
Its another step towards me voting Tory at the next election.
Shh, doing a page on that!
sorry! cheers all the same!
A hate to say it but the problem you have had here is wide spread across the NHS and the only way to stop it is to employ competent managers (not more nurses). As I have said before I manage a private theatre and our tie in with our outpatient and x-ray and CT scanner are excellently run. Mainly because if we screw up someone fails their scorecard and their bonus is in jeopardy. NHS is immune from the real world and that is the problem with the NHS.
I know there’s always an outcry about cutting nurses and their salaries but they aren’t all good hard working guardian angels. The number I’ve seen lying against nurses stations talking about doctors (that aren’t even very dishy) and trying to cherrypick jobs to do that are worthy of them rather than doing what’s needed is enormous. What we need to do is make sure we employ the good ones and reward them exceedingly well whilst checking on what actual numbers we need. The NHS shouldn’t be seen as another public service sector that can be used to reduce the unemployment statistics. For too long the unions have ensured that the bad ones get jobs for life and good salaries whilst those that truly are angels don’t get rewarded anywhere near enough as a result. We do need some managers – but are they really allowed to manage in the NHS?
This is where you have a problem, though. Do you think nurse unions would support a huge pay increase if it meant 30% job losses?
I don’t.
I agree with your comments about nurses just hanging about the nurse station gossiping, but as a nurse you can only do the work available to you. It’s difficult also to judge all nurses the same, too, because nurse is a very far reaching job description. You have some that plod the wards, some that research, some that are managers, some that teach and some that do all those things.
New staff nurses might get £20,000 starting salary but remember they get probably the best job security going as well as guaranteed pension contributions which private sector workers are losing left right and centre.
Also worth noting is that whilst some nurses are on that amount, many are on £35,000+.
Its easy to get all hyped up about the importance and value of nurses but even with all this extra staff in the NHS over the last 12 years, at the point of use it’s not really any better. The process of getting to see a consultant might well have speeded up a bit in the NHS, but that’s not down to nursing staff. Equally, there are lots more police officers than there ever have been, but do you feel safer for it?
I’m not suggesting for a second that nurses shouldn’t get paid a decent wage, but just because they “look after us” doesn’t mean they should be paid a king’s ransom. There are plenty of foreign nurses who would – and do – happily work for the NHS at the current pay rates and this is one reason why nurses will never get a blockbuster pay rise. It’s just a public sector job like any other and I personally think the remuneration package and conditions are pretty good to be honest.
I agree Frustrated there are rotten eggs but most nurses I work with myself are good honest hard-working people. I personally don’t like the whole ‘angels’ image as a male nurse I find it feminises our profession. We do not simply ‘look after’ people anymore we are highly skilled professionals. I completely agree the bullying socialist unions have too much power which I why I avoid Unison like the plague I refuse to back any organisation that supports Labour. I am a Royal College of Nursing member myself. All I am simply saying is what makes police officers and other public sector workers who do not even attend university for 3 years to train so special they earn way more than nurses.
Maybe the police and fire service get ‘danger money’? I don’t know. I don’t believe the modern police officer is worth the money they get paid.
If they were the old style copper that had authority, respect and was involved in communities then I would take that back.
Unfortunately due to stupid rules you can be a copper if you’re 5 foot nothing and look like a wet lettuce. That’s one reason criminals aren’t afraid any more. Another is that there’s never any repercussions for their actions..
I can agree with danger money for firefighters but I agree the police are totally overpaid and poorly trained, I agree bring back proper police. I also agree totally there is no accountability in the police. In my profession you have to register with the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) which is a legal requirement to practice. If my conduct is called into question by a member of the public, colleague or employer I can be suspended or even struck off in serious cases. There is nothing like that for the police. You make a complaint and they do an ‘internal enquiry’ where the officer(s) will always get off scot-free. Even when the IPCC investigates you rarely hear of officers being sacked at worst they will get a warning or suspension on full pay. Also like I have said before nurses don’t go holding the country to ransom for a payrise like greedy overpaid tanker drivers and BA cabin crew.
You raise an excellent point there. Nurses don’t hold the country to ransom. Cabin crew.. lol.. well why can’t they all just be sacked? Ronald Reagan had it right when he sacked all the striking air traffic controllers in 1981.
Police officers rarely get done for anything because the police is like an old boys’ club. They all watch each other’s back.
Absolutely spot on, doctors and nurses would never hold the country to ransom, I feel nurses get a raw deal but we do care about the people we serve. The police who are already very well paid threatened to strike last year if it was made legal. Also tanker drivers, tube drivers and BA cabin crew who are extremely well paid just hold the country to ransom because of the greedy unions. I mean £39k for driving a tanker that is ridiculous. I agree completely sack them all and I would bet money on saying there would be no shortage of applicants. There are countless numbers who want to work but are stuck in the dole queue because of this recession who would be grateful to be tanker drivers for half the amount the overpaid fuckers are currently on and its they’re not exactly hard to train, anyone can get a HGV licence in a week these days.
Also spot on they do look after each other’s backs and they are dishonest. Proper professionals will blow the whistle on bad practices for the protection of others. Police will happily see an innocent person criminalised or put the public in danger so one of the boys gets off and keeps his job and gold plated pension. A police officer once drove down a motorway at 158mph and claimed he was ‘familiarising himself with the car’, he put people’s lives in danger but was cleared by an internal enquiry. Another one once drove a police vehicle at 70mph through a residential area to pick up a chinese takeaway. He claimed he was attending to an emergency. The force said there was no record of him being called to an incident, there was eyewitnesses describing his reckless driving and yet a judge let him walk free because he denied it. The judge made a stupud remark like ‘As you are a police officer I can trust the evidence you give is the truth so I see no reason to prosecute’ what a fucking joke, double standards or what?
Indeed it is. Thats the worst part – their actions are all logged by “black box” recorders in their cars, so these coppers are getting off because of their (bullshit) explanations.
No technicalities or anything. Like you say, because the judge believed them.
Once again TB you are painting our profession in a glorious light with comments
“If my conduct is called into question by a member of the public, colleague or employer I can be suspended or even struck off in serious cases.”
While this is true have you ever tried this I have with an alcoholic nurse I suspended her from my hospital and when I tried to pursue this further it was next to impossible, because before she had done anything to harm any individual patient we had intervened. I know she is still practising and I know she is a danger to her patients but due to support from the RCN and other nurses (who knew what a danger she was) nothing could be done about it.
As for the RCN this is the worst union going they rarely stand up for their members rights and their reps are next to useless.
Why don’t the nurses hold the country to ransom is simple you are well protected by the NHS and you can make a very good living (not working to hard in many cases) so why strike.
Thankfully I have never been in the unfortunate position of being on the recieving end of an inquiry or needed representation. But I certainly think police get off a lot easier than nurses because they can bullshit their way to freedom. I would never go on strike because I don’t believe in striking or trade unionism and I care about my patients I would never leave them in the lurch. Like I say the main reason I am an RCN member it is politically impartial and because I refuse to join an organisation that backs and subsidises the Labour Party. I think unions should be banned from having political links and should be impartial.
You are right (as a Nurse myself) I am well aware of the failing of my profession. Phil when you say a nurse who has just qualified is on 20k a year that basic and doesn’t take into consideration night, weekend enhancements or extra shifts (which are very easy to get). By the time you a six years post qualified if you are not on 25k basic and not earning more then 28k you are not working hard or trying to earn this amount. I work in the private sector and last year pull in more then 60k mainly in bonuses (hit all my quarterly and yearly targets) but the down side if I missed my targets by a large amount I would now be looking for another job (that’s not true at the worst I would be banking or working on a agency). The failings in the NHS are down to not giving managers the ability to manage. The medical profession have been pulling the wool over the country eyes along time (take the GP pay deal) its time the government got tough and began to manage the NHS properly.
Don’t get me wrong I agree with you on the pay thing – I was merely referring to something True Blackpudlian had said as he is a nurse too.