P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[P&O SUE]

10 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

So do I. It's been  awful week so far, and it's only Wednesday!!

My friend was back in hospital three weeks ago because of kidney stones again. She came home on Saturday and was told a nurse would be out every day to make sure she was alright as she still had a draining tube in. No-one came and with her son and DIL now having covid,  her sister came from Grimsby tonight to stay with her. She phoned the doctor as soon as she saw her, and she is now back in hospital. What a farce!!  She facetimed with me while waiting for the ambulance and she looked so poorly. I'm so worried about her.

Avril

Oh no, district nurses and carers  have been badly hit with staff shortages, I really hopes she recovers well Avril.

[Harry Peterson]

Anyone else thoroughly fed up with the constant attacks on GPs by the Mail and the Telegraph?  All that clap for the NHS stuff a few months ago - so now let’s stab them in the back.

 

Makes me furious to see all this poisonous bile being spewed out attacking people doing their very best in extraordinarily difficult circumstances just to cover over the real cause of the shortage of doctors and nurses.

 

And the more they attack, the greater the morale problem becomes, and the more staff leave the NHS.

 

So who wins?  Apart from the Mail and the Telegraph?

[Beckett]

32 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Anyone else thoroughly fed up with the constant attacks on GPs by the Mail and the Telegraph?  All that clap for the NHS stuff a few months ago - so now let’s stab them in the back.

 

Makes me furious to see all this poisonous bile being spewed out attacking people doing their very best in extraordinarily difficult circumstances just to cover over the real cause of the shortage of doctors and nurses.

 

And the more they attack, the greater the morale problem becomes, and the more staff leave the NHS.

 

So who wins?  Apart from the Mail and the Telegraph?

Good morning Harry.

 

Both the culprits you mention have been at their worst this week. Added to that, I hear on the radio this morning that GP surgeries are now going to be micro-managed by NHS England. This is news to me as neither I nor anyone else I know in general practice has heard this officially but then we're always the last to know. Apparently all surgeries will be fined if they are not offering enough appointments, patients will be able to complain if they feel they have waited too long for a phone to be answered, and on it went.  I will need to read the detail officially to know the full extent but when LBC broadcast this as their news leader today, my heart sank.

 

If all true, this will have good GPs, nurses, and much-valued staff, leaving in their droves. It will be the final nail in the coffin for those considering early retirement. Hitting us while we're down will only reinforce our long-held feeling that we count for nothing.

 

On a positive note, all those invites we talked about were sent by close of play on 11th October. Our secretary stayed until 8.30pm on Monday night until the last invite was sent.

 

Have a good day Harry. Best wishes as always. Jane.xx

[Beckett]

12 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

So do I. It's been  awful week so far, and it's only Wednesday!!

My friend was back in hospital three weeks ago because of kidney stones again. She came home on Saturday and was told a nurse would be out every day to make sure she was alright as she still had a draining tube in. No-one came and with her son and DIL now having covid,  her sister came from Grimsby tonight to stay with her. She phoned the doctor as soon as she saw her, and she is now back in hospital. What a farce!!  She facetimed with me while waiting for the ambulance and she looked so poorly. I'm so worried about her.

Avril

I'm very sorry to hear this Avril. Your poor friend must be feeling dreadful. The wait with an unchanged draining tube must have been very frightening. A farce indeed. I wish her, and you well, and fingers, crossed for her recovery. Best wishes. Jane.x 

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Anyone else thoroughly fed up with the constant attacks on GPs by the Mail and the Telegraph?  All that clap for the NHS stuff a few months ago - so now let’s stab them in the back.

 

Makes me furious to see all this poisonous bile being spewed out attacking people doing their very best in extraordinarily difficult circumstances just to cover over the real cause of the shortage of doctors and nurses.

 

And the more they attack, the greater the morale problem becomes, and the more staff leave the NHS.

 

So who wins?  Apart from the Mail and the Telegraph?

The Telegraph was once a respected newspaper, but it seems to be swimming in the sewers along with the tabloids these days. 

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Our green bin garden waste is collected all year round every 2 weeks same day as recycled paper, cardboard,, plastics, metal cans etc. No recyclables are collected the the alternate 2 weeks, food waste containers collected weekly. 
 

They will also take clothing, shoes, batteries, light bulbs in clear plastic bags, our non recyclable bin is often only a quarter full when picked up. As we are over 60 we get 1 free bulky collection each year. 

That's a good collection service. We only have the 4 standard bin collections, so everything that won't go in the recycle bins ends up in the grey, apart from batteries of course. Bulk items are collected, but at a charge, £20 for 3 items + £5 for each additional item.

Avril

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Anyone else thoroughly fed up with the constant attacks on GPs by the Mail and the Telegraph?  All that clap for the NHS stuff a few months ago - so now let’s stab them in the back.

 

Makes me furious to see all this poisonous bile being spewed out attacking people doing their very best in extraordinarily difficult circumstances just to cover over the real cause of the shortage of doctors and nurses.

 

And the more they attack, the greater the morale problem becomes, and the more staff leave the NHS.

 

So who wins?  Apart from the Mail and the Telegraph?

Harry, why pick out just this issue when the media exaggerate everything. We all know there are good and bad GP practices, and countless thousands in between. We can only judge anything whether it's the NHS or the cruise lines, by the service we personally receive, and when I read such articles I compare our own situation and when our service is much better I tend not to be too concerned about the article.

[Snow Hill]

Had an email from GP practice this morning advising that as almost 6 months has passed since our second dose of AZ vaccine that they would be calling us for a booster vaccine in a few weeks.

 

As ever our GP practice on the ball

 

The service offered during pandemic and before has been excellent, where necessary face to face appointments have been available throughout, it was strange being in surgery with you GP in scrubs and full PPE rather than his usual casual dress.

 

They improved the existing telephone consultations in the last 18 months so you can get consultation with a pharmacist about medications, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner for minor ailments and also a physiotherapist for muscle-skeletal issues. I had a 30 min telephone consultation with practice physio over my shoulder and neck problem, he then referred me to hospital physio with an appointment 3 weeks after consultation.

 

I have had two lots of blood tests at the practice in the last 18 months.

 

This is practice making use of all the channels available for patient care and if Telephone consultation removed patients will be worse off as a result. 

[Snow Hill]

11 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

That's a good collection service. We only have the 4 standard bin collections, so everything that won't go in the recycle bins ends up in the grey, apart from batteries of course. Bulk items are collected, but at a charge, £20 for 3 items + £5 for each additional item.

Avril

Our bulk collections are £18 for 3 items, you get 10% discount if you hold a Council Loyalty Card. 
 

If the item is reusable, the council encourages people to contact organisations who will collect items for free, listing them on council website.

 

Recycling rates in Borough currently running at 60% for kerbside collection. 

 

[Harry Peterson]

28 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Good morning Harry.

 

Both the culprits you mention have been at their worst this week. Added to that, I hear on the radio this morning that GP surgeries are now going to be micro-managed by NHS England. This is news to me as neither I nor anyone else I know in general practice has heard this officially but then we're always the last to know. Apparently all surgeries will be fined if they are not offering enough appointments, patients will be able to complain if they feel they have waited too long for a phone to be answered, and on it went.  I will need to read the detail officially to know the full extent but when LBC broadcast this as their news leader today, my heart sank.

 

If all true, this will have good GPs, nurses, and much-valued staff, leaving in their droves. It will be the final nail in the coffin for those considering early retirement. Hitting us while we're down will only reinforce our long-held feeling that we count for nothing.

 

On a positive note, all those invites we talked about were sent by close of play on 11th October. Our secretary stayed until 8.30pm on Monday night until the last invite was sent.

 

Have a good day Harry. Best wishes as always. Jane.xx

It’s appalling, Jane, and calculated to damage the NHS still further. You might find it useful to listen to Javid himself being interviewed about it on the R4 Today programme earlier this morning. Apparently there’s a magic mountain of locum GPs hidden somewhere that hasn’t been disclosed yet.

 

What staggers me is that the readers of those two bile filled ‘newspapers’ choose to believe the stuff they’re being peddled to distract attention from the real culprits - rather than the truth.

 

Well done for getting those invites out by the deadline!  Mine’s lined up for next week too. Flu jab in one arm and Pfizer in the other, to avoid a second potentially risky visit.  I’ll probably pay for a spike protein antibody test a month afterwards to see whether this one’s had any effect, unlike the first two.

 

Ignore the trashy rags pushing all this loaded hate - what it probably needs, though, is a targeted BMA campaign to acquaint the public with the real facts.

 

Harry

[P&O SUE]

I totally get your point Harry about the press and they’re really winding me up with the shortages news too as this will bring more panic buying.

However not all GP surgeries are as good as yours and I get at least one phone call a day in my job at people turning to our community service because they can’t get any answer from their GP.

[Harry Peterson]

14 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Harry, why pick out just this issue when the media exaggerate everything. We all know there are good and bad GP practices, and countless thousands in between. We can only judge anything whether it's the NHS or the cruise lines, by the service we personally receive, and when I read such articles I compare our own situation and when our service is much better I tend not to be too concerned about the article.

These aren’t just articles, John. They’re political campaigns aimed at distorting and hiding the truth for political ends. Only certain newspapers are running this campaign, notably the Mail and the Telegraph. The ironic thing is, though, that this campaign will inevitably lead to even fewer doctors and ultimately more deaths amongst their readers.

[P&O SUE]

3 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

It’s appalling, Jane, and calculated to damage the NHS still further. You might find it useful to listen to Javid himself being interviewed about it on the R4 Today programme earlier this morning. Apparently there’s a magic mountain of locum GPs hidden somewhere that hasn’t been disclosed yet.

 

What staggers me is that the readers of those two bile filled ‘newspapers’ choose to believe the stuff they’re being peddled to distract attention from the real culprits - rather than the truth.

 

Well done for getting those invites out by the deadline!  Mine’s lined up for next week too. Flu jab in one arm and Pfizer in the other, to avoid a second potentially risky visit.  I’ll probably pay for a spike protein antibody test a month afterwards to see whether this one’s had any effect, unlike the first two.

 

Ignore the trashy rags pushing all this loaded hate - what it probably needs, though, is a targeted BMA campaign to acquaint the public with the real facts.

 

Harry

Interesting you’re getting your jabs together Harry, there was a lady in the bus queue yesterday saying her GP is giving hers a week apart. I appreciate your situation is different. Hope you get a better outcome this time.

[Adawn47]

29 minutes ago, Beckett said:

I'm very sorry to hear this Avril. Your poor friend must be feeling dreadful. The wait with an unchanged draining tube must have been very frightening. A farce indeed. I wish her, and you well, and fingers, crossed for her recovery. Best wishes. Jane.x 

My post was in no way a complaint against the NHS, she had excellent care while in hospital, and said they couldn't have been treated her better, it was a matter of miscommunication between the hospital, her doctor and the district nurse. The tube hadn't been changed since Saturday when she left hospital and she was in pain, which is why her sister called the doctor. I didn't sleep too well last night, I kept seeing her face when we said goodbye as the ambulance came. I know I'm being silly, but she's nearly 85 and this has been going on for a while now with no sign of any improvement, quite the opposite actually. I'm trying to be positive, but it's very difficult right now. 

Avril

[Beckett]

4 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

My post was in no way a complaint against the NHS, she had excellent care while in hospital, and said they couldn't have been treated her better, it was a matter of miscommunication between the hospital, her doctor and the district nurse. The tube hadn't been changed since Saturday when she left hospital and she was in pain, which is why her sister called the doctor. I didn't sleep too well last night, I kept seeing her face when we said goodbye as the ambulance came. I know I'm being silly, but she's nearly 85 and this has been going on for a while now with no sign of any improvement, quite the opposite actually. I'm trying to be positive, but it's very difficult right now. 

Avril

No, I totally get it Avril and I don’t think you're being silly at all. Hopefully your friend will have good care and attention in hospital but they really will need to try and sort out her home visits for when she is discharged. Keep thinking positive thoughts. Jane.x

[Waju]

Can someone explain why GP's can't revert to face to face appointments?   Surely they don't take up anymore time than a telephone call.  I understand that some patients may prefer a telephone appointment but they are not suitable for everyone.  

 

I clapped every Thursday for the NHS and fully appreciate the amazing job they have done and continue to do but if I am being completely honest with you all our GP surgery needs to start and get back to normal now.  Covid jabs were done at the huge local vaccination centre, we have just had our flu jabs but they were done at the chemist attached to the surgery.  

 

It is so impossible to get them to answer the phone - people give up and go straight to A&E or the walk in centre. I just don't understand why things aren't slowly, slowly getting back to normal.

[terrierjohn]

14 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

These aren’t just articles, John. They’re political campaigns aimed at distorting and hiding the truth for political ends. Only certain newspapers are running this campaign, notably the Mail and the Telegraph. The ironic thing is, though, that this campaign will inevitably lead to even fewer doctors and ultimately more deaths amongst their 

At our new address there is no longer a delivery service so we no longer see it every day, so can't really comment on this point, and  strangely we dont miss it.

[Beckett]

17 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

It’s appalling, Jane, and calculated to damage the NHS still further. You might find it useful to listen to Javid himself being interviewed about it on the R4 Today programme earlier this morning. Apparently there’s a magic mountain of locum GPs hidden somewhere that hasn’t been disclosed yet.

 

What staggers me is that the readers of those two bile filled ‘newspapers’ choose to believe the stuff they’re being peddled to distract attention from the real culprits - rather than the truth.

 

Well done for getting those invites out by the deadline!  Mine’s lined up for next week too. Flu jab in one arm and Pfizer in the other, to avoid a second potentially risky visit.  I’ll probably pay for a spike protein antibody test a month afterwards to see whether this one’s had any effect, unlike the first two.

 

Ignore the trashy rags pushing all this loaded hate - what it probably needs, though, is a targeted BMA campaign to acquaint the public with the real facts.

 

Harry

Well I'd love to know where this cache of locums is hiding! The truth is they don't exist. I'll try and catch the Javid interview but without any expectation of the truth.

 

Glad to hear you're having both jabs next week. That was another fiasco - we were told there had to be at least a 7 day gap between the two and booked patients accordingly. Then that was reversed overnight without warning. Good idea to have the spike antibody test afterwards and fingers crossed for a better outcome this time.

 

No more 'newspapers'for me - they make my heart rate rise!

 

Best wishes. Jane.x 

[Beckett]

7 minutes ago, Waju said:

Can someone explain why GP's can't revert to face to face appointments?   Surely they don't take up anymore time than a telephone call.  I understand that some patients may prefer a telephone appointment but they are not suitable for everyone.  

 

I clapped every Thursday for the NHS and fully appreciate the amazing job they have done and continue to do but if I am being completely honest with you all our GP surgery needs to start and get back to normal now.  Covid jabs were done at the huge local vaccination centre, we have just had our flu jabs but they were done at the chemist attached to the surgery.  

 

It is so impossible to get them to answer the phone - people give up and go straight to A&E or the walk in centre. I just don't understand why things aren't slowly, slowly getting back to normal.

So sorry to hear of your experiences Waju. Maybe your surgery will benefit from the alleged new plans the government is set to introduce.

 

There is absolutely no excuse for any surgery not answering their phones and it upsets me to hear that.

 

At my practice, we have seen patients face to face throughout the pandemic but in the early days only after telephone triage for obvious reasons. Now, we are averaging a 70/30 face to face versus telephone consultation. We are working 11 hours per day, every day, but the truth of the matter is that we just don't have enough doctors. We have, and continue, to advertise, but so far there has been no response from anyone who is willing to commit.

 

I fear we will never get back to the way we used to work and after 34 years in the NHS I for one mourn "the old days". I do hope things improve for you.

 

Best wishes. Jane.x 

[pete14]

Seems to be a really odd way of ‘levelling up’. Those GP surgeries who already have the personnel to meet arbitrary targets share in the extra funding reward. Those, probably in more deprived areas, who do not have the resources to meet their target miss out on much needed funding which would help them to improve. Those with less need to improve get the funding to increase the gap between them and those who need it.

[Waju]

5 minutes ago, Beckett said:

So sorry to hear of your experiences Waju. Maybe your surgery will benefit from the alleged new plans the government is set to introduce.

 

There is absolutely no excuse for any surgery not answering their phones and it upsets me to hear that.

 

At my practice, we have seen patients face to face throughout the pandemic but in the early days only after telephone triage for obvious reasons. Now, we are averaging a 70/30 face to face versus telephone consultation. We are working 11 hours per day, every day, but the truth of the matter is that we just don't have enough doctors. We have, and continue, to advertise, but so far there has been no response from anyone who is willing to commit.

 

I fear we will never get back to the way we used to work and after 34 years in the NHS I for one mourn "the old days". I do hope things improve for you.

 

Best wishes. Jane.x 

Thank you Jane for your response.  I really do salute the NHS, we are lucky to have this free service and I appreciate it.  Is the shortage of doctors since the outbreak of covid or has it been coming for a while?

[terrierjohn]

28 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Well I'd love to know where this cache of locums is hiding! The truth is they don't exist. I'll try and catch the Javid interview but without any expectation of the truth.

 

Glad to hear you're having both jabs next week. That was another fiasco - we were told there had to be at least a 7 day gap between the two and booked patients accordingly. Then that was reversed overnight without warning. Good idea to have the spike antibody test afterwards and fingers crossed for a better outcome this time.

 

No more 'newspapers'for me - they make my heart rate rise!

 

Best wishes. Jane.x 

Jane, a friend of ours only yesterday told us of a report that after some serious health issues double jabbing was no longer being recommended. Have you seen anything about this, as our GP surgery had told us that we would receive the covid booster and flu jab together.

[kalos]

Good morning I hope everyone is ok today  @ccpm I guess your feeling it with

the loss of your faithful friend, the house will feel a little empty but remember all the

happier times the dog gave you ,they stay in your heart forever 

Sorry to read about Deligirl & Avrils family with the covid .I agree with Avril this thing 

aint done with us yet and vaccinated or not it should never be taken for granted .

Only last night one of the daughters rang up and told us she is still waiting their second

jab and that our 11 year old has now succumb too and tested positive . They are isolating

because of it but the Grandson heading on for 15 year old does not have to based just on 

his age ,which I find weird  We had a chat with the Granddaughter and she was in high

spirits and said " Nanan & Granddad  not to worry as she feels ok " Lets hope it stays that way.

So under orders from her ,worry we wont ! Not even about what#s in a newspaper .

I once asked my Granddaughter had they got a newspaper I could borrow. She said that "newspapers are so out of date", and that people now use tablets, so she handed me her

iPad. That Fly didn't stand a chance. I like to glance through the paper headlines and 

2 days ago a paper put "Christmas is doomed as containers are stuck in the port " and 

the very same paper the next day read " Christmas will be ok dont panic it's not as bad today " the paper is not bothered as long as the paper sells ! My Granddad had the right idea by cutting it into small squares and putting it to good use on the toilet ! That wasn't a good experience either 

Anyway hope you all have a good day and stay safe 

[Josy1953]

14 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

So do I. It's been  awful week so far, and it's only Wednesday!!

My friend was back in hospital three weeks ago because of kidney stones again. She came home on Saturday and was told a nurse would be out every day to make sure she was alright as she still had a draining tube in. No-one came and with her son and DIL now having covid,  her sister came from Grimsby tonight to stay with her. She phoned the doctor as soon as she saw her, and she is now back in hospital. What a farce!!  She facetimed with me while waiting for the ambulance and she looked so poorly. I'm so worried about her.

Avril

I hope your friend is soon feeling better, hospital is the last place anyone would want to be particular during a pandemic 🤞

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, Waju said:

Can someone explain why GP's can't revert to face to face appointments?   Surely they don't take up anymore time than a telephone call.  I understand that some patients may prefer a telephone appointment but they are not suitable for everyone.  

 

I clapped every Thursday for the NHS and fully appreciate the amazing job they have done and continue to do but if I am being completely honest with you all our GP surgery needs to start and get back to normal now.  Covid jabs were done at the huge local vaccination centre, we have just had our flu jabs but they were done at the chemist attached to the surgery.  

 

It is so impossible to get them to answer the phone - people give up and go straight to A&E or the walk in centre. I just don't understand why things aren't slowly, slowly getting back to normal.

Our surgery is insisting on a telephone consultation and then if the doctor thinks that you need to be seen in person you are given an appointment.  I had to go in to see the doctor, when I got to the surgery I went to the reception window and was told to sit in my car on the car park until I was called in.  I noticed that people without cars were standing around outside, we are coming to the winter and I am concerned about thd elderly patients who don't drive having to stand out in bad weather.