A snapshot look at NHS services in your area

In A&E with DGD yesterday evening, and the attention given her in the children's department was swift, efficient and friendly. And according to news from her home she is "firing on all cylinders" this morning.

When DH was treated for prostate cancer last year (and part of this year) we had nothing but excellent treatment. We had 50 hospital/doctor's appointments in 10 months. At no point were we kept waiting for even a few minutes after our appointment time. Everyone we met at the hospitals was kind and courteous. DH had to have 37 consecutive days of radiotherapy and were extremely lucky that he was sent to a private hospital (on the NHS) which was nearer to our home than the NHS one would have been. Apparently they now use private hospitals if the NHS hospitals are stretched too badly. Obviously private patients take priority over appointment times etc but we were fitted in every day. Our local group practice is also well run and we never have to wait too long for appointments (usually). We could never complain.

Mamardoit say Ambulance response times are very worrying, especially in the case she mentioned, but goes on to say there are too few ambulances covering a very large area. Maybe in some areas, but it is also that ambulances are stuck at hospitals as there are no beds for people going into A & E. The paramedics have to wait with the patient as they are usually on a trolley and they cannot go without one as they may need it for the next patient. Also, people are calling an ambulance when a visit to the doctor would suffice - of course, at some surgeries you have to wait so long they feel that the only option is to call an ambulance. Others call an ambulance as they think they will be seen as priority - wrong, unless it is extremely urgent you have to wait with everybody else. There is one thing wrong with the statistics attached to response times; if an ambulance does not reach a patient within 8 minutes any they survive it is deemed a failure but if they reach a patient in 8.5 minutes and they die, it is a success according to the statistics, as time is the only relevance to the figures.

GP surgery excellent, tho waiting times for GP beginning to lengthen. Greens norton surgery

Recent experience of Barratt, Northampton General, maternity services via D in Law showed NHS at it's very best in desperate and terrible circumstances. All staff, consultants, midwives, paediatric nurses, housekeeping just wonderful, kind, compassionate and professional. Local midwife in the Hunsbury community however, far from acceptable.

I moved last year and changed GPs and can honestly say my current practice compares unfavourably. I've had to wait 3-4 weeks to see a GP and feel I've been 'fobbed off' repeatedly. Twice I have been promised further action but it's never happened and to be honest I try to cope with the pain and limited movement because I don't trust these doctors. Maybe I should excuse the overworked GPs The building is not disabled friendly.
I retired as a therapist in mental health services last year, the service emphasis was changing in an effort to 'empower users' manager speak for cost cutting. The wait for services is unacceptable and the closing of acute beds has caused havoc.
However the general hospital services seem efficient, I would just like the opportunity for a referral

I have been heartened by this thread.

I was expecting it to have been a lot worse regarding different sectors.

A lot of GP surgeries seem to be suffering[I am bearing in mind the 3 or 4 threads recently as well].

Perhaps the NHS is salvageable if the Government did pump more money into it.

My daughter and son in law are both GPs, both work very hard, do on calls and work weekends. They are sick of the Tory media like the Daily Mail, constantly having a go. I know people who constantly go to the GP demanding antibiotics for colds, blood tests they don't need etc,etc. Nhs professionals used to be respected for what they do. Now whatever they do is never good enough. When they have all gone to the states or Australia people may realise how much they did!

My area is North Ayrshire & the nearest A&E is Crosshouse. I recently underwent an operation there after having seen my GP (appointment given an hour after I phoned) & being referred via A&E. I have nothing but praise for all involved. Staff were kind, reassuring & very professional. The hospital wards were spotlessly clean & the food was excellent.

It is quite usual to be seen the same day at my GP practice & the dentist in our area, if required. It saddens me to see, however, notices in the surgery giving the percentages for missed appointments, despite the fact that you are texted with a reminder.

My daughter lives abroad & the amount they require to pay monthly for family medical insurance is staggering. Perhaps we are demanding too much of the NHS & our government need to make some changes to the funding that could involve a top up system like France?

Our GP service is very good and the staff are helpful. If you can't get an appointment straight away, you can have a telephone consultation if you are worried about anything, but the wait for appointments is not too bad. Touch wood, I have no recent experience if A&E, but service in our two hospitals is good. When I had to have tests, I was called forward within weeks, and when DH developed a hernia in early June, even though he was not in any discomfort, he had seen the surgeon and had his surgery by early July. The staff in the assessment and day surgery units were lovely and very helpful. Contrast this with the constant tales of woe I hear from our in-laws in Wales about their hospital services and I think we here in South Yorkshire are not doing too badly. We also have a very good NHS dentist. Long may it continue!

I too live in Newcastle in a less well-off area. I can almost always get to see a GP or practice nurse the same day, especially if it is fairly urgent. To see my regular GP for check-ups I have to book in advance. It seems that at our practice if you have some psychological issues the staff try to give an appointment with your prescribing doctor.
Relatively recently my daughter had twins in the Royal Victoria Infirmary as they have a special twins unit. She was given a private room because they didn't have anyone more in need and her partner could stay as much as he wanted. Although the food wasn't wonderful the care was excellent and the help she had to breast feed was first class - she is still doing this now nearly 8 months later.
My husband had a funny turn and was taken to the drop in centre and then referred to his GP immediately, same day. Fortunately all was well.
I just feel so fortunate that the service here seems very good and I have no complaints.
Across the river, waiting times in the local A & E are up to 4 hours. Many of those had minor injuries so surely it is time for minor injuries clinics to be set up and become the first port of call for many who currently attend A & E.
I'd happily pay more to ensure a good health service for all - the apparent destruction of the health service makes my blood boil!

Our local doctors surgery (North Norfolk) pulled itself up by it's bootstraps a couple of years ago when they couldn't replace a retiring doctor. We now have a basic triage system for appointments, the simple ones being either dealt with by a very good practice nurse or by a telephone appointment with a doctor. The telephone appointments are brilliant. Always on time to the dot and have cut down waiting times in the surgery considerably. Referrals for hospital checks are easier to get now too. I had an appointment six weeks ago to see if something could be done about my bunion. Mentioned by sickness problem and two referrals were booked on line as I sat there. I went a couple of weeks ago for an endoscopy at the Norfolk and Norwich and was told the result there and then. Still waiting to hear about me bunion though!

Things are looking up here.

I didn't mention the GP practice in my earlier post. Ours is a large practice covering a large area. The doctors range from excellent to much less so but the bonus is that there is a walk-in clinic every morning for two hours. This means a long wait but at least you get seen. For a booked appointment with a chosen doctor there can be a 3-week wait so this alternative solution works very well. It used to be run by an appointed duty doctor on a rota basis but now the partners just fit the extra patients in along with their booked-in patients. For a routine appointment it is therefore better to avoid that particular rush hour. The nurses, too, are excellent. I went onto NHS choices and put in a good word for my practice, including the reception staff, as they are often wrongly maligned. It was interesting to read some of the comments written by other patients along the lines of " he treated me like dirt " and while of course I can't prove the contrary, I felt it was probably a rather over emotive reaction - perhaps they were refused antibiotics. I don't know. But I was pleased to write what I felt was a fair, albeit subjective, appraisal of a very busy and, for the most part, excellent service.

I did not say it did, but I cannot see what Sunderland can do on its own, so it will have to be taken over by Monitor. I think it's the first hospital that has been told to improve like this. On the news, they did not seem to know what it meant, either.
It's like a teacher threatening a class without being able to follow through on the threat.

However, I mentioned privatisation because this is what this government would like to do to the whole NHS.
Can you see what Sunderland can do to get out of the situation without compromising on patient safety and quality of service?

Which bit of the article said the hospitals would be privatised, jen?

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/sunderland-hospital-trust-told-improve-9836262

I'm pleased I do not live in Sunderland. I really do not know what this means, but it looks like Monitor will privatise the hospitals if they do not get rid of more staff which is the only way they can save more money. They have been asked to save another £17 million, despite having already saved £35 million.
How can the NHS be ringfenced if this is happening?

I have been with the same GP practice since moving here in 1968. Until 3 years ago we had just 2 named Drs
in all that time and always saw them . On retirement of the 2nd we were given the Senior partner as our named GP as we are over 75,he has no interest in his patients at all. The whole surgery is going down and new locums monthly.
On the other side of the coin A&E when we needed it was superb. DH needed day surgery, again faultless and when
I was recently diagnosed with Wet AMD everything has been fine apart from one postponed treatment. It just seems here the GP service is failing to cope. The hospital service is very good.

DJ

I don't know if you are responding to the same post as myself but I read a post that mentioned a 3 - 4 week wait as a decision of choice by the poster to be able to see a doctor of her choosing, plus the doctor of choice worked part time.

Why would that scenario be strange?

I book appointments on line but if I chose /elected to visit a particular GP of my choosing I would not view waiting as an issue. Surely anybody with a life threatening or serious problem would see the first available doctor and not wait 3 - 4 weeks.

I've already posted but have to add that until two years ago I would have been one of those who were happy with provision.

Gone rapidly downhill since then...worth keeping this in mind, those whose GP services haven't been hit ...
yet

Oh, one fault with maternity - when DD overheard, through the drawn curtains, a doctor talking to a brand new mum in the next bed, who was tearfully struggling with breastfeeding. He told her "there are two types of mother: those who breastfeed and those who are quitters". My DD wanted to get out of bed and punch him.

Very lucky with our local surgery. All the GPs and nurses are lovely people, all have time for you and a smile when the see you. I can nearly always get an appointment within 2 or 3 days, same day in an emergency. I can ask that repeat prescriptions are passed straight to their pharmacy for dispensing so all I have to do is pick it up when it's ready. And an added bonus is that they are at the bottom of my road, 300 yards away!
Haven't used A&E for a long time, so can't comment.
Have had a number of referrals in recent years, all fairly prompt, except for a 9 month wait for podiatry. Had 2nd appointment 6 weeks later and then heard nothing more from them - no X-ray results, no orthotics posted to me as promised. I should have chased it up but TBH, I couldn't be bothered because it was clear the lovely, but ineffectual, young podiatrist didn't have a clue why my feet were so painful and she was just clutching at straws with the orthotics.
Maternity services - recent experience with my DD has been first class, couldn't fault them. At every stage she met lovely people who were very caring and reassuring. Theatre staff for her c-section were just wonderful, an anaesthetist who was an absolute clown and had DD in stitches (pun intended ), so she felt very calm and relaxed.
This is Plymouth, btw.

Strange how having to wait 3-4 weeks to see a GP is thought of as a superb service.

Excellent GP practice with a lot of doctors but also nurses who do health checks. (incidentally if your GP isn't satisfactory consider joining the Patients Participation Group- all surgeries are supposed to have them)
Physiotherapy service- excellent. Super efficient organisation which started with telephone assessment and operates a system for offering cancelled appointments by phone or text.
A&E busy but efficient and caring. Very thoughtful staff.
Newcastle

In south/mid Devon, where I live (near Newton Abbot), it is becoming more and more difficult to get an appointment with my GP, or any GP at all, in the large practice here. I have to see difference ones, and feel that I don't really have a doctor who knows me, for the first time ever.

My experience echoes that of 'bags' (also north of border).
Would add that practice nurses are particularly sympathetic and helpful!
My DD relies heavily on her gp for help, phone calls and home visits. He has also popped in before and after surgery hours.
2 different practices btw.

GP practice VG. They really want to help you sort out your health issues. Usually can get an appointment same day even when it's not an emergency, especially for children. Receptionists all very nice, polite and helpful.
Argyll.