Jeremy Hunt and A and E

gangy they are well paid but the change in contract was 10 years ago. GP representative on the radio this morning furious that Hunt is trying to pin the blame on GPs. He pointed out that demand has gone up in GP surgeries as well as in A and E. The reasons for this increased demand are complex. But we know that hospital staff budgets under pressure - and Osborne's austerity measures have not really started to kick in yet.
There was a case in the coroners court near here in which a young woman who had OD'd (long term mental health problem) was in a coma but left in the care of someone with no nursing qualification and died. Coroner wants answers from Hunt on this one - and they don't do that often. Sounds a lot like understaffing though doesn't it.

I heard on the news that the numbers of district nurses has dropped dramatically as well and I attended an exhibition yesterday where there were TWO stands trying to entice medical professional to Australia!

I remember the days when you didn't have to make an appointment to see the doctor. You turned up between certain times and waited your term and if there was an emergency, so be it.

I also heard Laurence Buckman [?] on the news this morning - GPs rep. He sounded really angry - but controlled.

District nursing has been cut back over a very long period. Over 20 years ago I used to teach DN students and the budget was starting to pinch then. There was probably some need to do this - at the time fully qualified DNs (SRN plus a year full-time in university) were doing things like bathing patients at home. But I do wonder how many of the "DNs" that my MIL sees are actually qualified at that level - or whether they are students and health care assistants in the main.

The 111 debacle. NHS Direct a long way from perfect - but why get rid when it can only make sense to have a small number of interlinked call centres delivering this kind of service? All those banks and other businesses can't be wrong.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22644398

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22644398

Just been listening to this guy on the news - I am quietly seething.

Exactly how does he expect GPs to stop people going to A&E? They are up to their eyeballs getting through the queue of patients at each surgery.

Does he want them to go back to being on call at night and weekends? - no.
Does he want them to organise the out-of-hours services? - no.

What does he want? - for GPs to go back to old-fashioned doctoring he says. Patronising b*****d! What does he really mean by that? How will it stop unwise and uneducated people from using A&E inappropriately? What does he think they are doing all day and all evening?

Heavens above - what an ignorant man. I am fed up with government bumbling.

"We have allowed ourselves to lose sight of the concept of the family doctor" - what the heck is that supposed to mean? Which deformed brain cell has he dug that up from? It is meaningless and shows a total lack of knowledge of the hard work that GPs do.

My poor OH was driven into the ground by it all; and I watch his ex-professional partners looking thin, drawn and totally burnt out.

How dare he spout such nonsense about a group of hard working dedicated professionals!

I feel a bit better now!

He's evidently a devotee of the 'Dr Findlay's Casebook' school of doctoring - circa 1930-ish.

Weird! I just clicked on Mishaps profile and got a a ad above for 'Asian beauties currently on line to chat' also photos!
Are you an Asian beauty?
Does anyone else get this?
GNHQ! Please can you try?
This seems s.ightly porno!

No, but clicked on anno's and got an ad for a Removals Service...

Clicked on mine, got an ad for 'baby boy photos'
Is this an o,en for my awaited grandchild?

Omen!

Weird. Not going to click on anything just in case!

I do agree we need to get back to the concept of the family doctor though. I'd like to get to see my doctor on the rare occasion I need an appointment. But I don't know any of the doctors at my GP practice well enough and getting an appointment is hopeless.
But it's the Out of Hours care that is so poor. No one wants to return to the over-worked GP described by Mishap, but there has to be an alternative to a six hour wait in A&E in the early hours of the morning.
How come I can get an appointment with our vet the same day? I can call her out in an emergency? I know her and she knows my dogs?
The answer is simple. There are more vets per animal that GPs per patient.

Hunt obviously lives in parallel 1950s universe in which doctors work in very small practices, people live less long and both medicine and doctor's role is very, very different.
Seem to remember he was culture secretary during the run up to the Olympics and basked in its reflected glory, using this as a springboard to his current role. Not convinced that Olympics owed much to his brilliance.
We should always remember him though for the day his name triggered the best/worst spoonerism in the history of the Today programme when the presenter tried to introduce Mr Hunt the Culture Secretary.

Poor James Naughtie! I heard that one live, never to be forgotten the poor man. I can see why he laughed though, I am sure he didn't think it funny but in the circumstances giggling is what happens.

After that announcers seemed to say "The culture secretary Jeremy Hunt instead of Jeremy Hunt the culture secretary, it probably makes the spoonerism less likely.

I wonder if that's why Cameron transferred him to Health, Nellie. No possible spoonerism with that title.

It would of course be wonderful if we could return to the Dr Findlay days, but increased demand and successive governments' meddling mean that the service is very different now and working in a different environment.

It is not an environment that the GPs like as they are put under so much pressure, both medically and administratively.

What irritates me is Hunt's inability to recognise that it is the system at fault and not the GPs themselves - it just heaps manure on their already burdened heads to imply that the problem lies with them.

If the system is haywire it is his job to sort it out.

I am not an Asian beauty, and simply do not have time to chat!

But a bit concerned that some hacking is afoot, so we need GNHQ to get on the case please.

They are looking into it!

When I left GP, I felt the system was already becoming administration top heavy. Too much time had to spent claiming fees which could have been better spent treating patients.
These days it seems GPS have to be accountants, t&m experts and administrators. No time for patients.
Oh! Don't forget training, feedback sessions, monitoring,etc:

And increasing amounts of screening the healthy galen as Margaret McCarthy points out in the Patient Paradox.

I was watching Helicopter Heroes yesterday and they seemed to be mainly treating elderly people with serious heart problems. Without exception when they were asked how they felt they all said "Oh not too bad " They didn't sound as is they would be likely to be the ones crowding into A&E with a hangnail or similar!

I am on the whole quite happy with my GPs and the service they provide. However, at the age of nearly 65, I can't remember when I last had my BP taken. I have never had my cholesterol measured or had a pneumonia jab. I am not part of the 'worried well' brigade but sometimes wonder if I am too cavalier about my health. I don't seem to get invited for any screening, other than the 3 yearly mammogram. Is this important? What do others think?

My GP surgery is very well run. I would not be allowed repeat prescriptions if I did not make an appointment for my annual review which includes BP and bloods check, and appointment made for annual flu jab. If this did not take place I would be requesting repeat prescriptions without ever seeing a doctor as I am not one of the worried well.

I would like to think that I have enough common sense and past professional knowledge to know when to see my GP but I do realise that many are not in my fortunate position.

The second time in my life when I visited an A&E department was 4 years ago, a 2 man ambulance as I had fallen down stairs and had a #dislocation of my ankle so no waiting for me, in the back door and immediate treatment followed by surgery the next day.

My inpatient experience was another story and something I will never forget to my dying day so I hope that I never visit my local hospital unless I am unconscious and never likely to recover. The treatment there will certainly expedite my departure from this world!

You should have a well woman check up vegas. I think the pneumonia jab kicks in when you're 70 [but not sure; need to check up on that].