To expect people to know what they are talking about, & give the right advice?

Wildswan - I had a similar issue with my local pharmacy. The assistant told me that I should buy one of my prescription items off prescription as it is cheaper. What she was offering me was entirely different from what I was prescribed, which cannot be bought off prescription (plus she knew I do not pay for prescriptions). I am also a retired NHS worker, but many people would not know enough and buy what an unqualified person wrongly recommended.

A nurse at an NHS walk in centre wouldn't syringe my DH's ear because he had had radiotherapy on his prostate four years before The nurse at our own practice was incredulous when he told her.

I recently phoned my GP surgery and was advised by the receptionist that I should just go and speak to a pharmacist. (Despite the fact that after 40 years working in the NHS I think I knew what I was talking about).

Went of to B**ts and asked to speak to the pharmacist. Young lady came out. I told her my problem and asked for advice. She proceeded to show me some (expensive) products which might help. I then got suspicious. This girl was not a pharmacist but an assistant. Had she any pharmaceutical training? Oh, just what "she had picked up on the job". I walked out.

Please ensure you check exactly who is giving you advice. I think high street pharmacists are excellent, they have well-earned qualifications. But they are now being asked to do so much extra that their time must be very limited and stressed.

Sadly you can't take advice at face value. Thinking about there is no reason that COPD should affect cateract surgery as they don't knock you out. Receptionist at our surgery also sometimes give out incorrect advice. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

this may have been done accidentally on purpose to ration the availability of cataract ops.
this does happen in many areas.
if you had not had the COPD there would have been another reason why you could not get it done for nearly a year.
it is quite common to have to wait that long.
I think it's just a way of spreading out, ie rationing, scarce resources.
at least we can hope for something life-threatening there would be more urgency.... I hope....
good luck.

When DH was first diagnosed with cancer I went to the job centre and was given various forms for claiming benefits. Having got bogged down trying to fill them in I contacted McMillan for help. Their advisor told me that all the forms I had been given were wrong. She produced the right ones and helped me fill them and we got the benefits with no problem. If I'd carried on with the ones I'd been given it would have taken us months to sort it out.

You are not being unreasonable to be miffed. But maybe you should have made more noise at the time?
I was diagnosed with a problem which was causing me pain and was told by the consultant at out patients I'd be put on a waiting list. I was then told I was on a waiting list. Months went by and after 8 months I wrote to the consultant begging to have the op sooner.
He replied, and I have the letter, telling me he was very busy, that there were people with life threatening illnesses and I would just have to wait.
The next week I had a phonecall from his secretary asking me if I would take a cancellation.
Squeaky doors etc springs to mind?

Glad its sorted now Phoenix but quite irritating.

I think the nhs is wonderful and get fed up when people complain when they are kept waiting past their appointment time etc. But rank inefficiency really irritates.

No BlueBelle nothing changed, just the first person I spoke seemed to be suffering from CBA with regard to actually checking things!

Sorry to hear that you can't get your sight sorted, but hope all goes well for your GD. BTW, DS2 had a heart murmur, which seemed to sort itself by time he was 5.

I had my first 2 operations (cleft palate repair at 18 months, bone graft from hip to upper jaw, aged 15) at Great Ormond Street, brilliant hospital.

Maybe something had changed pheonix it could have been that they were without a pulmonary consultant at that time and now have one
One of my grandkids was seen at our local hospital about an irregular heartbeat it s nothing serious but they are keeping an eye on her for twelve months just to be sure (which is brilliant) but in the mean time the paediatric cardio consultant had left the local hospital and she now has to go to Great Ormand street for the next two follow ups which is a 300 mile round journey These things can change like the wind
Be glad you re having it done I have cataracts but because I have weakened retinas can’t have the surgery so will always be in a fog ??
Good luck when it’s done anyway

Makes you mad doesn’t it phoenix. Glad you’ve got a date booked and hope all goes well next weekend. Looking forward to having the all seeing phoenix with us ?. DH is jealous, his cataracts aren’t bad enough yet so still blurred vision for him.