In this blogpost, I do not wish to get into the nitty gritty of my medical issues or any actual treatment I have received, I just want to praise the professional people I have encountered along the way.
At a rough guess, I would say that I have had interactions with around fifty people. These include receptionists, nurses, pharmacists, nursing auxiliaries, doctors and three consultants.
I am happy to report that every one of those people has dealt with me in a kind and respectful manner. Each one of them has shown professional expertise, patience and commitment within the bounds of their particular roles. Communication has been good, appointments have happened punctually and there have been warm smiles and a few jokes along the way.
To tell you the truth, it has been both amazing and uplifting. I have not got a bad word to say about any of the people who have dealt with me.
Of course, my wife Shirley worked in the NHS for 45 years and my best friend, Tony was also an NHS professional for a long time. I know lots of other people who are or were NHS workers. However, to see the NHS from the point of view of a "customer" is a very different matter.
All British people know that nowadays the NHS is under great pressure in terms of funding and staffing and only yesterday fellow blogger John Gray reported on the very long wait he had endured in his local general hospital. However, in spite of that difficult context, I must say that the people who have dealt with me these past few months have all been brilliant and I bow my head in heartfelt honour of them.
The people in healthcare who do the work and really care are heroes in my book.
ReplyDeleteI read John's post about his visit and how HE helped people out when no one who worked there was around.
Most people in public healthcare know that they will never be rich. They do it to serve the public.
DeleteHealthcare workers are doing the best they can in an overcrowded, understaffed and underfunded system. That's as true in Canada as it is in Britain.
ReplyDeleteThey come from amongst us and are part of us.
DeleteThat's a lot of new connections for you with people who only want the best life for you for the rest of your years. And I hope there will be many, many years.
ReplyDeleteWell hopefully three or more Elsie! But you never know when you reach your seventies.
DeleteA patient with a good attitude gets much better care. The staff has more confidence around you. In spite of great staff, I wish you didn't have to see them and that you have your good health back.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about being a nice patient.
DeleteWhile I agree with your gratitude for having received prompt professional care, do see if you can get someone other than the medical establishment to fill out your dance card (unless, of course your endocrinologist also includes at least Tango and Rhumba lessons in the appointment for no additional charge).
ReplyDeleteWill Jay
You lost me there Will. There was no dancing going on old chap.
DeleteThe dance card was a social convention at ballrooms where one would agree in advance to dance certain dances with a selected partner. It seems that at a certain part of life one's commitments become dictated by one's scheduled medical appointments - similar to the dance card.
DeleteWill Jay
I'm with Bob here - people in healthcare who do the work and really care are heroes.
ReplyDeleteAnd what Debra says is as true in Germany as it is in Canada and Britain.
I am glad that your experiences with NHS people have been good throughout.
You know - I never expected to be so impressed by the people I have met during my healthcare journey thus far.
DeleteOn my experience of NHS, going through a long process a few years back, it's great once you are on their books and list, being referred through a GP works well, it's at A&E where is all becomes a bottle neck and very frustrating, with the main blockage being at the other end, with such poor social care, people stay far longer than they need. Our NHS works are in the main such wonderful people, and like other sectors, teachers, police fireworkers, they are under valued.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the A&E "bottleneck" which happens for several different reasons.
DeleteWe should in the end be grateful that people in the NHS are there for us. More money, more doctors and more nurses are called for but I think the NHS will be ever expanding in the future. I think the community nurses scheme, a bit like the district nurse should be aimed for quickly. Less talk, more action.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also trust you will not have to experience too much medical care either.
District nurses and community hubs would take a big load off hard-pressed A&E departments and the ambulance service.
DeleteYes I waited 9 hours , but there was several in the waiting room for 24
ReplyDelete100 patients in a department built for 60 max
The staff did a Stirling job but they can do so much
It's not fair that the hard-pressed A&E staff should be under such relentless pressure.
DeleteLike you, I have nothing but praise for the NHS for the times I have had to use it. It is struggling to keep going at the moment and the tales I hear from Kay are worrying. She regularly works a 14-hour day (2 hours of that is unpaid overtime) for several days running. How she manages to cope I don't know. As she says, you cannot walk out of the door on time when someone is very sick and needs your attention. Something needs to be done soon. It's not so much more equipment that is needed but more staff.
ReplyDeleteBrexit did not help with staffing issues - quite the opposite.
DeleteSome bloggers denigrate the NHS. Yes, it has problems, but I wonder whether they have truly needed it. People do not want to pay what it costs. It is not expensive when measured against other countries. A short stay in hospital reveals what good value it is. I suppose we will continue to elect governments on the promise of low taxes and not funding things properly so we can continue buying oversized cars and foreign holidays.
ReplyDeleteIf you and I ruled the world, all would be well.
DeleteGreat people, overworked, understaffed, underpaid.
ReplyDeleteI agree that medical health care professionals are truly heroes. Whenever I am in the hospital or going for tests, I always make sure that I thank them and that I am pleasant. I don't think I could do their job.
ReplyDeleteNo one goes into health care to make the big bucks. Even over here, by the time student loans are paid for, the doctors do not make fortunes. And of course none of the other workers get paid nearly commensurate with everything they are expected to do.
ReplyDeleteI've always had good experiences with the hospitals and medical people in my area. I always try to be polite, patient, and grateful and I've always been treated nicely and with care.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people here (Alberta) bitch and moan about the high cost of health care, how it keeps going up. The cost of providing health care has gone up because we live longer. Governments around the world have known about the baby boomers and that population swell for decades and it should come as no surprise that we're all aging at the same time. With age comes diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis. With advances in cancer care, cancer patients are living longer as well. None of this should come as a surprise and yet it seems to be a surprise to people and governments. Really?
ReplyDeleteWhen my dad was born in 1920, the average of death was 64 years, now the average age of death for men is 81 years. Women usually live longer. That's a significant increase and with those extra years come diseases. Modern medicine can now extend life, but at a cost, not only in dollars, but also in quality of life. Are we actually going to fund health care to meet those needs?
I do like to hear that, both for you and as ballast against the ignorance here in the US. A whole lot of people,, most of them blissfully unaware, are about to find out that they voted themselves out of health insurance altogether.
ReplyDeleteGlad you feel that the care and communication has been good, as dealing with multiple health issues can be difficult enough "in itself". My experiences of our health care have varied a bit through the decades - but my few experiences from needing to visit the hospital A&E have been efficient enough (not involving endless waiting etc).
ReplyDeleteThe NHS is a wonderful, valuable system and a jewel that Britain should rightly be proud of. If only the government funded it as it needs to be funded. Where's that windfall of money that was supposed to come from Brexit, anyway?
ReplyDeletegod bless the nhs - let's remember we need to protect it and i, for one, am happy to pay some more taxes in order to do that!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Husband had heart surgery recently. He had to wait a long time but the staff are brilliant.
ReplyDelete