Nearly half of patients with ‘red flag’ cancer symptoms don’t contact GP for six months
Many with the most serious symptoms fail to see a doctor within half a year, as more deprived people less likely to get appointment
Really:
However, of the 48 per cent, nearly a quarter – 24 per cent – only made an appointment after contacting their practice more than once. A fifth – 19 per cent – tried to contact their practice but could not get through or could not get an appointment.
“ However, of the 48 per cent, nearly a quarter – 24 per cent – only made an appointment after contacting their practice more than once. A fifth – 19 per cent .
Surely a quarter of 48% is 12% and 19% is 9%?
At my health centre, by the time you’d finished listening to the epic post-covid recording on the phone, your condition would have deteriorated anyway.
If you’re strong enough to get past the receptionist you don’t need a doctor. It’s a hell of catch, that catch 22.
Ringing the GP here results in a sad/hilarious recording.
After 5 minutes of COVID BS, there comes a “if you’re having any of these symptoms, you may be having a heart attack or stroke. This is urgent, please hang up and call 999.”
Surely this should come before the COVID BS?
Fear.
It used to be the case, that symptomatic cancer sufferers reported late because they were afraid their symptoms were cancer.
Some people felt if they ignored it it would clear up, or anyway didn’t want to hear the bad news.
The last time I saw my doctor he was in Waitrose buying a sandwich.
I currently have a lung problem. Last time I tried to get a repeat prescription over the phone, the receptionist was so obstructive, it set of an attack of shortness of breath. Eventually I got my prescription. A couple of minutes later, I got a phone call sating the GP was so concerned about what the receptionist had told him, that I should dial 999. No, they should stop letting the tail wag the dog! I rang them back when my breathing allowed, and told them that if they had only done as I asked, the attack wouldn’t have happened. Grrr!!
Rather than try and phone for an appointment, I simply write a letter to my GP, outline my symptoms, and ask for advice. I then drop it off at the health centre which, fortunately, is on my exercise route. Over the years, several ailments, including basal cell carcinomas, where photographs were included with the letters, were identified and treated. I was told that this helps the GP, as they know the reason for the appointment without having to listen to a rambling preamble, and will have decided on specific questions. It especially worked well during the covid lockdowns when telephone appointments were felt appropriate. By the way, perhaps I am lucky as the receptionists at my health centre are pleasant, polite, and very efficient.
Scrap GPs. All of them. Have departments in hospitals which are based around the weird thing that is happening to your body. Like you have a lump, or you are shitting blood. Something that doesn’t seem right. And you get seen by a person trained in looking at that one thing, and that one thing only. No ears, no tongues. You are going to spend 3-6 months solely on lump diagnosis. How to go through a series of tests or observations, and how to diagnose 95% of cases and the other 5% go to a specialist with years, decades of experience. And then, you work in lump diagnosis where that’s what you do 40 hours a week, so in short time, you get really, really good at lump diagnosis, like GPs never do because they’re doing about 15 other things.
I mean, this is all that Adam Smith specialisation. Same as why you have IVR when you call into a call centre for a business, because they train people to deal with specific services.
BoM4
Excellent idea, and I look forward to a hospital sign saying “Shitting blood” in twenty-eight languages.
” No ears, no tongues. You are going to spend 3-6 months solely on lump diagnosis”
Tough shit on the poor bastard dealing with people shitting blood…
Dave Ward,
“Tough shit on the poor bastard dealing with people shitting blood…”
Just pay them more. Works for jobs on oil rigs and escorting.
A couple of weeks ago I rang my GP at about 9:30am. When the asked about the problem I said my dentist suggest a doctor look at a growth on my tongue, “can you come in at 10 to 12 was the reply.
Even during lock down getting to talk talk to a GP was no problem.
If I want a repeat prescription I go on line, select which one, leave a note that I want it delivering to our local post office and 3 days later it’s ready for collection.
Last time I checked 3 of the 4 doctors were part time.
GPs are awful. They’re just there to prevent you getting treatment. Compare with some other countries, like where my Missus is from.
UK Treatment –
“Well, I’ll have to refer you to a dermatologist. we can cut them out, but it’ll be a whole day surgery. And they aren’t a problem. And it’s years on waiting list.”
In wife’s country, no GP referral reqd, straight to dermatologist –
“Well, one of the two isn’t what they said. So has to be removed. The other we can do at the same time.”
“When can you do them?”
“Erm, now. Why are you sat there in shock? Up on the table. Want to watch? That’s fine. Nurse, drugs and scalpel.”
45 min later, done and dusted. Off I go all better.
Like what the actual fuck is the NHS playing at?
I was never that impressed anyway, but having been to a country with an actual functioning health system, I’m astonished at how bad it is here.
Clap for the NHS? Not a chance. Burn it to the ground, salt the earth, then burn it again.
@BoM4
Think again. Most NHS hospitals now many miles away from patients thus even more difficult to access than GPs
Pcar,
So are most opticians, but that seems to work. How do people get to Specsavers and why can’t that apply to going to get their other health problem looked at?
But you know, we could just pay to put old Mrs Miggins in a cab, or have people come round to see her, like Autoglass come to sort your windscreen. The point of creating an army of micro specialists is that we don’t have people paid £100K, but a lot less than that. And they know a good diagnosis route, so they aren’t having to waste time randomly guessing at a solution 2 or 3 times, and then referring to a specialist. This is about people turning up once and solving 90+% of problems, at least in terms of diagnosis and prescriptions.
What Chernyy Drakon says is how it should be. You know where the problem is, so why not go to a specialist on that thing? Why this ridiculous Dr Finlay crap from an era when leaving the village was a big deal?
BoM4
Opticians are scattered all over towns, cities same as chiropitists, phramarcies, GPs, Vets, shops and private clinics/hospitals.
NHS hospitals have been combined into giant monoliths many miles from most patients. Taxi? I’m in a city, nearest A&E is >£20 taxi fare each way. It used to be in city centre beside Uni & across road from school I attended
NHS is supposed to provide a Health Service easily accessable. It does the opposite
NHS: ~300,000 Medics and ~1.1 Billion admin/non-medics