The Appalling State of our National Health

Don’t know if you live in a part of the country where you can actually get to see a Doctor or might get a bed in a hospital instead of a corridor.

Unfortunately I live in Kent, for my sins, and we have one of the worst records for Corridor care in Hospitals.

There are too many people in this country.  We all expect far too much from the NHS which was originally set up to deal with basics in the 1940’s like broken limbs and tuberculosis.  Now we expect hugely complicated and expensive treatments for Cancer and other illnesses we hardly heard of 60 years ago.  

Apparently money is thrown at the NHS but much is wasted on bureaucracy.  I read that many of the IT Systems in the NHS do not ‘talk’ to one another.  We’ve lost our wonderful Matrons who paraded the wards with a senior Consultant and been given a huge bureaucratic empire who also don’t appear to talk to one another.  Just look at what heads of NHS Trusts earn!!  

I’ve experienced the days of Matrons when the wards were spotless, the hygiene beyond reproach and I am not sure but don’t think nurses were allowed to wear make up. That’s a bit extreme but I also think those wearing brush like eyelashes which could fall off into a wound or dressing, are not that good either 😀

So why am I bleating about this now. 

I am now an Oldie and am getting the ‘Oldie’s problems’ such as High Blood Pressure etc.  Although on a low dose of BP Pills, I recently had a sinus problem. The doctor prescribed a Nasal Spray which, when I finally read the huge page of instructions, should not be given to a person with HPB.

On Monday I had an horrendous Nose bleed lasting for a half hour.  It was frightening, especially as I live alone.  Eventually I managed to stop the bleed but the next day had a nasty experience - unpleasant and not nice to write about.

My surgery will no longer give you an appointment if you call.  The receptionist asks if you’ve filled in ‘EConsult’ which takes me (and I’m a touch typist) about 20 minutes to complete.  I did what I had to expecting an appointment.  What did I get - an internet link on how to deal with Nose bleeds and a Doctor appointment for 7th January.

In the great scheme of things a severe nose bleed is not very important although I did read that you can DIE of a nosebleed.  I wasn’t in danger of dying but as an oldie who lives alone, I was frightened and stressed.  My BP went up and my stress level remains high with the fear of a repeat performance.

I used to have the utmost respect for Doctors - that has been eroded by what I see as a lack of ‘consideration’ for the patient. I think it began with Covid when it was all too easy for Doctors to abrogate responsibility and to phone patients rather than see them Face to Face.  Of course, they can probably get through many more patients in a day by phone than actually having to see them and be exposed to their germs.😀

In the old days, when you visited a Surgery, there would be many bottoms on seats. When I visit to hand in a Prescription repeat form, it’s like the Marie Celeste with hardly any people in the lovely modern waiting room.  The surgery is a Wellness Centre which seems to be all singing and dancing with little substance. Am I being cruel - maybe.

As a footnote.  It would be lovely to be able to pay nurses and doctors a great deal more but we are broke so where is the money to come from. And I was very surprised when looking up Doctors’ pay that ours are paid more than in 7 other European countries and also higher than Australia (though living conditions are much better there but so is the cost of living)

The latest concessions by the Labour Government seem to be very generous.  I hope the doctors will ignore the BMA and not carry out their next threatened strike.  These strikes impoverish the NHS, annihilate any improvements, and do nothing to help the 1 in 5 patients being treated in corridors in A & E.  

In my opinion the NHS is a Sacred Cow and no longer fit for purpose.  I lived in Australia in the 60’s, my son lives there now.  They had the same system then as they do now.  If you are poor, you get your medical treatment for free which is as it should be. But as you earn more you pay more into the Health System.  I know they’ve got a relatively small population of 24 million which also means fewer people paying into a Health System but it works.