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Anyone else feel like the NHS almost doesn't exist for them any more?

Like that is anything to do with the shopfloor staff....we have always had an age restriction on energy drinks of 16yrs
Shops manage to prevent sales of alcohol to under 18s, there's no reason why energy drinks should be any different really. The issue is that an awful lot of people don't understand the problem right now, but I'd assume any tightening of the law would also involve a fair amount of publicity that would help address that.
 
All prescriptions should be free at the point of delivery.
why ? the only argument for that and loading the price into the general taxation take from the nHS is to reduce a small part of the Prescrption Pricing Agencies work , unless you propose buying out EVERY retail pharmacy in the UK and making their staff Direct NHS employees
 
I don’t think the pricing of prescription season tickets is high at £100 or so. Free provision of those might as well be means tested as linked to specific conditions. I get mine free now, but there’s no particular reason why I should.
 
why ? the only argument for that and loading the price into the general taxation take from the nHS is to reduce a small part of the Prescrption Pricing Agencies work , unless you propose buying out EVERY retail pharmacy in the UK and making their staff Direct NHS employees
BIB - minus Wales and Scotland.
 
I was surprised to learn that my BIL pays for each of his 11 prescriptions for his lifestyle-related conditions
 
because you direct equines to places of aqueous hydration but you cannot compel them to imbibe

Even so, that’s a staggering level of price insensitivity.

My pharmacist’s motorbike courier has just come round with the usual monthly goody bag, including the codeine that I’ve twice asked the surgery to take off the regular list as I have enough already in my pill safe to treat and constipate a dozen elephants. I don’t care enough to keep making a huge fuss about it, and the pharmacist gets to pad out the order and recoup more of the courier costs. Somewhere, the system of incentives to reduce waste could be improved. I get how the NHS effectively pays a license fee for proprietary drugs, so a few wasted packs here and there are irrelevant, but there must be savings on generics.
 
Even so, that’s a staggering level of price insensitivity.

My pharmacist’s motorbike courier has just come round with the usual monthly goody bag, including the codeine that I’ve twice asked the surgery to take off the regular list as I have enough already in my pill safe to treat and constipate a dozen elephants. I don’t care enough to keep making a huge fuss about it, and the pharmacist gets to pad out the order and recoup more of the courier costs. Somewhere, the system of incentives to reduce waste could be improved. I get how the NHS effectively pays a license fee for proprietary drugs, so a few wasted packs here and there are irrelevant, but there must be savings on generics.

My pharmacist constantly adds tramadol to my order when I request repeat prescriptions. It has no effect on me at all so I have literally dozens of large boxes of it. I don't think it's anything nefarious though, it's just an error.
 
why ? the only argument for that and loading the price into the general taxation take from the nHS is to reduce a small part of the Prescrption Pricing Agencies work , unless you propose buying out EVERY retail pharmacy in the UK and making their staff Direct NHS employees
Why?
Because the principle of universal socialised healthcare is to make healthcare free at the point of delivery. That should, of course, apply to any medications or treatments prescribed and did, until Gaitskell ditched it to spend on the Korean War instead.
 
Even so, that’s a staggering level of price insensitivity.

My pharmacist’s motorbike courier has just come round with the usual monthly goody bag, including the codeine that I’ve twice asked the surgery to take off the regular list as I have enough already in my pill safe to treat and constipate a dozen elephants. I don’t care enough to keep making a huge fuss about it, and the pharmacist gets to pad out the order and recoup more of the courier costs. Somewhere, the system of incentives to reduce waste could be improved. I get how the NHS effectively pays a license fee for proprietary drugs, so a few wasted packs here and there are irrelevant, but there must be savings on generics.
this is why many ICBs continue to share the reluctance the CCGs had to pharmacy initiated repreat prescribing , and insist that most people put their repeats in themselves on a periodic basis
 
why ? the only argument for that and loading the price into the general taxation take from the nHS is to reduce a small part of the Prescrption Pricing Agencies work , unless you propose buying out EVERY retail pharmacy in the UK and making their staff Direct NHS employees
Why? an awful lot of prescriptions are free now, pensioners, children, pregnant mums, the unemployed the list goes on and on, pharmacists just claim the cost back from the government for those surely they could claim back the cost for all prescriptions.
The prescription fee is just an admin fee that doesn't really bear any relation to the cost of the drugs. Make everyone pay full cost or let everyone have them free otherwise you're just adding extra cost in policing the system which doesn't add any value.
 
Why? an awful lot of prescriptions are free now, pensioners, children, pregnant mums, the unemployed the list goes on and on, pharmacists just claim the cost back from the government for those surely they could claim back the cost for all prescriptions.
The prescription fee is just an admin fee that doesn't really bear any relation to the cost of the drugs. Make everyone pay full cost or let everyone have them free otherwise you're just adding extra cost in policing the system which doesn't add any value.
here;s the point the PPA would still exist and adminstering paid for prescriptions is a fairly minor part of their work , so it wouldn;t be a big saving - which potentially bringing community pharmacy in house could be if you exclude the CapEx - after all this is why Acute trusts , community trusts and the ambulance service use NHS Supply chain for everything from bog rolls, 'tovali' squash and cleaning clothes through to expensive electronics and whole ambulances ...
 
I was surprised to learn that my BIL pays for each of his 11 prescriptions for his lifestyle-related conditions

Has he not heard of a prepayment cert?

 
here;s the point the PPA would still exist and adminstering paid for prescriptions is a fairly minor part of their work , so it wouldn;t be a big saving - which potentially bringing community pharmacy in house could be if you exclude the CapEx - after all this is why Acute trusts , community trusts and the ambulance service use NHS Supply chain for everything from bog rolls, 'tovali' squash and cleaning clothes through to expensive electronics and whole ambulances ...
But a) it would be a saving and even here no-one objects to rational ones and b) it would be fairer and in line with what the NHS is supposed to be
 
The large cyst on the back of my head is a permanent reminder of the solitary useful thing the NHS could have done for me and they want me to shell out hundreds to have it removed privately.

I have been massively failed and permanently injured by the NHS / medical meat-mincer that is not intended for people like me who have near-perfect health. My last interaction was over a year ago when some locum I'd never previously encountered attempted to construct a hypertension narrative on the phone based on sketchy data ... the "diabetes" one from 2019 is at least useful for getting free vaccinations ...
I learned earlier today that when they go for preventive health measures in France they'll do it properly and wire and hose you up on a static bike - so if I'm offered that (and doubtless my dietary proclivities will give them added incentive) I'll have them add a glucose stress test to finally get that nonsense off my record..
 
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Worrying. Hopefully, there will be a full explanation:

"A hospital is being probed after the body of a patient was discovered in a kitchen oven.

The man's remains were found in the catering appliance at Kettering General Hospital. Police were called on Friday (6 September 2024) following the disturbing discovery, with the reason why the man ended up in the over still a mystery ..."

Patient found dead in hospital catering oven as detectives probe mystery
 
I was sent an appointment by text and email today ( which my client base would not have a clue about ). Because I am in a new job and the appointment is about 90
minutes away in the middle of the day I wanted to change it. Could I call them, nah. Send a text declining appointment etc. Several texts later I have been
sent a new appointment which is no better. At no time could I speak to anyone or negotiate a time.
 
When i lived in Camberwell, with my step daughter, the NHS sent an appointment for her, by mail, to the wrong address, not once, but several times. We got them eventually, but not till it was too late, and even though it was not our fault, they struck her off the waiting list or non-attendance. This was when New Labour were in power and the NHS was supposed to be all brilliant at the time, but it clearly wasn't - not in south London anyway. I didn't even have a GP when i lived in Camberwell as there was only one for our area and they were well over subscribed. Its probably why my late onset seasonal asthma got so bad before it was diagnosed. I made it through two winters and nearly died, and finally got it diagnosed by taking myself into Woolwich Hospital A&E via taxi, when i couldn't walk across the room any more without being massively out of breath.
 
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Having a nice day are you? :D
yes demand a referral because GPs are now gatekeepers and send you out with nothing unless you ask for it. And then serious illness gets missed, sometimes fatally, and always painfully. Many experiences come to mind of me, friends and family.
Most recent for me if I didn't change GP and keep asking for a referral (twice blocked by existing GP) I would still be suffering with my condition which the GP dismissed outright. Now have full recovery.
A friend recently had her condition booted out of the surgery and only six months later got a referral after saying it wasn't going away - guess what, it was cancer. I have other examples. So yes demand a referral if you think you need one.
prime example of what im talking about

 
prime example of what im talking about

There has been a huge drive in my area to raise awareness regarding prostate cancer. Personally driven by the surgical urology consultant - a black man. He does a seminar, open to tge public and his leaflet comes through my door.

Also over the last five years or so I have definitely noticed an increase of black men coming in for a RALP (Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Prosectomy) and other prostate related procedures.
So awareness is increasing.
 
My pharmacist constantly adds tramadol to my order when I request repeat prescriptions. It has no effect on me at all so I have literally dozens of large boxes of it. I don't think it's anything nefarious though, it's just an error.
I used to take that for unofficial mental illness-related self-medication purposes, and quickly became addicted. I would take large amounts. Withdrawal was an absolute bastard, especially when having to hold down a job.
 
There has been a huge drive in my area to raise awareness regarding prostate cancer. Personally driven by the surgical urology consultant - a black man. He does a seminar, open to tge public and his leaflet comes through my door.

Also over the last five years or so I have definitely noticed an increase of black men coming in for a RALP (Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Prosectomy) and other prostate related procedures.
So awareness is increasing.
If I've understood the article this is about how even with that extra public awareness GPs are blocking and gatekeeping the tests required .... A common pattern
 
My GP is normally pretty good but the system they use for booking appointments is bizarre. I saw a GP last week who said I needed to book a blood test at reception on my way out. The receptionist looked at the computer and said they didn't have anything for a month (for a blood test FFS) but that she could see there were appointments available next week on the NHS app but that she was not able to book one for me. So I took out my phone and booked an appointment while standing there. I assume if I hadn't registered for the NHS app or didn't have a smartphone, I'd have had to wait another three weeks :confused:
 
Just been in to the gp to queery Why I havnt had a covid/flu jab offer though my girlfriend with the same GP and address has (I think I mentioned already that I got a jab offer addressed to me here at my present address to go back to my old surgery 70 miles away..duh). (we moved here about a year ago..went in receptionist asked why I should have one as Im not old enough..sigh...here we go again

Me: ok I have medical conditions
She: What are they?
Me: wont that come up when I give you my details?
She: well um whats your D.O.B...ETC
Me: gives details
She: Glares at screen for 30 seconds and declares nothing found

I've been with them for a year now and they give me a prescription that covers my ailments every month

System is Broken in many ways but Its disingenuous to dismiss that sometimes its down to the people suppossedly working in it
 
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