Friday follies

Marginal delay getting these posted, sorry. I went straight out from work to get monumentally wasted so this is the first chance I’ve had. Deal with it!

Sandwich rules

Beware if ordering a sandwich in our place. They’ve actually got rules. They’re on the whiteboard opposite me:

• Sandwiches are ordered at 9:05
• No monetary notes accepted
• If you have ordered a "special" sandwich ensure you are available to collect it as they arrive so no-one else takes it
• Overpayments accepted
• No correspondance will be entered into
• Rob’s decision is final
• You are responsible for your own sandwich
• Your sandwich is at risk if you do not keep up repayments
• Rob is allergic to butter/cheese

I probably better add that the list is ©Babette (with revisions by Rob) seeing as they’ve gotten all legal on it.

Whinging at the NHS

As promised, I dropped a letter – actually an email – to the NHS in Bradford about my doctory problems:

I live on Whimbrel Close, about 50 yards from my local clinic (Lower Grange Medical Centre), so I should find it nice and easy to see a GP when needed. However, this just doesn’t seem to be the case.

Recently, it seems, someone “upstairs” has decided that I can no longer book an appointment in advance. There is only a doctor in attendance at the clinic 2 or 3 days out of 5 and on any of these days, appointments are purely “Ring on the day”.

I work full time and have recently started a new job. As such, I can’t go taking days off left, right, and centre on the hope that I’ll be able to see someone that day. Given that I have to try and get through a jammed switchboard at some point around 8:30am, the chances are slim.

If it’s possible for me to make a dental or optical appointment days or weeks in advance, why on earth is this no longer possible with my GP? We are constantly being reminded through the media that it’s worth having those little things checked up on to ensure they don’t get worse – skin blemishes, stomach complaints and so on. yet when we decide that perhaps seeing a GP may be a good idea, it’s next to impossible to do so for the simple reason that I have a job and don’t have the time to waste using the current, frankly pathetic, system.

This is supposed to be a National Health SERVICE. It seems I am more it its beck and call than it is at mine. Given that my National Insurance is paying for it, this seems remarkably unfair. While I appreciate that there have been problems in the past with patients failing to keep appointments, I regard the current solution (which I see this as) as a particularly harsh way of dealing with it.

I also believe that the NHS has targets to see any patients who require it within 24 hours of their request… so making all appointments “ring on the day” and thus only allow people to make appointments *within* that 24 hours is a particularly sneaky way of making figures look better. Sadly, it’s pretty useless when it comes to actually being a patient.

I note on the www.nyx.org.uk page that one of the main aims of the “Northern And Yorkshire Excellence” program is to “improve patient access to services (including waiting times, emergency care and critical care)”.

This is all very commendable, but if the best way you can think of is to make waiting lists at a GP finite in length by only allowing “ring on the day” then it’s a pathetically bureaucratic method. Of course the waiting lists won’t get too long if you stop people being added to them! Your figures will look great, but your patients will suffer.

All I want to do is book an appointment to see the doctor at a time which is convenient to me, and which I can arrange with my employer. Surely this cannot be too much to ask.

The staff at the health centre are, frankly, superb. From the receptionist through the nurses to the doctors themselves I have had absolutely no complaint with their manner or my treatment while I’ve been there. However, whoever makes these administrative decisions needs to sit down with the patients they’re inconveniencing and open their ears.

I also apologise for using the generic email address. Although the health centre I use is in the Bradford North/West region, I believe it it “controlled” by another which is in Girlington – Bradford Central. Hence, I’m not sure which sector to aim my concern at.

Any information you can give me would be appreciated. In particular – how on earth do I get to see a doctor without randomly using up my holiday allowance on the off-chance I can get an appointment?

Many thanks.

Lo and behold, not much more then an hour later I had a phone call from a young lady in the department. It seems that the decision to go with “ring on the day”, advance appointments or a mixture of both is one made by the individual practise managers. They’ve had a lot of negative feedback from patients of those practises which have gone down the “RotD” route and the phrase “not good enough” was used by her a few times.

With my permission, she’s forwarding the letter on to the relevant practise managers and will get back to me as and when. I hope I have done some good!

Housework

OK, folks. Here’s a list of things I’m getting done to the house. All things I want to do, most of which I have definite plans to do (finances allowing). What I’m after is feedback. Any problems you’ve had with similar things? Any cost-saving ideas? That kinda stuff. I already know not to use the same builder as Scary…

• remove bathroom radiator and replace with towel heater
• install loft ladder (already bought – needs fitted)
• additional power sockets (being done tomorrow)
• lighting in loft (also being done tomorrow)
• put loft flooring down
• replace skirting and put beading around in kitchen
• install additional bit of worktop in kitchen with rounded corner
• have a front porch built
• conservatory/extension around the back
• have garage built to replace shed/parking area
• redecorate spare room and turn into "multimedia room" for TV etc. Basically, just move the TV and stuff up there as it’s a nice rectangular shape and ideal for surround sound
• redecorate the front room, put wooden flooring down and install a pool table

Dad’s birthday

Argh. One week to go and still no flipping idea what to get him. *panic*