Anyone feel like the boy that cried wolf?

[lifeofbrian]

I have suffered much with the NHS, some good people, but they are getting few and far between.

UK medical staff are a very privileged bunch. I like how hospitals and surgeries have signs telling us to not be rude to them yet they can act however they feel towards us, when we are their bosses. I have noticed a steady decline over the years from all NHS staff, not that they were ever perfect, they're just people.

At my last few visits to 3 different GP's, they just sit their and laugh at me, I had one GP at my old surgery shout at me for asking her a simple question, as I walked back in to the waiting room you could tell that everyone heard it.

I went to my GP the other week, feeling physically bad, "it's anxiety" she said, But I've been much less anxious lately I said, "I don't think you have" said my GP. Wow, not only can my GP's look inside me and tell me things like, "you definitely have acid reflux" and from another GP, "you definitely don't have acid reflux", but this doctor can tell that I've been more anxious when my mind tells me that I'm less anxious.

I saw a doctor there a couple of years back, with a sore throat, I could hardly talk. She just sat there and said "it's anxiety". I made another appointment right away and told that doctor that was not good enough, he referred me to a specialist who said that my vocal chords where inflamed and not working properly, so the GP was full of it.

Now it seems though, now my file says "Health Anxiety" they never have to treat me for anything else again. My most trusted GP gave me a nice leaflet on health anxiety which basically starts by saying I'm wasting the doctors time.

I remember when my father was on his death bed after catching an infection in hospital in a hernia operation, I went to ask the nurses for something, they were all standing around chatting and laughing at the desk, about 6 of them, they all turned to look at me with such disgust for daring to interrupt them to ask for something for my father which their carelessness nearly cost him his life. That was the battle hospital in Reading, they closed it down, I wonder why.

I wont even mention how my mother died after she went in for tests......you read that correctly, after she went in for tests, they somehow managed to put her into a coma and she died a week later, I was 14.

The fact is, the NHS is a broken system, you get what you pay for, and because the GP is not paid directly from the patient, they can treat us however they like. They always have that sign that makes them feel like they're the victims, and us patients should be kissing the superbug infested ground they walk on.


p.s. I must add one ray of hope to this. In my last and only ever hospital stay, the staff were very nice, almost all were lovely and helpful. This hospital was rated the worst in the nation a few years back, it's now number two in the nation (last time I checked). The same as most modern privileged people, some NHS staff just need a good kick up the bum.I have noticed it slipping in some was already though.

[Catherine S]

I'm really sorry you had all of those bad experiences, but I don't think you can generalise about the NHS, some people will have bad experiences. ..it's what keeps those injury claim lawyers in work after all, so there is negligence in some places for sure. But the system is under tremendous pressure and I do think the government should be throwing money at it in buckets...getting rid of the bad management in some hospitals first as it's they who make the rules about spending, and i'm not talking about throwing money at the junior doctors because that's an area best left alone in this comment.

All I can say is the NHS does alot of great things and should be appreciated too, not everyone has a bad experience. You may have come away from your doctor's surgery angry, but at least you didn't have to pay to see them, nor for any tests you might have to have. Count yourself lucky you don't have the American health system. I live in Germany at the moment and while it's mostly run very similar to the NHS, we still have to pay towards some types of procedures and follow up treatments that are all free in the Uk, yet people here still pay for their health service from their salary in the same way we do in the UK. Be careful what you wish for!

Take care
ISB x

[swajj]

I'm in Australia so can't really comment on NHS. We have Medicare and I think it is a system that operates much the same as NHS. I think most doctors take symptoms seriously but when it comes to treating patients with HA they probably also become frustrated. I've been reading threads on here for years and it is apparent that most HA sufferers don't accept their doctors' diagnoses. As a past HA sufferer I know that when my HA was at its peak I didn't accept mine. There is always the nagging little voice that says "but what if the doctor missed something" or "I forgot to mention this symptom to the doctor and if I had he might have taken my concern more seriously". I agree with you that there are some people who really shouldn't be working in the health system, regardless of whether they are doctors, nurses, receptionists or whatever. But I believe that the large majority of people working in the health system are doing a good job.

[BikerMatt]

The NHS is such a great thing but it's poorly run. I know a lot of people who work within it, and the things they tell me how money and resources are wasted is incredible. I've spent a lot of time in hospitals with my parents and my partners parents in the last few years. The service they've had has been so hit and miss it's been very frustrating. My partners mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014 and everything was a balls up from the start until the day she passed away. My dad had major heart problems requiring surgery in 2015 and the service from start to finish was fantastic.

I'm with you on gp's they get on my tits! I don't suffer from health anxiety but I'm sure once you've got anxiety on your records your doomed. I don't go often but when I do it's never a pleasant experience. I went in December as I suffer with back problems. After my back was discussed I asked the gp to go over some blood test results I had done and he said he was pushed for time WTF! I was in the appointment for total of 5mins from start to finish! Also why shouldn't gp surgeries be open 7days per week everything else is! At least have a couple working if the surgery has 8 gp's they would work 1 weekend a month! They seem to have it easy whilst everybody else within the NHS are working their socks off.

[unsure_about_this]

Not really okay I been to the GP a number of times in the last couple of years, because I have worried about cancer, I have had a few tests done and scans, but sometimes I did not trust what the GP said like it IBS

Earlier last year I was referred under the two week ruling because a lump my GP thought he felt down below, very very unsure thankfully not serious

I know it going to get harder for everybody to get GP appointments up to four weeks

[pulisa]

I would much prefer a GP to be to the point with me if he/she thought my fears were HA- related. I think GPs should be tough with people who don't accept a diagnosis despite tests which show that they are healthy but typically "worried well". I'm not suggesting that they should be rude but just firm and certainly they shouldn't offer appointments just to talk things over/offer reassurance/refer for more tests. GPs play a part in enabling HA too and they need to cut down on referrals based on asking the patient what tests they would like??!! I've had this happen to me and it's ludicrous. Tests should be based on clinical need not emotional need in my opinion.

[KeeKee]

I agree with Pulisa that GP's need to be tough (although not rude), can you remember all the hassle years ago that GP's were just handing out antibiotics like sweets, even when they didn't feel like the patient needed them! I have a lovely GP who I think will tell me when I'm being silly, but will also take me seriously and not say 'anxiety' for every daft little thing like some would. For example your sore throat, it's silly really. My GP doesn't say 'anxiety' when I mention aches and pains etc they say that it's posture or because I'm a woman etc.

I do know of somebody who was put off as having IBS when it was in fact cancer, I do know of somebody who had hypercalcemia for many years and the doctor regarded it as 'normal' (it wasn't and required a thyroid op).

I definitely go to the doctors too much (I also suffer with depression and do have acne so not always for health anxiety) and worry one day I'll be that 'Boy who cried wolf', for example I know non anxious people who have had tests for the things I've been told are nothing, but I trust my GP. If your GP is rude I'd suggest a change of surgery as there are some lovely GP's out there.

[cattia]

I've generally had good experiences with GPs, but I think the relationship we have with them is better if we are up front about our anxiety. With mine, I tell him that I have anxiety over a particular issue, and I ask him to be honest with me about whether he would refer a non anxious patient with the same symptoms for more testing. I think what can cause a breakdown in the relationship with GPs is when we refuse to tackle the anxiety, even if it does exist alongside physical health problems.
I know of many people including family members of mine who work in the NHS and they work incredibly hard under very difficult conditions, like all public sector workers. There is certainly mismanagement, but the bigger problem is chronic under funding, and this is particularly the case for adult mental health services. Personally I feel we are very lucky to have the NHS, and we always have the option in this country of getting private health cover if we think that the service would be better for us.

[Gary A]

The NHS is what rushed my father to hospital during a severe heart attack, it gave him an emergency stent, clot busting medication and as a result of that, I still get to go for a beer with him.

It has given him a superb level of aftercare, ranging from giving him dietary advice and information, free gym passes and a personal trainer to guide him through his rehabilitation. In 6 months he has went from a life threatening heart attack back to a fully functioning 56 year old man who works hard, socialises just as hard and is basically back to normal.

You see how stories range with the NHS, based on personal experience? Of course there are flaws, of course you'll get A-hole GP's and ignorant nurses, the system employs such a volume of people that there will be the wrong type somewhere within it.

The NHS is not a broken system, it's a constant work in progress. For every misdiagnosis there are countless accurate diagnosis and succesful treatment. Of course, healthcare should be an endless pursuit of perfection, but realistically that's all it ever will be, a pursuit. One would hope that as it progresses, it will consistently improve.

[swajj]

I always told any medical professional that I had to deal with that I had health anxiety. I found that rather than treating me as if I were mentally ill they took more time to explain things to me. I have 2 nurses in my family and they are both hardworking and compassionate. It's nice to hear a positive story like the one about your father Gary. I lost my mum to heart disease but she had it for many years before she died. She didn't have private medical cover but she was under one of the top cardiologists in Sydney for over 15 years. Medicare made this possible.

[pulisa]

Refusal to acknowledge that you have HA is a big problem and certainly helps clog up the system of GP appointments. Other than refusing to see regular HA attendees I'm not sure what GPs can do-there would be an uproar if this were to happen.
On my local radio station there is a campaign by GPs getting everyone to make an appointment if they experience "worrying " symptoms-it's just a green light for HA patients.

[Primula]

My GP's know I have Anxiety about my health, but I don't feel that their treatment of me has been any different. They've sent me for blood tests when appropriate and I'm glad they don't refer me for unnecessary investigations. It would bring the already stretched system to a standstill if we were all sent for further testing every time we had a symptom.
I try to be honest with myself, that I do have hypochondria, and I try not to make an appointment with my doctor everytime I have a symptom. I think most GPs are very hardworking, and have done many years training to get where they are. They should be paid well, our lives are in their hands. Of course you are going to get people that aren't very good at their jobs, but that's the same everywhere.
The surgery I attend is struggling to get new GPs to come to the area, and I know that they sometimes see many more patients in a day than they should have to. It's all very well wanting 7 day opening times, but where are the GPs and the money to pay them going to come from.
Bottom line is, we can't all be saved from everything. That's just the way life is.:)

[axolotl]

GPs are scientists, and I suspect that while they may treat known HA sufferers with healthy scepticism, they also know that having HA makes you no less likely to suffer from a real illness and everything should be taken case-by-case.

[MyNameIsTerry]

There will be issues on both sides here. And some doctors may get frustrated with their workloads and sometimes let it slip. Some doctors are unpleasant people, so naturally they aren't going to be nice people in their work.

Yes, there is tons wrong with the NHS whether in diagnosis or up to governance. I used to think it was just mental health but over the last 5 years I've seen so many basic errors it must point to GP's not even honouring their licence in keeping current. It must be hard to do that though when you are under pressure.

GP's do need to modernise though but more of them are needed in many cases. My surgery has gone the opposite way and cancelled the morning walk-in service which was going before I was born. It was a big selling point for this old surgery, one of the oldest in this city, but they can't recruit suitable GP's. That's a bit worrying when you consider failed candidates may be recruited elsewhere. It's also not as simply as they said in the local chip paper since they didn't explain how GP's like mine had gone part time for career reasons or that some GP's had left years ago. There must be something wrong there that the NHS needs to address for them.

Couple that with increased population, which is a big issue for all services, and the cracks only get bigger.

They are great with emergency care. They are great with life threatening treatment like cancer, heart conditions, etc. General and elective is where it often falls apart.

But aside from cutting down on NHS waste, which there will be lots off, the basic issue (leaving aside immigration) is money. We all want better but try adding 1% to tax and the country is in an uproar. If we could guarantee the waste was gone first, a tax increase would be worth it to me to ensure better care. It's cheaper than insurance that way.