What the Hell have we come to ?.

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Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

This Thursday, I have to have a Cataract Op on my right eye. Not concerned, HOWEVER I need to have eye drops in the eye, to keep in clean, and assist the healing process of the implant. I think the drops have to be administered 3 to 4 times a day....No Problems?,,I wear glasses, How can I see what I am doing with the eye drops, when I cant see just how close I am to the eye to put the drops in ?. The obvious answer you would say, would be to get a friend etc to do it. I live alone, have no friends or family to do this simple task.so as I dont hit or dislodge the implant.
Yesterday I visited my GP of 41 yrs, and told them, as I cannot drive for some time, could one of their many nurses at the surgery, put the eye drops in my eye, if I could get to the surgery, an emphatic NO, we are too busy!!.
Telling Tony T who phones me every night for a chat we came up with things like District Nurse visits, DSS, and one or two more ideas.
This morning I spent a great deal of the morning phoning all the places Tony suggested but with no success.
Tony managed to find out as to why my GPs practice was so busy they couldnt find the time,(All of the blink of an eye) to do it.
It would appear from the Stats Tony came up with that we have Chinese, Africans, Polish, Ukranians, Lithuanians, Congolese, and some other Nationalities which are bogging the health system down,
Now whilst I have no axe to grind with all these others, I have paid all my Taxes, never been out of work in my life, but now in my time of need from the NHS I am just cast aside. I know what I would realy like to say on here, but...............
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Original post

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

You pay your taxes and national insurance for those who are in need at the time you are paying.
It's not an insurance scheme. A fact few people seem able to comprehend.

As for the rest, be good to see some actual data before thinking about commentating. For example; what's the data that shows the other nationalities are the cause of the "bogging down" in your region / GP's surgery?

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

At the risk of seeming smug - certainly not my intention - I too wear specs and have to self administer drops daily and because the dropper is so close to the eye I do not have a problem. Is it worth a try?:)

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

You pay your taxes and national insurance for those who are in need at the time you are paying.
It's not an insurance scheme. A fact few people seem able to comprehend.

As for the rest, be good to see some actual data before thinking about commentating. For example; what's the data that shows the other nationalities are the cause of the "bogging down" in your region / GP's surgery?

Well, Mr SNAFU for your information, I still at 74 STILL pay my Income Tax back into the system,so IMHO I should be entitled to a smidgeon BACK by help from the NHS as part of my Income Tax keeps the NHS afloat, Whats the system like in Luxembourg?. As for the facts, perhaps TonyT may be goood enough to put the facts down on the Forum.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

At the risk of seeming smug - certainly not my intention - I too wear specs and have to self administer drops daily and because the dropper is so close to the eye I do not have a problem. Is it worth a try?:)

Your not being smug Chas at all, my worry is that I may touch and dislodge the implant or cause damage. Once things settle down, then I too may have no trouble as you. No doubt when you first started your good lady was there to guide you.
It realy PI**SES me off when clever s*ds like SNAFU come up with his usual stupid, inane remarks.I forgot to add Chas, I have a cataract in my left eye, which affects my vision. This will be Operated on as soon as the Consultant is satisfied the right eye is O.K. then back on the good old waiting list. I must admit, they were quick to get me in this week, it's ONLY been 6 months since I was put on the waiting list.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

Who said you aren't / shouldn't be entitled to healthcare? The idea that years spent paying into the system somehow equate to an entitlement is wrong that's all.
In Lux you have to pay at the point of delivery and then claim to receive a proportion back from the caisse de maladie.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

Your not being smug Chas at all, my worry is that I may touch and dislodge the implant or cause damage. Once things settle down, then I too may have no trouble as you. No doubt when you first started your good lady was there to guide you.
It realy PI**SES me off when clever s*ds like SNAFU come up with his usual stupid, inane remarks.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Thanks Lincoln. You post things on an open forum and then get upset at some responses. Interesting. Seems you have a few problems my friend.

Have you explained your concerns to the doc / staff at the surgery or did you simply ask them to do the job for you with no explanation?

Perhaps if you haven't you could try that and see if the doc can give you some reassurance that you don't risk dislodging or damaging the implant?

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

WHY don't you read my O,P, I stated I had been to my Drs Yesterday, they are well aware of my situation. And yes, there is a chance that damage or displacement could be caused if the dropper touches the implant.I visited again today, and told him that I had done my utmost to try and get help but to no avail, reply?, "If you cannot manage it, I SUPPOSE we will have to sort something out" FFS what do they and the several nurses work there for. They could even do it, the Nurses between seeing patients.
When I went for an assesment at the Hospital where the Op is being done, I had to have drops put into my eyes prior to seeing the Consultant, The SISTER in charge of the Opthalmic Clinic stated she would put the drops in whilst I was waiting, I sat in a chair, leaned back, and she MISSED the eye, and the drops ran down the side of my nose!! You just couldn't make it up, although I did see the funny side of it at the time.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

So surely you just hold your eye open and let rip from a suitable safe height until enough liquid has hit the target and not worry about the collateral?
Can understand if you are pretty much blind and the dropper could be 10cm off to one side rather than within a cm or two of the target centre but other than that instance, crack on.
Do you want me to tell you the anecdote about my piles and the cream? Was a right bu**er applying that.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Prat.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

Directed at me? Thanks.
I'm presuming that you are the chap Lincoln noted had information relevant to his opening comments? Care to share?

Member for

12 years 8 months

Posts: 851

I am not sure which stats that Tony T found for you, but a much more significant issue causing pressure in primary care in the NHS than immigrants is the ageing (mostly indigenous) population and the multiple conditions that are being successfully managed for longer. Please do not take this as a personal comment, this will vary around the country and I am not suggesting that it is your own fault that this pressure has caused your particular problem at your surgery

I have just asked one of the Gp's in the surgery where I have worked and her reaction was that they have had similar issues with patients in the recent past and via the surgery supporting the request, the district nurse team administered the drops.

Primary care deals with 90% of encounters (horrible term but it conveys the idea of contacts) with approximately 9% of the NHS budget. The aim is to get this to 11% by 2017.
Chronic conditions afflict 25% of the population, and this 25% take 50% of GP appointments (and from my own experience of working in a GP surgery more than 50% of the Nurse appointments) and 70% of the primary care and hospital budgets.

From a paper from NHS England
"15.4 million people in England (over a quarter of the population) have a long term condition, and an increasing number of these have multiple conditions (the number with three or more is expected to increase from 1.9 million in 2008 to 2.9 million in 2018). People with long term conditions use a significant proportion of health care services (50% of all GP appointments and 70% of days spent in hospital beds), and their care absorbs 70% of hospital and primary care budgets in England."

http://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/out-frwrk/dom-2/

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Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
While some as you have mentioned view it as an insurance none the less when you need assistance it sticks in your throat when they pretty much tell you to fend for yourself when you clearly are in need of some assistance especially if you are still paying or have paid into the system all your working life. I think it's taken as read that while you work you are paying for others who actually need the NHS it's the being waved away part that is pissing people off, what is really 4king the NHS is an accumulation of problems not to mention ever tighter budget constraints especially on each individual surgery i.e. Immigrants who have no paid into the system/People of the Indigenous population who have not worked (Because they have no intention) not paid into the system/NHS tourists/Operations that are not really part of illnesses such breast enlargement/Reverse Vasectomy's etc./Drug & Alcohol Abusers being treated etc.etc.etc. the list goes on.
I suppose you can include the failed attempts of upgrading the PC system also that cost the tax payer millions, like I said probably a culmination of many factors the only thing I would add hat is how you would feel when treatment as the patient from the so call NHS employees as a caring profession ? that are for what ever reasons not giving you or any of your relatives. Just bring it down to that personal level and until you have had this experience such Jim has had you will never truly know how would you feel if you thought I should be dealt with better than this.
Yes the NHS is there as a safety net only these days that net seems to have a few moth holes in it by way of Abuse and bad management from all governments:mad:

Geoff.

Member for

13 years

Posts: 2,841

Jim nice to know what some members think of us senior drain in the budget citizens and as TonyT rightly says Snafu is a prat don't take the bait!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,211

A little practical suggestion here-might or might not be helpful.
Get in touch with RNIB. You won't be the first to have this problem and they may be able to offer some helpful advice or at least point you in the right direction. Worth a try perhaps. Helpline number is 0303 123 9999

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

Der. Many thanks for the information, I will be phoning them first thing tomorrow, however, I MAY have found the solution. This is a very well known problem and more common than folks think, until it happens to them.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

Jim nice to know what some members think of us senior drain in the budget citizens and as TonyT rightly says Snafu is a prat don't take the bait!

Its not just members on here Paul, but I think that once you have retired, everyone just thinks your just a waste of space, worse still, they try and make it bleedin obviouse you are.Once again, we are just a number.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

trekbuster.Tony was referring to my own Drs surgery. regarding just how many ethnic variants there were in "MY" Drs Practice.

Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

I do agree with what you have stated Geoff, and having been in and out of Hospitals, more times than a Gopher in and out of it's bolt hole, all I can say is, bring back the OLD fashioned Matron where even Drs doing their rounds had to have her permission to go onto HER Ward.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,211

I hope you can get your problem solved. Would be interested to hear what the practical solution is.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I fear that this experience is symptomatic of the main failing of the NHS, which is now managed by managers for managers rather than a service dominated by clinicians and support staff overseen by a light managerial touch.

But Snafu is right in one sense - both politicians and the public have to understand that what we have been used to for the last 70 years is simply no longer affordable with an increasingly ageing population with hugely increasing demand on resources. Beveridge could never have anticipated it.