Ralph’s Place

Back again, and this time taking on the NHS… it’s too easy

As someone who rents accommodation and moves around quite a bit, I know how much of a hassle it can be to go and see a GP. If you’ve not registered locally yet you need to first make an appointment to do that - fine, but why do I have to wait 2 weeks to get an appointment I can make? Only then can you make the appointment, a further week into the future.

Ok, so it might not be this bad for everyone, but it’s still too much of a headache! So here’s my “suggestions” as to how the GP services can be fixed:

• Forget registering! I’ve registered at 3 different surgeries in the last 3 years, and each time it’s been exactly the same. Name, Address, Wee, BP all gets recorded on a system, then you make an appointment to actually see the doctor. Registration should be a ONE TIME thing! The pros of a central database of patient information far outweigh the cons, so get it done, it’s really not that hard!
• Once registered centrally, I should have “my doctor” but be able to make appointments at any surgery if I need to. Since “my doctor” can only be near where I live, I can only make appointments to see them out of work hours except in more urgent cases. Surely it makes sense for me to make an appointment to see someone nearer where I work? Then I could just pop out for an hour over lunch, or skip lunch and take an hour in the afternoon… easier for all!
• Online booking! One system, with a simple interface. You put in a postcode, time, and some identifying information (NHS number and name etc), you’re presented with a list of available slots on given days at various nearby surgeries, you pick one and just like that, it’s booked. This also means you can review available times against your calendar without wasting 10 minutes of someone’s time on the phone! If you want to see “your doctor” (I should point out at this point that I can remember only once occasion since I was 12 years old that I actually saw “my doctor”) then the system would have an option to only search their schedule - because the system knows who you are, and therefore knows you “your doctor” is. Easy.
• Missed appointments are costing the NHS thousands of pounds every day, and depriving other patients of time with a doctor. So, cut them down and claw money back by charging the patient for the doctor’s wasted time. Why should the NHS foot the bill for missed appointments? Also, why not help avoid them by having the booking system send the patient a text message reminder on the day of their appointment? Genius!
• And one last thing, slightly unrelated but it bugs me… educate patients! Antibiotics are not a “cure-all” solution. In fact, the majority of flu-like symptoms are caused by a virus, which is unaffected by antibiotics. Introducing more and more antibiotics into the system just reduces their effectiveness as our bodies and bacteria adapt and get used to them. In America, penecillin is now mostly ineffective because of this. I think most patients would be receptive to a bit more explanation when doctors chose a course of treatment, why it’s been chosen, and why other options have been dismissed… of course maybe that’s just me

First game in about 8 years, didn’t bowl but made 27no at number 2 (rules meant I had to retire at 25, but could have returned if enough wickets fell). 5 fours and a six in that knock, and we won by 3 runs on the last ball. Quite pleased with that

On top of that it was a glorious evening, wonderful pitch and there was free bar and bbq afterwards… I should play more often!

I realised today that I’ve been away every weekend for the last 8 weeks (yes, I counted right and I can’t believe it either!), and - looking at my calendar - probably going somewhere for the next 7 or 8 too counting holidays!

Despite this though, I’m actually thinking about something different. Without wanting to get too philosophical, it does feel sometimes that everything we do is just another step on a longer journey. Another short term goal met on the way to that long term ambition, which opens the door to a new oportunity, and then something else… and repeat ad infinitum - well, sort of.

A new job or role could be a big step forward, but it’s still just a step towards your dream job, which in itself is still a conduit to securing your future financially and eventually retiring (when life actually begins! ).

The same with a new flat. Moving from one rented flat to the next is another year or so on the road to finally buying. Buying your first house is a step onto the housing ladder… one day you might buy your dream home?

At the moment I’m wondering whether recognising and accepting this helps you enjoy the journey more, or whether it resigns you to actually always travelling without being content about where you are right now. Good thing? Bad thing? I guess it depends on who you are…

It was only a matter of time before I decided to moan about this. Having done nigh on 900 miles in the last 3 weeks I’ve seen enough terrible motorway driving to last me a lifetime!

So my latest “suggestion” is to require that anyone who wants to drive on the motorway pass a separate test in order to do so. As it stands at the moment, you become a fully qualified driver when you pass your standard driving test, having done no motorway driving at all! In fact it’s not unthinkable that you will have done less than an hour on a major dual carridgeway and yet the whole motorway network is now open to you.

If you had to pass another test (or at least take some additional training), that would hopefully filter out at least some of the following habits:

- Sitting in the middle/fast lane despite the lane(s) to your left being completely clear for at least a mile!
- Undertaking a line of traffic because the fast lane just isn’t going fast enough (try looking ahead a bit, spot the lorry that’s actually causing the hold up… don’t dangerously undertake and then cut back in front of someone - who by the way, has left a safe distance between them and the car in front FOR A REASON! Jackass)
- Driving 3 feet behind the car in front because they (or could it be all the f**king traffic) isn’t going fast enough. (Back off, or feel the pain of an insurance claim when someone finally gets fed up and taps their brakes just to see if you’re awake.)
- Not indicating when changing lanes… in either direction! (Are we supposed to guess when you’ll feel the need to pull out in front of us?)
- Assuming indicating that you’re changing lanes is enough to actually perform the manouver regardless of what space is actually available to you! (yes, I really was leaving more than 5 yards between me and the car in front just for you… it had nothing to do with safe reaction distances or anything like that… that’d be stupid)