Author Topic: Fantastic Welsh NHS  (Read 1860 times)

AAO

Fantastic Welsh NHS
« on: 27 November, 2013, 10:05:59 pm »
Another big thumbs up from me.
After all my trials and tribulations, my GP thought that "with my history" I should "make contact" and be followed up after my plastic surgery by a consultant dermatologist. Today I travelled 56 miles to see her. She gave me a full body once over, not just my face and reconstructed nose, and amongst my many moles found a suspicious one, out of sight, on the back of my arm. "Seeing as you're here", she removed it within an hour of my original appointment time, stitched me up and sent me home. Fantastic!  :thumbsup:

I can't ride for two weeks, and then I'm good to go.

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #1 on: 29 November, 2013, 09:14:36 am »
I had the misfortune to pass a kidney stone while holidaying in mid Wales. The local hospital couldn’t ( or didn’t want to ) help me so I lay in an ambulance in pain to Wrexham. They gave me morphine and two Diclonefac tablets and told me I’d have to wait for the x-rays.
Four hours later ( before the x-rays. They didn't want to do them anyway ) the stone had passed and I was no longer in pain. Hearing this, I was discharged, at 23:30 at night in a town I didn’t know, without transport or a map to find accommodation.

Fantastic Welsh NHS.

The next kidney stone passed when I was at home. The Paremedics were round immediately and rushed me to Solihull A&E where I went straight through the scanner where I could see the stone on the screen image.
I was transported to Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham where I spent the night ‘under observation’. I was discharged and have had x-rays every June since ( 10 years ).

Now why was there such a difference in service? My postcode is B91.

AAO

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #2 on: 29 November, 2013, 12:34:12 pm »
Wrexham comes under the North Wales NHS.

The purpose of my post was to counter balance the tendency to only voice criticism about what I think is a great institution that is overwhelmingly staffed by highly skilled and caring people.
I realise that there are horror stories. However in my, unfortunately, vast experience, the NHS does an amazingly good job of keeping us all going through life's problems.

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #3 on: 29 November, 2013, 01:26:20 pm »
I had the misfortune to pass a kidney stone while holidaying in mid Wales. The local hospital couldn’t ( or didn’t want to ) help me so I lay in an ambulance in pain to Wrexham. They gave me morphine and two Diclonefac tablets and told me I’d have to wait for the x-rays.
Four hours later ( before the x-rays. They didn't want to do them anyway ) the stone had passed and I was no longer in pain. Hearing this, I was discharged, at 23:30 at night in a town I didn’t know, without transport or a map to find accommodation.

Fantastic Welsh NHS.

The next kidney stone passed when I was at home. The Paremedics were round immediately and rushed me to Solihull A&E where I went straight through the scanner where I could see the stone on the screen image.
I was transported to Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham where I spent the night ‘under observation’. I was discharged and have had x-rays every June since ( 10 years ).

Now why was there such a difference in service? My postcode is B91.

In the second case you hadn't 'passed the stone' because it could be seen in the scanner. That's why you were kept in.

In the first case they gave you appropriate treatment and the stone passed - so what is your beef?  That the hospital didn't put you up in a hotel?  Diddums.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Ruth

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #4 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:07:51 pm »
Well, I just read this awesome story.  It makes me feel so honoured to have worked with these people. 

There is not an insurance company on the planet that would allow a radiologist and a surgeon to perform this procedure, when it had never been done in the UK before.  The costs don't even bear thinking about.

But when you look at the picture of the patient and her husband, and think about the possible consequences of this procedure, or its absence, in their life and their family's, thank God the NHS is here and willing to do this.  Because these two don't look like the kind of folk who'd have top-notch insurance.  But imagine leaving this lady to die because she couldn't afford to pay.  Or their family being burdened with many lifetimes' worth of debt - for a diagnostic procedure, before treatment has even started.

Think on.  Do we really pay enough for this kind of service?  I really don't think so.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #5 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:15:14 pm »
Sorry, Ruthie, but what story? What was the operation? I think your post might be missing a link.

(Whatever it was, I agree with you generally that we don't pay enough to run the NHS - cos we don't really realise how valuable it is and we're all a bit too stingy and would rather spend it on other things. Until we really need it.)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Ruth

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #6 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:17:56 pm »
Whoops.  Montepulciano-related mis-click there.  Duly modified.  Cheers Cudzo.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #7 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:23:52 pm »
Thanks for the link! Yes, it's great. And it makes you realise how joined-up medicine is (or can be, or should be) - that the surgeon in Middlesbrough was able to use this technique thanks to a conference in America and needed the cooperation of various other specialists. I love the term 'nuclear medicine' btw!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Ruth

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #8 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:27:10 pm »
Thanks for the link! Yes, it's great. And it makes you realise how joined-up medicine is (or can be, or should be) - that the surgeon in Middlesbrough was able to use this technique thanks to a conference in America and needed the cooperation of various other specialists. I love the term 'nuclear medicine' btw!

In that case, I recommend talking to that MrBunbury, who works in the department of medical physics, and is therefore a RealDoctorTM and also a really lovely chap.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #9 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:30:00 pm »
But is he a Nuclear Doctor? I know he rides like a missile...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Ruth

Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #10 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:36:03 pm »
But is he a Nuclear Doctor? I know he rides like a missile...

He's a Microwave Doctor.  He can heal all your ills in a fraction of the normal time.  But you will look pale at the end of the procedure, and anything you wanted crispy will be merely limp.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Fantastic Welsh NHS
« Reply #11 on: 31 January, 2014, 07:40:52 pm »
But is he a Nuclear Doctor? I know he rides like a missile...

He's a Microwave Doctor.  He can heal all your ills in a fraction of the normal time.  But you will look pale at the end of the procedure, and anything you wanted crispy will be merely limp.
:D No good for a cup of tea then.

One of the Bristol YACF crew is a microwave medical protection specialist (not sure what the technical term is, he designs the radiological protection layers so only patients get x-rayed, not staff and random passers by). Put them in a room together, they should create a flash and a bang and cancel each other out! Maybe creating the very first YACF Higgs boson in the process!

(this post may contain traces of physical inexactitude)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.