The NHS
Posted: 30 Dec 2018, 12:58
Just thought I'd post a little story and heap praise on the often-maligned flagship health service we have here in the UK.
Over the course of last week, my wife noticed an issue that was getting steadily worse and, on Thursday morning, the day after Boxing Day, decided to phone for an appointment to see the GP. By 12:10 the same day, she was seeing that GP. The GP wasn't certain about the correct course of action for the diagnosis and phoned Swindon Great Western Hospital for a second opinion. They said to send her in for a consult. By 14:30, my wife was undergoing a surprisingly lengthy, but thankfully non-emergency surgical procedure. By 16:00, we were back home with a course of antibiotics. Less than four hours in total.
We have private medical insurance and thoroughly expected to have to make use of it once we got to the GP. However, the whole NHS process was flawless from start to finish and everyone involved from the GPs receptionist (English), the GP herself (English, but Caribbean heritage, I know), the two gynae nurses (one English, the other Eastern European) the surgical registrar (Nigerian, at a guess) and the pharmacist (South African) were professional, kind, helpful and efficient.
The NHS gets so much flack - tales of fortnight waits to see a GP and several months for non-emergency procedures - I just thought I'd show a different side to such stories. I was impressed.
Over the course of last week, my wife noticed an issue that was getting steadily worse and, on Thursday morning, the day after Boxing Day, decided to phone for an appointment to see the GP. By 12:10 the same day, she was seeing that GP. The GP wasn't certain about the correct course of action for the diagnosis and phoned Swindon Great Western Hospital for a second opinion. They said to send her in for a consult. By 14:30, my wife was undergoing a surprisingly lengthy, but thankfully non-emergency surgical procedure. By 16:00, we were back home with a course of antibiotics. Less than four hours in total.
We have private medical insurance and thoroughly expected to have to make use of it once we got to the GP. However, the whole NHS process was flawless from start to finish and everyone involved from the GPs receptionist (English), the GP herself (English, but Caribbean heritage, I know), the two gynae nurses (one English, the other Eastern European) the surgical registrar (Nigerian, at a guess) and the pharmacist (South African) were professional, kind, helpful and efficient.
The NHS gets so much flack - tales of fortnight waits to see a GP and several months for non-emergency procedures - I just thought I'd show a different side to such stories. I was impressed.