I’m in a position where I have so much to write about that I’m getting jammed.
That’s a good start. I had a letter on Monday night when I got home. I recognised it as an NHS letter and my heart sank. More nanny-state, bureaucratic nonsense, I thought. I’ve only just done the AAA Screening and have nothing else due. What do they want now?
It seems they want me for Lung Cancer Screening.
In a letter dated last Wednesday and delivered on Monday, they gave me a date for a screening appointment – Tuesday. That’s right, less than 24 hours notice. I wonder which management guru has just been paid a fortune to come up with this strategy.
Theoretically it probably stops people changing appointments, but in practical terms it’s a nightmare. Fortunately it was a phone appointment so I could let it go ahead, but it wasn’t very convenient.
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For instance, I work in a shop with two other people, is that a good environment for discussing medical matters, some of which are better kept confidential? And I work in a shop with a lot of valuable, shiny items, do I want to give out my home address if we have members of the public in the shop? The answer in both cases is, of course, no.
I would rather have done it on Wednesday when I’m not at work. Or before 8.00 or after 4.00, but this is the NHS we’re talking about. Apart from the nurses and ambulance drivers most of them don’t work out of office hours. If I was organising this sort of thing I would certainly be looking at the practicality of contacting people in the evenings. At flu time our local surgery is happy to work on Saturdays – because they know this is a good time to gather large numbers together.
It all went as expected. I answered questions, some of which had nothing to do with the health of my lungs, and, because I used to smoke heavily, I was told, in the manner of a TV host delivering news of a prize, that I had won a second screening appointment and would be allowed to answer more questions at an inconvenient location in order to decide if I was to be given the star prize of a trip in a CT Scanner.
What annoys me is that they have all the information they need on my smoking habits and my family cancer history because of my previous biopsies. They don’t need to ring up and bother me with all this malarky.
Ah well, another day, another NHS story . . .
I feel more like I’m being pursued rather than cured.
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Sounds like there are no perfect systems out there, but at least yours is paid for. Derricks advice sounds good.
We had our oldest kitty put to sleep on Friday the 4th. Bad kidneys, and he had tanked on us.
As you say, it’s paid for. Though they don’t like it if you remind them of that.
Sorry to hear about the cat. One of ours had bad kidneys. She was fully functioning at the age of 19 or 20 (I’m bad at keeping count) then suddenly she was looking poorly and I took her to the vet. Tests. Nothing to be done. It’s always hard isn’t it? That’s why we have been catless for about ten years now.
That is short notice. Hope all goes well.
On top of that, they have called us both in for liver scans. *&$*£+@ I say. Or words to that effect.
Have you thought of asking he caller what they have on their screen notes?
No. I may do that. It’s another way to fight back. we have just had a new letter – liver scans for both of us.
I always do that – whatever the organisation. It tends to cut the crap
Some people waiting weeks for a chance to visit their GP might be quite envious of the attention that you are getting but I agree that it would be more welcome if it was more convenient. Never mind, when you are retired, you will have all day to answer unwanted and unnecessary enquiries. It will give you something to do.
After I retire I will be fir game for this sort of thing, but while I’m working it’s hard enough, without them acting like I have all the time in the world.
Meanwhile, I can’t get an appointment to discuss anything useful, just the stuff they have now decided is important.
it is very frustrating.
They just sent us both details of a liver scan programme. I’d be more impressed if they gave me the shingles vaccine and monitored my dodgy prostate.