to state the NHS has gone to the dogs, run by monkeys and staffed by halfwits?

[DameHermione]

The saga........
DD has infected looking pussy blistery spots.

It is friday evening. No hope of seeing locsl GP until at least monday.

I ask the MN hive mind for advice. Possibly impetigo. Definitely sore and pussy. OOH is suggested.

I trundle off 15 miles to OOH.

We arrive. There is a notice pinned to the door, 'If you are not expected please report to the Emergency Department'.

Odd. And not what it was a few months ago but off we trot to A&E round the corner.

In A&E i say to the receptionist 'We came for the OOH GP.'

'No problem' she says. Takes some details and we get asked to take a seat.

An hour later DDs name is called.

'Senior Sister' triages DD.

First she looks me up and down and snaps 'who are you?'

I explain what the problem is and say once again 'we came for the xxx unit, the out of hours GP'

She asks not once, not twice but Four times how long DD has been pussy. I tell her Four times it has been getting worse over the last few days.

She shouts at me. 'This should be seen by your GP'.

I replied 'I know. Thats why we came to the OOH unit.'

At this point she tells me the OOH unit has moved 5 more miles away.

Then she tells me to take DD to the GP tomorrow.

I say 'but tomorrow is saturday, which is why we csme to the OOH unit'

I am then told i need to take DD the extra 5 miles to the real OOH unit which closed in 5 minutes.

I give up at this point and suggest maybe they should put a notice on the door of the now ex-OOH unit or tell their receptionists to redirect people.

Only 'they can't do that as they aren't clinical and patients need triaging'


So at this point i tell the half-witted monkey who is masquerading as a nurse that as i too am a nurse, with considerably more braincells than her i will just treat DDs pus myself.

i might then have gone and purloined approriate dressings snd stuff from my mates upstairs but that would be theiving so i shant admit to it oh no

I will be wtiting to PALS.

[DameHermione]

There were various other remarks and stupidity.

Fucking monkeys.

[rainbowinthesky]

Sounds a nightmare.

[Aboutlastnight]

Why didn't you phone NHSDIRECT and get an appointment?

Certainly sounds like a bit of a cock up but it's pretty extreme to start talking about half wits and monkeys. You sound lovely.

[minesapintofwine]

yanbu. I work for the nhs and am a complete halfwit

[SecretNutellaFix]

What a pigging nightmare.

[sensuallettuce]

I soooo read the second line wrong .

[DameHermione]

I too work for the NHS. I however am not a monkey. The person i saw this evening was.

[Lacrymosa12]

Sounds like you had a bad experience but we're not all twats.

[ThePathanKhansWitch]

YABU. Sorry you've had a horrible experience.

[DameHermione]

I am exhausted.

[DameHermione]

Obviously not all twats. Look at me! I'm practically perfect.

All it would have taken to quench my ire was a little notice on the door.

Just a little sign. 'OIH moved to xxx'. Easy as that.

Also i don't like being catsbummed unnecessarily.

[pointythings]

I don't blame you, OP (another NHS worker here, though not clinical and definitely not a monkey). Your DD has likely impetigo. You should have been able to see OOH GP, get prescription for antibiotics and get sorted.

There is no excuse for this sort of terrible signposting. At. All. Ditto the rudeness from the nurse. Go to PALS and complain.

[saintlyjimjams]

NHS direct doesn't give appointments does it?

A notice directing to the new OOH would have been preferable.

And I hate it when after some angsting you decide it does need to be seen by someone, then you get told basically you're wasting time.

[DameHermione]

I only catsbum when necessary.

I flipping told her i knew it wasn't an A&E problem.

[HeadsShouldersKneesandToes]

I sympathise for this horendous experience but I have to defend the NHS. It is actually brilliant (although under way too much pressure thanks to Dave and Gideon prioritising tax cuts for their mates of course) and staffed by dedicated and hard-working people who, yes, sometimes aren't perfect what with being human but do a damn sight better than the alternatives we'd be stuck with without the NHS.

[Aboutlastnight]

Doesn't NHS direct tell you which OOH are open and where and let them know you are on your way?

[DameHermione]

I foolidhly assumed the system hadn't changed. I work in the sodding building ffs. You'd think i'd know.

[ThePinkPussycat]

But NHS Direct, would, in theory, know that OOH had moved.

[ThePinkPussycat]

Head I agree on the whole, but the notice was hardly helpful was it? So often common sense seems to be lacking with the small details of life that make a big difference - and I don't just mean in the NHS.

[DameHermione]

Bit i couldmt be arsed to find the number. Phone. Wait. Queue. Explain. then go.

Nhs direct was unnecessary.

[ReportMeNow]

Ahhhh, how frustrating. Idiocy and lack of compassion (in any walk of life) that makes you want to scream. Why couldn't she have treated dd?

But mostly, I do think the NHS are wonderful

so YABU, especially as you work in the NHS!

[DameHermione]

And DD is still pussy. Or pusy. Or pusie?

Poor pus plagued brat.

[Aboutlastnight]

I too work in the NHs and have to say most of the time it works just fine bit there are those times when patients have perfectly sensible reasonable requests and for some reason it all goes tits up, one from one inept episode to another. I've no idea why this happens.

[nonapandknackered]

YANBU for being extremely pissed off, but you are BU for tarring the whole NHS with the same brush.

I'd have been bloody furious if I'd have been you and the nurse would have had a mouthful from me without a doubt. But during my rant I would have pointed out that I too am an NHS worker (AHP) and that it is stupidity like that, that makes the general public think that the NHS is going to the dogs and is staffed by halfwits.
Which clearly isn't true and you and I work for them, OP .

[DameHermione]

Humph. I begrudginly accept that perhaps there are some non-halfwit-monkeys working for the NHS. Some of it might be alright. And of course i am U.

Still infuriated though.