The endless NHS wild goose chase to get a blood test

[frankiesamson]

I dread becoming ill enough to need the NHS in any way, because I've never had a good service from them, and neither have any of my family or friends. My grandfather died because the GP refused to give him the needed blood test. My DH almost died a few years ago because our GP refused to give him a simple blood test- it took a huge effort to find a GP willing to do it, he finally got diagnosed & given the needed treatment just in time. My mother also almost lost decades off her life because she struggled to persuade her GP to do a specific test for a serious condition- which turned out to be positive, but only after months of fighting with her GP to get this 1 minute blood test done.

Something as simple as a vitamin deficiency can become life threatening when your GP refuses to test.

Sadly, now is one of those times again. Myself & DH stripped our staircase & skirting boards recently without realising they had lead paint on them & that you're not supposed to strip lead paint using a heat gun.

Naturally, we now need a lead blood test to ensure we're okay. Waiting for lead poisoning symptoms is a bad idea & could be fatal, it's best to get it done without delay.

And here ensues the NHS wild goose chase...

I delayed addressing this issue because I knew it'd drive me up the wall trying to find anyone in the NHS to see at short notice let alone persuade them to give us the needed blood test.

I took a deep breath & decided today to make a concerted effort to get this simple blood test done.

We've just moved house & not only have we not yet registered at the new GP but are presently away from home for several weeks in Manchester, which has only made things even worse.

The GP receptionists in Manchester refused to register us even as temporary patients, saying "WE DON'T DO TEMPORARY PATIENTS 'ERE UNLESS YOU GOT A PERMANENT ADDRESS 'ERE"... trying to reason or use logic with them proved futile. I explained we're here for a couple of weeks and asked "Any resident in England can see a GP whilst on holiday or visiting friends in a different area.. this is everyone's right on the NHS." They looked at me incredulously... as if I'd just spoken new words to them.

I went on: "Why would a temporary patient have a permanent address here? That makes no sense."... but it fell on deaf ears.. they just looked completely confused.

In the end, after an age of trying to negotiate with these stubborn receptionists, they finally allowed us to register as temporary patients (filling out the forms) only to then announce to us that they had no appointments available EVER. (seriously!)

And another heated discussion ensued... they then insisted on knowing what the emergency was, so I explained it to them. They glazed over & had no clue what I was talking about but the buzz words "lead poisoning" seemed to have a small effect. They insisted we go to A & E instead of the GP.

So, I went to A & E (knowing this would also be a wild goose chase), and when I got there, the receptionist turned us away & told us unless we have a broken leg or arm, this isn't a job for A & E. We were told to head back to the GP for a blood test!

After more heated discussions, I managed to persuade the GP to see us that day. He saw us but then it turned out to be futile as at our appointment, he simply insisted we go to A & E "because you need to get this tested & if positive, get the therapy for it straight away, without delay"....then what was the point in the appointment with him?!!

It seemed more like a fob-off as he seemed impatient to get rid of us. I explained how useless A & E had been to us, but he insisted we try again.

So, back we went.. this is now the better half of 7 hours in total we've spent trying to get this simple 1 minute blood test.

... and back at A & E, I got past stage 1 hurdle: The receptionist.. only to reach stage 2 hurdle: The Nurse.. who insisted there's no such thing as a lead blood test.. I had to politely correct her on that, but she was adamant it did not exist, at least "not at A & E" and that we have to go back to the GP (which by now was closed).

I managed to beg her to please double check to see if there's a blood test there for it on their system as it's quite simple. She said she'd check & let me know- but insisted we wait in the waiting room while she checks.

This seemingly 2 minute wait turned into 30 minutes, which then turned into hours. Each time I asked her if she had checked yet, she had some excuse why she hadn't. I explained that if they truly don't and can't do the blood test then it's pointless us waiting there wasting ours & their time, so could she just please let me know.

... an age later, I checked with her again to find out what's going on, and she gruffly said quickly "press the buzzer and go in there & they'll do an ECG on you!!".... then she vanished.

ECG?! For testing lead level in the blood? Curious but I'm no doctor.. so ok.

I searched for this elusive buzzer she spoke of.. I found one, but the door remained locked. Complete chaos!

Eventually someone else walked through, so I followed them. I asked a nurse if we were in the right place, but he looked at us, muffled something under his breath & walked off. (not kidding!)

He then came back so I asked him again.. he looked at his paperwork, looked back at us, then once again walked off leaving us standing there clueless.

I then waited at a reception desk in there for an age, in the hope someone would turn up- a woman sat down at reception & looked at me with a slightly vacant face "HUH? " she said to me. I replied "sorry, we were told to come in here for an ECG. Are we in the right place?" - she said "I DUNNO". Then she disappeared.

I tried a 3rd person, who also had no clue- but I insisted "Look, our names are....(so & so) we were told to come through here but I don't know if I'm in the right place. Could you check please?" .. to that she begrudglingly got off her chair, looked on a piece of paper & said with attitude "YES YOU'LL BE NEXT. DON'T WAIT IN HERE GO BACK TO THE WAITING ROOM OK?!!"...

Of course my question then was, "That's fine.. just to check, why were we told to come in here, was it for something else?"

She completely ignored me.

I asked "Approximately how long is the wait--" but before I could even finish my sentence, she disappeared.

We went back to the waiting room..

What seemed like 2 hours later, we had no idea if we'd been forgotten.. our names were called.. we walked up to the lady calling us, and smiled at her with raised eyebrows, making it obvious it was us- and she completely blanked us! Then shouted back into the waiting room our names... again ! Then she looked at my shocked expression & said "ARE YOU SO & SO???", I said "yes", slightly intimidated. She said angrily at me "THEN SAY SO!!! I'M NOT PSYCHIC!!!!"

She then took us into another room & said she was going to give us general blood tests (completely unrelated to lead poisoning!!).. I politely mentioned we were only there for the lead blood test as there's nothing wrong with us, she got extremely angry, made some quite personal insults at me & kicked us out... (with attitude) "IF YOU'RE GONNA BE LIKE THAT LUV THEN YOU CAN JUST LEAVE!" i asked her "like what? I'm just wondering if this has anything to do with the lead blood test, or if not, how much longer until we get the lead blood test as we've been trying to get it for around 8 hours so far today".. she replied (with attitude) "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT!!! I'LL TELL THE DOC YOU DON'T NEED THIS TEST & YOU CAN JUST WAIT FOR THE DOC TO DISCHARGE YOU!".. I asked her how long to see "the doc", and she seemed to enjoy saying "I DON'T KNOW BUT I'M NOT GONNA BE GIVING YOU NOTHIN LUV SO GET OUT" with a smile.

It seemed like she wasn't planning to tell the doctor at all. I have no idea what caused her attitude.

Rather shaken up, we waited outside to catch some air. I then saw her leaving the hospital, she laughed at me & caught a bus. I was so shaken up by the day's ordeal we decided to go home & I'm looking up lead test kits to buy online.

This is the state of our NHS, people, and it has been for decades..

This was all in Manchester. Admittedly, we're from the south and we've noticed people in Manchester lack friendliness & can often be against southerners in general as they seem to think our accents denote us as spoilt millionaires (which we're not!), but anyway it was appalling.

I have no idea what we are going to do now.. go back to the GP tomorrow & explain what happened? It'll just be another wild goose chase all over again.

[Glassofredandapackofcrisps]

What a rant! Seriously I only read half but you sound like a hypochondriac. I'm from Manchester so a bit pissed off too by your sarcastic take on our accent. Perhaps go private? And some cbt therapy may help your obvious health anxiety.

[NorthernLurker]

This is ridiculous.

[TheFairyCaravan]

Christ on a rubber bike!

I wonder if your attitude is the reason you’ve never had ‘good treatment’ on the NHS? If you were that bothered about the lead you’d have not delayed going to the doctors at your permanent addresss.

[PeterPiperPickedSeaShells]

Go private. You want a blood test for something of which you have no symptoms & a very low likelihood of having anyway. Someone will gladly take your money to give you what you want.

[Jigglytuff]

May I suggest either: a) moving to another country; or b) getting pretty fate medical insurance. Ideally a).

[Jigglytuff]

Pretty fate? Wtf iPad? Private!

[margotsdevil]

You lost me at the point where you chose not to seek this allegedly vital blood test at home but instead waited until away - of course that made things far more difficult for you! Trying not to be wound up by your vile attitude and superiority complex

[Oblomov18]

I can't believe this. Pay for a private test. Or go to your own regular GP.

[FuckMyUterus]

I call bullshit. You sound snotty, hard work, and extremely condescending, so even if the NHS staff did treat you in the manner you describe, I can't say I blame you.

[FuckMyUterus]

them not you! I can't blame them in the slightest.

[imnottoofussed]

Stopped reading when you said 'ERE'

[PenguinsandPandas]

Blood tests I find easy to get on NHS, had 11 yesterday. Now getting a main London hospital to answer its switchboard and getting them to do a cancer test quickly I have found very difficult. 30 minutes with no one answering in the day, looked online, loads of people reporting the same, said try patients line, well that was permanently engaged. I have the test through for cancer finally 6 months after I raised it with a sorry we missed that. Another referral has been lost for 4 months between hospitals.

[RideOn]

I just don’t believe that the nurses spoke to you as you describe. If they did then you must have the shittiest attitude ever and have tipped them over the edge.

This ^^

You have an awful attitude, I’d hate to be ill sitting in A&E having to listen to you. My relatives live in Manchester and work in one of the hospitals, my husband did at one point too, they describe it as a very friendly place, overworked like everywhere but a good atmosphere. So I think you need to take a long think about why you are having all these stressful conversations and see what they have in common.

Why are you in Manchester if you don’t live there?

[Kidsarekarma]

I had lead toys when I was a child - toy animals in my farm, toy cars and my brother's toy soldiers were made of what looked like solid lumps of lead. Our water came into the house through lead pipes. The paint on my cot and all through the house probably had lead in it.

I'm sure you'll be fine OP.

[BellMcEnd]

[WazFlimFlam]

Right you are being ridiculous, but the GP sounds shit and so do the receptionists. They shouldn't have sent you to a&e obvs, but its hard to ignore their suggestion when they refuse to treat you otherwise.

[TeddyIsaHe]

Why aren’t you paying for private healthcare if the NHS is so poor? Stop using up the resources and pay for your blood tests. Then I’m sure you’ll find out why the A&E department were annoyed at you having come in for neither accident nor emergency.

[kikibo]

Uhm, am I the only one appalled at the idea that everyone pays for this service 15% of their income and then don't get given what they ask for? It's not plastic surgery, but a blood test FGS.

I was at my GP in Germany here last week for a tetanus injection and asked about my blood pressure as it had been a bit high in pregnancy. He offered another appointment the next day, when it was taken twice and an assistant offered me a full health check because I'm past 35, which includes bloods, urine, blood pressure, anyway the works. Didn't take that as I'm healthy otherwise. Then the doc himself offered a 24-hour blood pressure measurement despite the fact 'he was satisfied ' that it was normalising during the time I had been at the surgery.

People also pay 15% of their income here but it's my impression German doctors rather do too much than too little.

I could say something about life expectancy in the north, but I won't.

[italiancortado]

Uhm, am I the only one appalled at the idea that everyone pays for this service 15% of their income and then don't get given what they ask for?

Well yes, because the NHS is not fucking McDonald's- you don't just go in and order what you want fgs.

[loobylou10]

So all these people were useless, arsey and horrible to you? You were the common denominator in all these encounters - maybe it’s you? To be honest, you don’t sound very nice.

[badabing36]

it's well known in medical science

This tickled me.

If the gp’s receptionist was so awful the first time, and it’s not your gp why go back to the same one?

You appear to be someone who enjoys “heated discussions”.

[sadie9]

There's lead and other heavy metals in cigarette smoke, yet numerous people smoke heavily for decades and 'are fine' apparently.

[averylongtimeago]

I don't believe this happened exactly as you say.
Are you sure you were polite, reasonable and non aggressive with the various receptionists and HCP you had dealings with?
Yes it can be difficult to get a non urgent appointment NOW especially with a gp you are not registered with and yes A&E is stretched almost to breaking point at times partly because of all the non accidents or emergencies there but this catalogue of woe?

Compare with my recent experience: phoned for an appointment at our busy gp surgery. The receptionist asked why I needed the appointment, no it wasn't an emergency, so appointment in 3 days. Arrived, booked in and seen in half an hour. Blood tests booked for the following day, with the practise phlebotomist and results over the phone after two days.

As for Manchester people being less friendly! Really?

[PrizePig]

Entitled snowflake = OP

[Polarbearflavour]

It seems mad that the GP sent you to the hospital without any paperwork? But he told you to go so he must have thought you needed the tests? And the whole ECG thing. Very confusing!