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.

[Tamularoom]

Have you not got a local walk in centre? Your best bet would have been calling 111. They can advise where is best to go and book you an appointment to save going to A&E.

I also think you may need to think about how you behave and treat people as reading between the lines you sound quitr judgemental 'ERE' & 'LUV'. I also totally agree with the woman calling your names, doesn't any normal person say "thats us" or "we're here" not just stand there and look?!

Bare in mind at A&E all these people are so time-stretched and stressed with all manner of emergencies going on.

[SlothMama]

If the GP thought you needed the test then he would have made up paperwork or called ahead to the A&E.

It's funny how you perceive Mancunians, when in my opinion it's the other way round! Why don't you go to an walk in centre or pay for this blood test if you think it's so important that you be tested...

[AuntieMay]

I may have misread but I thought the ok couldn't see a Go so went to A and E off her own bat?
Anyway iWork at a go and we are currently booking non urgent appts into March absolutely nothing any sooner and bloods are a 3 week wait so you would have been treated the same where I work! Which by the way is an excellent Gp practice with many many happy patients but like every other hospital/walk in/ GPS we are experiencing unprecedented demand and arexsruggli g to cope - staff including the receptionists are on the knees and you are ridiculous for thinking you were an emergency or should get preferential treatment over existing patients
And yes there is a lead blood test which I have taken several times - all within routine appointments .

[AuntieMay]

Sorry for all the typos on my phone - about to go to work

[kikibo]

Italian, oh it's not McDonald's? And you're not allowed to demand something you think you need? No?
So what if the doctor is wrong.? The patient should just meekly sit there and die?

If the GP in this case thought they are fine because the potential amount of lead is far too little to cause any damage, they should have done their job and said so and not just sent the patient on, indeed, a wild goose chase.

Why do that?

And anyway, if it takes a blood test to calm down the patient that's what you do. This shenanigans cost much more than the blood test in the first place.

[italiancortado]

Italian, oh it's not McDonald's? And you're not allowed to demand something you think you need? No?So what if the doctor is wrong.? The patient should just meekly sit there and die?

Your answer is up there is the word 'need'

The OP doesn't NEED anything. The GP saw that and acted accordingly. Everything else is just absolute bollocks.

Patients don't go in and say what they need or otherwise die. They go and tell the GP their symptoms (of which the op had NONE) and the GP makes a clinical decision. In this case the decision was NFA due to the fact that there is fuck all wrong.

[italiancortado]

And anyway, if it takes a blood test to calm down the patient that's what you do.

Erm, not in the UK we don't. Blood tests in the NHS are given if a medic deems them necessary.

[Polarbearflavour]

To be fair, GPs don’t know everything. I was refused further thyroid blood tests despite family history and symptoms.

Paid privately, went back to GP with the results and now I have been referred to an endocrinologist and further blood tests offered! If I hadn’t paid, I would never know what was wrong with me.

[frankiesamson]

"FGS , all you need to do is google private blood tests in Manchester and pick one of the many results . It’s taken me 30 seconds to find out that Spires do a lead blood testing package for £99 ."

I wasn't aware that as tax-paying citizens we should expect to have to pay extra for private blood tests, particularly as I've given £hundreds of thousands to the NHS in my life time and never used the service. Thank you for educating me. I google searched "private blood tests in Manchester" and spires manchester didn't show up, neither did any lead blood testing package for any price, let alone £99. I called Spires Manchester to ask for it, and the lady on the phone said she can't find it either. She said she'd call me back, but so far nothing. Can you post a link? My experience of private blood testing packages is that they rely on the NHS to take them & you then have to post them to the private lab (which the NHS often refuses), thus rendering it pointless.

[Floralnomad]

Sorry I’m not good technically so cant do links but I’ve just checked and it’s Blue Horizons at Spires . As pp have said if you want something done that is medically not necessary then yes you do have to pay .

[Thisisanamechanger]

I've been for private blood tests for things I was concerned about but aren't offered routinely on the NHS as exposure risk low (there is some risk but I understand they have finite resources and need to join a line!)

They took blood test there and then, sent to lab and I had results within a couple of days (once the same day)

[Thisisanamechanger]

Mine were pregnancy related btw i.e. Toxoplasmosis after possible exposure

[GrockleBocs]

Oh give over.
particularly as I've given £hundreds of thousands to the NHS in my life time and never used the service.
You might have paid hundreds of thousands in tax over your working life but not solely to the NHS. And you've never been to a GP? Never had a prescription? Vaccination?

[Thisisanamechanger]

Just searched private blood testing Manchester lead and this was third record down

privatebloodtests.co.uk/private-blood-test-for-lead-in-blood.html

[frankiesamson]

"Have you not got a local walk in centre? Your best bet would have been calling 111. They can advise where is best to go and book you an appointment to save going to A&E."

I tried 111, they have no clue.

"I also think you may need to think about how you behave and treat people as reading between the lines you sound quitr judgemental 'ERE' & 'LUV'."

I'm probably the least judgemental person in this entire city.. I love the accent, and was expecting friendly people, not the polar opposite.

"I also totally agree with the woman calling your names, doesn't any normal person say "thats us" or "we're here" not just stand there and look?!"

We felt so berated by that point after being under fire from everyone for so long that we were afraid to even speak. Every time we do speak, even to each other, people seem to turn their noses up & us, we had many comments such as "posh snobs, go back to where you came from!" - which is ironic as a snob is someone who judges others, which would descibe the person who shouted that at us, not the other way around. We both grew up in very poor backgrounds, but just because we have a southern accent, they all think we're "posh". After dealing with this anti-snobbery & being put down for so long, there's only so much one can take.

"Bare in mind at A&E all these people are so time-stretched and stressed with all manner of emergencies going on."

I do bear that in mind, but we were told by the GP receptionist to go to hospital, then told to go to the GP, then the GP himself told us to go to hospital because it's urgent, then the hospital told us to go to the GP, no one communicates with each other so we end up in each place in another introductory appointment where we have to explain again, and then they send us for completely unrelated blood tests & there's no communication whatsoever about what's going on or where we should be at any time. Meanwhile everyone's time is being wasted for what should be a 1 minute blood test. If they stopped wasting time sending people between GP & hospital & back, and just had a simple system in place, they wouldn't be so time-stretched.

"If the GP thought you needed the test then he would have made up paperwork or called ahead to the A&E."

I'm not sure what you're implying- was the GP just trying to get rid of us by telling us it's urgent & to go to A & E, or we misunderstood? His exact words were something like "We can do the blood test here but that would be in another appointment. We really need the result & if it's positive A & E can get you on treatment immediately so that's what I think we should do." My reply was.. "Are you sure A & E will do that? Because my experience of them is that they told me to come to you." his reply: "Yes, absolutely. That's what they do." He said all this whilst typing notes on the computer (presumably about our situation, we thought to the hospital). When we got to the hospital, I was surprised they hadn't received anything from the GP, and the receptionist sheepishly told me they're not connected to the rest of the NHS.

"It's funny how you perceive Mancunians, when in my opinion it's the other way round!"
Hmm.. it's not really a perception when it comes to blatent insults & being shouted at, we arrived here thinking everyone would be really nice, but even our friends who live in the area were shocked at how they treat us & other southerners. They treat us completely differently- someone even walked up to me & said I have a "posh face" ! (not in a nice way). We've rarely encountered anyone so detrimental anywhere in the south, whether it be London or the south west. It's not just one or two people here in Manchester.. it seems to be an epidemic.

"Why don't you go to an walk in centre or pay for this blood test if you think it's so important that you be tested..."

Walk in centres don't offer lead blood tests. I don't know anywhere to pay for one either. The UK is very NHS-centric in terms of health care. It's a system that is ingrained into the fabric of society, you often can't avoid it even if you want to go private. It isn't like USA or Germany or China where you can walk into a private hospital, get seen quickly & pay for whatever you need. Even private health care in the UK relies upon the NHS. I've searched for private lead blood tests but can't find any so far.

[frankiesamson]

"if you want something done that is medically not necessary then yes you do have to pay ."

But who says it's medically not necessary? Everyone we've spoken to so far, including the GP, says it's urgent. Paint stripping lead paint in a hundred year old house with heat guns, is apparently a very high risk thing to do (little did we know!) & it should be tested & treated before symptoms appear. Especially in Children who could die.. adults can end up with brain damage. We thought we'd wait for symptoms too, but we've been educated that's the wrong thing to do. You can't wait for symptoms because there's no way to reverse lead poisoning. Once you've been exposed, you need a test. If it's caught before symptoms appear, you can prevent further damage.

Sadly, we both do have symptoms already.

[Polarbearflavour]

Hi OP, I had my tests done privately via Blue Horizons. I went to a private hospital after paying Blue Horizons. Apparently the Cheadle Hulme BMI Hospital does blood tests.

bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/lead-blood-bhm.html

[frankiesamson]

Just an update: I tried calling the GP to let them know the hospital sent us back to him, but the GP surgery have a message saying they don't answer the phone & don't take voicemails (!).

I tried calling Spire hospital again to pay to get this test done once & for all, but they don't know anything either, and she said she'd call me back (but still hasn't!).

The wild goose chase continues...

[Polarbearflavour]

Give Blue Horizons a call OP.

[frankiesamson]

update: Just tried the bluehorizonmedicals private blood test, they said they can't guarantee an appointment before we leave manchester & that it takes 2 weeks for the results. I told him our GP told us we should get the results straight away because if we need treatment, it should be started straight away. He said he doesn't know anything about the NHS.

It seems no one in the UK knows what's going on.

[frankiesamson]

"I know you are having a hard time on here, but I have experienced similar in NHS hospitals. Ironically (based on this thread), I think I used to be too meek and polite - I find being a bit more demanding makes things happen.

And it's also my experience in Manchester that some people are openly hostile to Southerners. Speaking as someone from London who moved to the NW 20-odd years ago and has never lost her RP accent!"

You're probably right.. we are too meek and polite.. but at this point in life I don't think we're going to change! It seems to work in the South but not in Manchester.

You're also right about some people in Manchester being openly hostile to southerners! I think if you're in a room with 10 mancunians & only 4 are hostile, they'll make their feelings known so clearly that it can really ruin your day. Particularly when you don't have a job here & go to regular places- I can imagine if you see mostly the same people every day, they get used to your presence. I never thought I'd encounter so much zenophobia in what I thought was the friendly north of the UK! We can't wait to return to west London lol... the worst you tend to get there is people being too busy to chat, but it's rare to come across anyone so openly hostile on a daily basis like this, just because of where we're from (which is something we can't change).

[Zerosugaroption]

ter rah then!

[Sidge]

Bloody Nora.

A GP surgery can only register you as a temporary resident for Immediate and Necessary treatment. Your desire for a lead blood test was neither. It could have waited until you got back to your own GPs, or managed to register with one.

GPs and other NHS professionals do blood tests based on clinical need, not just because you fancy one.

It isn't just a 1 minute test. It takes approximately 10 minutes to call the patient in, check the details, order the test on the clinical system, take the blood, label it, put it in a bag, affix the bag to the form and sort it into the correct bags for the courier to take to the hospital.

It also costs money, which is why we don't do them on request but as they are clinically indicated.


And anyway, if it takes a blood test to calm down the patient that's what you do er no you don't kikibo, we do any assessments and clinical investigations based on presenting symptoms and how the results of any tests may influence decision making for treatment options.

[TwitterQueen1]

You need help OP - and I don't mean a blood test.