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.

[TheClacksAreDown]

Samedaydoctor has a clinic in Manchester. You could call them and ask if they can arrange for you.

[SingingSands]

Hello,

What are your symptoms OP? Are you unwell now?

What has your DH said about all this? You wrote a very long post, but it seemed to all be from your perspective, you say you delayed addressing the issue in the first instance.

It sounds as though some time has elapsed since you stripped the paint, and I presume you’ve had fresh air, good nutrition in the meantime. Could you be feeling symptoms because you are stressed about the situation? Could you be coming down with flu maybe?

[RideOn]

3 people every day for a month working on/inhaling paint off skirting boards and a staircase! That’s some size of a house/staircase.

[TheFirstMrsDV]

Can you explain the delays and why you didn't sort this out at home?

That is the bit that doesn't make sense to me.
I understand your anxiety and your wish for reassurance.
Your anger about not getting an immediate service is surely at odds with your willingness to wait ages to get this looked at AND making thing extra difficult by seeking a non emergency service away from your permanent address.

[Anasnake]

Nice dig at the North op

[Anasnake]

Aye, I know my place.

[CatchingBabies]

If you'd been stripping stairs for a month you would have already been exposed and be unwell by now, a blood test a month later isn't going to tell you anything you don't already know. You compared HIV earlier, would you turn up at A&E demanding a HIV test because you had unprotected sex? And expect to get it there and then?

[HolyShet]

If it was such an emergency that you needed to be seen immediately, why couldn't you be arsed to register yourself where you live and why did you leave it until you were relocated elsewhere?

You, OP, are an idiot, and the kind of person that is draining our NHS's depleted resources further.

Where I live I can book a blood test with the practice nurse at the GP surgery within 3 days, or I can go to the drop in clinic without an appointment and expect to be seen within the hour, or I can book a blood test at the walk in centre the next day. And everyone will be polite to me, as I will be to them.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

Op can you explain why despite your poor background, your parents afforded private medical care for your whole childhood.
Also what job do you do where your tax breakdown covering the NHS only, comes to over £100k.
Because if you earn that much surely you would have private medical care.
And you vitamin b12 test that was NHS right? But you have never used the NHS before.

[Aliasgrace1]

As a nurse from Manchester how rude are you?

Treat people how you want to be treated luv

[Aliasgrace1]

My backs done in from the constant bowing Flaky

[Aliasgrace1]

Infection control would go mad

[Badgerthebodger]

OP you’re a knob. Luv.

Lots of luv
A Northerner

[shakeyourcaboose]

Och aye the nooo- am just sad us poor Scotch NHS staff haven't had the honour of seeing you in oor A&E, I'd have if course told the heli med to turn back, there was a much more important medical emergency in...

[Follyfoot]

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.

Priceless. You cant trust those rough Northerners. I'm assuming this must be a wind up because surely no-one could be this much of an entitled idiot. Could they?

[apostropheuse]

What an offensive post OP. Sneering at people's accents, wildly accusing people from the North as being nasty because you're from Down South, implying yiur superiority. Disgusting.

I have had nothing but help from the NHS. A multitude of tests and scans were carried out to diagnose my heart and lung issues, my arthritis etc . I am given any medication I need without issue. I've had a couple of emergency situations where the ambulance service have been outstanding, as was the doctor sent before the ambulance and rapid response paramedic.

I've certainly had plenty back for my taxes!

[BoldKitties]

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. So was it urgent or not then? You delayed doing anything but then expected expedited treatment as soon as you decided that it was urgent?

Sounds like you've encountered a lot of arseholes, OP. And forgive me the cliche, but I take the mindset of, you meet one arsehole, you've met an arsehole. You keep meeting them, perhaps consider that you are the arsehole. I mean, you have met multiple people who were supposedly rude etc to you. But it seems that you are the common denominator.

Anyway, I'm guessing that this is mostly goady bollocks so whatever.

[nocoolnamesleft]

So, let's see if I have this right.

You couldn't be arsed registering with a GP.
You stripped lead based paint without using basic PPE.
Having realised this, you then did nothing about it because you couldn't be arsed.
You then decided it was now urgent and an emergency, simply because you had taken a deep breath and decided now was the time to insist.
You were rude and obnoxious to the health care staff who were basically trying to tell you that lack of organisation on your part did not constitute an emergency on theirs.
When challenged on this thread, well on through it, you suddenly decided you might be symptomatic after all, so suddenly it really was an emergency, honest.
You're not a millionaire, but have paid hundreds of thousands of pounds in tax to the NHS.

Hmmmm.

Incidentally,

[nocoolnamesleft]

Oops, pressed send too soon.

Incidentally, I don't think it's a result that tends to come back that quickly. For instance, 5 minutes of googling tells me that Manchester doesn't have a lab notified to the HSE as able to perform the test, so may well need sending off elsewhere. Because lead is hardly ever tested for now. Because it's thankfully now so rare for people to be daft enough to blithely expose themselves to it.

[Crumbs1]

and the treatment for low levels of lead in blood is.......wait and see.

Your attitude and rudeness is as an impressively arrogant and rude level.