tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923220492791428392.post5989389939814596969..comments2023-03-30T04:01:53.668-07:00Comments on Reflections of a Retired General Practitioner: Doctor - Beware!Dr Henry Tegnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066781800926576413noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923220492791428392.post-2247507196126961852011-04-02T10:07:10.147-07:002011-04-02T10:07:10.147-07:00Glad to read you have hung up your stethoscope for...Glad to read you have hung up your stethoscope for good! Being sued seemed like enough of a minefield when working regularly. So pleased to no longer have to worry about that now!Susan Kersleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12674406695993568130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923220492791428392.post-127475302969940142011-03-19T03:34:07.419-07:002011-03-19T03:34:07.419-07:00Thanks Frances. The situation is that the Courts h...Thanks Frances. The situation is that the Courts have never tended to allocate blame on patients in these situations. In these times when we pay much lip service to rights and responsibilities, the Courts perceive first responsibilities to the health care professionals. I do understand that their decisions are carefully considered with much attention paid to expert witnesses.<br /><br />Any thought of payment made by patients for core services is a poitical no-no. The principle of health care being free and the point of contact is absolutely at the core of the NHS. OK, so dentists can charge for failure to keep an appointment, but never GPs or hospitals. I wonder if the thinking behind that is that by and large people do not die of dental problems, not in the short term anyway. GPs are often presented with vague and rather undefined symptoms. Mostly these don't represent serious underlying disease, but one in a thousand, say, will do. So if doctors are seen to be discouraging patients from coming to do so, they do it at their peril.<br /><br />No - the only way of avoiding tragedies like The Times story is for doctors and their staff to be vigilant and absolutely meticulous. And to be grateful to any patient who plays their part as well!<br /><br />By the way - I went to see one of the health care assistants at my surgery recently for a routine blood test. To be followed up by a telephone consultation from the Nurse Practitioner. The HCA was enough on the ball to ask if my phone number on their records was the correct one. The computer had got one that was years out of date - transferred from a surgery where I was previously registered.Dr Henry Tegnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09066781800926576413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923220492791428392.post-74020511998262792662011-03-16T14:31:05.191-07:002011-03-16T14:31:05.191-07:00There are several issues here, aren't there, b...There are several issues here, aren't there, but the one you pinpoint is the failure of people to take resonsibility for themselves. <br /><br />I have an idea for a scheme to avoid wasted appointments, but which will also alert GPs if OPD appointments aren't kept. Every patient would be required to pay a deposit - not too large, and with concessions where appropriate - when they register with a GP. If they miss one appointment, they are placed on alert. If they miss the second - whether it's a GP or hospital appointmnet - they lose their deposit and have to re-register (and, of course, pay again). This would require a little time and money to administer, but would save money in the long run. What do you think?Frances Garroodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10614916006798375706noreply@blogger.com