Post holiday greetings from the frontline up North.

Regular readers of this blog will be pleased to know that despite people living longer and being healthier in the United Kingdom the NHS is struggling to cope. We do not have severe cold weather, there is no flu panicdemic and yet the NHS is in “crisis”. The “crisis” is not that of record demand but of a politically generated arbitrary target not being met despite planning early and pumping money in. Indeed some politicians are starting to wake up to the fact that cuts in social care may be having an impact elsewhere.

Here at ND Central all annual leave has been cancelled, all surgeries are only for acute emergencies and all have been oversubscribed with wellness, patheticness and wasters who despite socialized education have failed to realize that health services are for illness not a pat on the hand and a cuddly RCGP hug, reassurance and there, there that must be so terrible for you.

A recent survey from earlier this year we came across showed that the commonest reason for an A&E attendance was neither an Accident nor an Emergency it was for “reassurance” not illness. A similar proportion of these attendances at an ACCIDENT and EMERGENCY department were there because “someone” told the punter “that they need to be seen”.

Just watch your average soap episode to see how long it takes someone to say “you ought to see a doctor just for a check. You can’t be too careful”. No different to general practice whereby no-one attends of their own volition.

The UK is full of such sages who are all knowing and wise about matters medical and that includes now the idiots who work for NHS 111 (dumb, dumb, dumb) who when consulted deliver advice to all with no wisdom or thought of the impact of their retarded thoughts or actions. Yes general practice also gets NHS dumb, dumb, dumb demand same day appointments becomes a call centre operative told me it was urgent.

If you want a check go to a bank. If you need a medical check (up) it is routine.

If you are ill then see your healthcare professional.

If you want reassurance ask your granny but then who knows in the UK who their grandmother is as the discovery of nuclear fission has led to the disintegration of the so called nuclear family and a “surge” for drone requests for home visits.

“I have spoken to Granny and she feels poorly can you do a visit for a “check” (on my inheritance)? No I haven’t seen Granny just spoken to her this morning, I haven’t told her I am ringing you and I am ringing from Istanbul”.

So this holiday period in the primitive cold windy snowy Northernshire surgeries at ND Central the commonest same day appointment has been along the following lines for about a third to half of all appointments:

I/my child has had a symptom.

I/they have seen an out of hours’ service doctor, or rung NHS 111, or been to A&E, or to a walk in center or even seen one of your partners – if you can get an appointment.

Most, if not all, have been told they have a (minor) viral infection which will get better on its own.

Most of these have been seen 2 to 3 times in the last 5 to 7 days for their same illness (which has not got better, pleading eyes it is so not serious) and all had been told the same thing. 

They have a virus and it will get better on its own given time. 

The most common symptoms are those of a cough +/- sore throat and in all of these consults the punters did not cough once despite telling, or more accurately lying to reception staff (that they had a really bad cough, not just a cough, and had not slept for 300 nights) and lied to their doctors that they were coughing all the time (but did not cough once in front of the doctor) such is the magical healing power of wasting another doctors’ time (again). 

All were told by the team at ND Central that they still have a virus and it will get better.

But still they came for nothing than a cheery chat with their GPs who merely told them what they had already should have known and had been told more than once already.

Remember dear reader that 90+% of medicine is done in primary care in most countries in the world so if A&E is struggling then spare a thought for what is happening in general practice. If our experience of so called medicine is repeated all over the problem is not that of illness (that will get better on its own) but of attitude.

We were reminded of this a few months back. If you give a privilege it becomes a right and what separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.

The NHS is free at the point of abuse whether by a politician or punters and all of them believe that the NHS is a right free at the point of abuse and hence worthless.

And boy have the punters used their rights this holiday period but have we seen any real illness? 

24/7/365 no question. No charge. No comeback. 

Unfortunately the NHS was once viewed as a privilege but now is a right without any responsibility especially on the part of any politicians. Until those in charge realize who created this things can only get worse due to those in charge.

Praise be to the Party for inventing the NHS and A&E. It works so well for those nowhere near the frontline who fail to realize that they started the war and that their tactics are why the NHS is in “crisis”.