"Should we ever meet, it would be interesting to compare notes Haywain. I became seriously ill in January and now have a chronic heart problem.
I have had many hospital appointments and a 3 day stay. All the people I have encountered have been good, or excellent. The system however is a mess........."
I can certainly identify with your observations - I have said to my wife on many occasions that it is as though the left hand and the right hand aren't operated by the same brain. In A&E, the chain of communications is, I would guess, relatively short whereas when different departments are involved, then that chain is longer, and is only as strong as the least conscientious or the poorest English speaker. To get the best or, indeed, to get anything out of the system, it helps to be articulate and intelligent, and to ask the right questions of the right people - and don't assume anything.
Another observation was that delays can lead to further inefficiencies. If I had been admitted for the nephrectomy after 18 weeks, then I may well not have developed the kidney infection which necessitated an emergency 4-day stay in hospital - as long as was needed for the actual nephrectomy. And the postponement of the first operation meant that a second pre-op assessment was required.
Unfortunately, the NHS is a victim of its own success ...... when I was admitted to hospital just after Christmas, sadly, over 2/3 of the chaps on the assessment ward were 85yo or more with multiple issues; they were clearly well-beyond patching up and putting back out onto the street. But what do you do? I don't have the answers, but I know that the NHS isn't dealing with what it was confronted with 70 years ago - I can only think that we will have to pay more.
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