I’ve just watched Question Time and this topic was being discussed. The conservative MP sort of said that the 2 week GP to cancer specialist will stay.
My husband and I were both sat fuming at the prospect of a privatised NHS which this government is trying to do without being honest about the fact that this is what they will do.
They cannot be trusted and will do what they want and we’ve got another 4 years of this government.
I’ve just watched it too. I heard what he said, but wasn’t convinced-the usual ‘slippery’ way of answering that makes you feel there could be something else in the pipeline once someone finds the best way to justify it…
I’ve been involved in a patient/staff co-design group at the hospital where I had treatment-and I just can’t imagine that kind of ‘voice’ being given a platform or listened to now because it won’t be seen as essential to the service. So much has been done in recent years to build on existing excellent practise in the NHS, and to strengthen and improve services, I’d hate to see that stop.
One of the areas that was truly awful when I had chemo was the out of hours services, and the pathway to get admitted to hospital in emergency at evenings and weekends. This was a known area where neither staff or patients were happy, and protocols around times for admission, blood tests, infection risks weren’t always able to be met. There was a lot of work going into this, and if there is a query over first appointments, I worry that anything to imrove out of hours will be put on hold.
Still reading all these posts with great interest and totally agree with them. What beats me is why anybody voted for David Cameron in the first place. As for the Lib Dems, words fail me. I tried to contact my local MP yesterday and got absolutely nowhere. However, I will not give up until my opinion is heard and I will do my very best to keep my temper in check when I do finally get to speak!
Take care everyone and don’t give up, this whole affair is terrifying for all of us.
Lots of love to you all, Dianne x x x
Dianne - I totally agree. I feel at the very least, we must all contact our MPs. However, mine is a Tory and so I don’t think I would get very far there, although I shall register my protest. They are going to do what they have always wanted to do, ie privatise the NHS. I still feel that trying to appeal to the LibDem MPs is our best bet.
Ann x
Ann
I agree-there must be Lib Dem MPs squirming about these cuts and ‘reforms’-I can’t believe that they are genuinely backing the conservatives on this.
Jodie1
I couldn’t agree more - after watching Question Time the other night, I said to my husband who on earth voted for David Cameron?!
The NHS is something that this country can be proud of and it is just going to end up a sorry mess and it makes me very sad.
Deborah
I couldn’t agree more. I find it hard to comprehend who would vote for Cameron? The tory party ethos is to look after the well off, so once again it will be the people who can afford care who will get it and the rest of us will be left to fight!! As for the Libdems and their leader Clegg, well I’m pretty sure he won’t get the lickings of a dog at the next election…and rightly so!!
My reply from my local [Conservative] MP when I voiced my concerns re., the 2wk referral…
Dear Karen,
Thank you for your note. The Prime Minister repeated at Prime Minister’s questions what our research has shown - that for some patients 2 weeks is too long: for others it may not matter so much. It depends on the patient.
So we prefer a system where GPs decide how urgent the situation for each patient is and prioritise accordingly - with some being seen immediately - rather than the current system where the top down means everyone tends to be seen on the thirteenth day.
This is all about trusting the health experts to focus on what’s best for each patient.
I hope you will agree with the vast majority of doctors that this is a good step forward.
With regards
hello
politicians and their weasel words, eh? still chasing my MP for a response
just breaks my heart to see what they’ve done already
The whole point about GPs is that they’re not experts. They are general practitioners and they are not qualified to tell whether a breast lump is benign or malignant.
My GP has been fantastic through all of my treatment apart from two things. One was his refusal to recognise breast lymphoedema and the other was that he didn’t refer me under the two week rule when I first found the lump - he thought it was nothing to worry about. That meant I had to chase the first appointment myself and it took nearly 6 weeks from me first seeing him to being told it was cancer. No-one should have to wait and worry that long.
This whole white paper has just not been thought through. Its a disaster.
E x
Absolutely agree elsk. GPs are not specialists in everything, how can they be.
My current GP is great-she referred me quickly-but only beause she is decent and thought it was ‘awful for any woman to wait’-she was ‘99.9%’ sure it wasn’t bc. It took me a long, long time to get to that point, and there are GPs at the practise who made the wrong call a long time before that who I certainly would not see again.
It isn’t fair to put the ball in GPs court in this way any more than it already is
Hi Everyone, I hope you are all feeling well today. This business with the GP’s is ridiculous in my opinion. It’s fine if you have a good one, but what if you don’t??? They’re already overworked and I had a hell of a job getting an appointment with mine. I would ring up at 8.00am (when they open) and could never get through until about 8.15 by which time all the appointments were gone. (How do they do it?) I kept telling them I was on the priority board and it made absolutely no difference. Eventually, I had to make a complaint and finally they put a note on my records to say that I must be accomodated. This took about 3 weeks, so if anyone is desperate for an appointment what the hell do you do?
Still trying to get through to the local MP, so I’ve decided to send a letter and we’ll see what sort of response I get. It’ll no doubt be the same political nonsense that they all come out with. LIB DEMS, HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME.
Well, after that little rant, I’ll wish you all a happy and painfree day. Take care everybody, lots of love, Dianne x x x
I agree with all of you…was actually surprised my MP responded so quickly…even if the reply wasn’t what I/we wanted to hear.
My GP…though great on a personal/emotional/support level, failed to refer me for 18mths!!..and then only because I kept on …even though there is a history on BC in the family!!
When I rang him and told him I’d been DX he was ‘‘shocked’’…not half as much as me [I thought]!
I can remember a few years prior to my DX another local GP commenting in the local paper that GP’s were not qualified to make decisions on Breast lumps and that he felt people presenting with such should be referred to Specialists in that field…I wish I could remember who he was…because I sure as hell would be contacting him asking him to reiterrate his comments!!!
This is so scarey reading the reply from Karens MP.Many women on here have had delayed referrals due to their GPs playing God and deciding the lump looks/feels benign.
I doubt any breast surgeon could say for certain that a lump was BC or not just by feeling it.If they could why would we need mammos ,ultrasound ,biopsy and possibly MRI!
My GP said he didn’t think it was BC and “not to lose any sleep over it” WRONG!
*Edit* to add that he did refer me and I was seen 3 weeks later.
dotchas - My GP said the same, that he thought it was benign but he did refer me, to give him credit. In one way, it helped the two-week wait, but on the other hand, it was a terrible shock when I was diagnosed with bc.
I am in the process of concocting an e-mail to send to all the LibDem MPs. I genuinely feel that is the only way we will stop any changes. Appealing to a Tory MP’s sense of decency is a waste of time. They don’t have any! They are just interested in looking after their own rich voters and dismantling the welfare state/NHS/education system/etc… It is what they have always wanted to do and now think they have an excuse. This is not just about the NHS. Every day, their plans are coming out in the news, which will deprive ordinary people of services they depend on. As I said, I am SO angry.
Can I ask as many of you who feel the same to write to the LibDems, as well?
Thank you.
Ann x
Ann, I should have said that he did still refer me and I was seen 3 weeks later.
I will try to compose a email to my Lib Dem MP.I am wondering if things will be the same here as I am in Scotland?
Hi all
Just wanted to add support to this thread and I agree with everything that has been said. It’s great that people want to be proactive and do something to voice their anger at what amounts to abolishing our NHS – once one of our countries greatest assets. I am contacting my MP Danny Alexander who I am absolutely disgusted with as he has turned his back on everything he campaigned on to kiss the Tories asses and gets his place on the cabinet. How can the Lib Dems sleep at night?
The letter from Karen’s MP is particularly scary when you look at the misdiagnosis of many women by GP’s who have bc, particularly younger women. The though of them being in control of who gets seen first is totally wrong and they are not qualified to do that as we all know. I’m sure many GP’s don’t want this responsibility either nor all the financial work they are also going to be expected to do.
Dotchas I’m in Scotland too and the Scottish parliament has control over health so not exactly sure how this affects us. Must look into it, will try and do some searching.
I totally agree with you Ann - and this is just the start what will be left after 4 years if people don’t stand up and be counted. More power to our elbows.
Love Anne x x
Hi
Anne-I absolutely agree, one of my fears is that women just won’t get the correct diagnosis. I was misdiagnosed, given all sorts of credible explanations for the difference in my breasts for ages by GPs. An initial referral did not pick up bc-even experienced specialists can be challenged when a dx is not obvious, so the thought of all of this responsibility on already overstretched GPs shoulders is very worrying- for lots of diseases. Hopefully there are similar discussions about what to do going on on support forums for other cancers and conditions as well.
Meant to add that I think it is a false economy-in some caess early dx saves on treatment costs as well as human ones. Chemotherapy and other drug therapies cost a fortune-add to that hospital stays etc etc-
These proposals do only apply to the NHS in England.
The white paper can be found at
dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_117352.pdf
I must admit I cannot see how this is going to save any money. One minor detail talks about all the new technology-led facilities there will be to improve patient communication with their doctors. How much money have they already spent on vast IT programmes and how much of that has ever been delivered on time and in working order? I think what they’re talking about would be ambitious to achieve in 10 years so I’d be amazed if it gets done in the 3 that they’ve outlined. I bet all of these large IT systems integrators have their tongues out in anticipation of the spoils this will bring them.
E x