Manx Care

[Annoymouse]

1 hour ago, 2bees said:

Someone I know 😉

The “more than once” question is exactly what I’m going on about. They were seen by doctor A last year, he recommended x,y,z then come back and treatment will happen, x,y & z have been done.  Doctor A has gone so they saw doctor B who asked the most obvious questions (if you have eyes you will see the problem & as it is your field its expected that you know the effect) and then said “Go away do l,m,n then come back”. Which is why I’m questioning the processes.

 There are many things that could be done to help ease congestion and multiple appointments for single issues and I’m glad they are being actively looked at

Currently having very similar issues myself, every time I see someone new with regards to my injury I have to start the story from scratch, go through all the issues/problems again, describe the pain etc I said last time ‘have my notes not been sent through?’ nope, very little information sent through. If what I said in the very beginning was actually recorded and on my notes it would cut out so much of the bullshit, my last appointment with a consultant lasted about 15 minutes, 10 minutes of that was me telling the repeat story, the rest was him checking me over. He disagrees with the last diagnosis though which will be interesting to say the least.

[quilp]

2 hours ago, Annoymouse said:

Currently having very similar issues myself, every time I see someone new with regards to my injury I have to start the story from scratch, go through all the issues/problems again, describe the pain etc I said last time ‘have my notes not been sent through?’ nope, very little information sent through. If what I said in the very beginning was actually recorded and on my notes it would cut out so much of the bullshit, my last appointment with a consultant lasted about 15 minutes, 10 minutes of that was me telling the repeat story, the rest was him checking me over. He disagrees with the last diagnosis though which will be interesting to say the least.

I could have written the above. Had the same problem for years with respiratory. Different personnel, having to repeat the same story, etc. Terrible continuity, though the new guy, al-Aidi, does his best. 

[John Wright]

9 hours ago, Annoymouse said:

Currently having very similar issues myself, every time I see someone new with regards to my injury I have to start the story from scratch, go through all the issues/problems again, describe the pain etc I said last time ‘have my notes not been sent through?’ nope, very little information sent through. If what I said in the very beginning was actually recorded and on my notes it would cut out so much of the bullshit, my last appointment with a consultant lasted about 15 minutes, 10 minutes of that was me telling the repeat story, the rest was him checking me over. He disagrees with the last diagnosis though which will be interesting to say the least.

 

6 hours ago, quilp said:

I could have written the above. Had the same problem for years with respiratory. Different personnel, having to repeat the same story, etc. Terrible continuity, though the new guy, al-Aidi, does his best. 

I’m sure it’s happened to all of us. But patients ( and clients ) are often poor at history and facts and doctors ( and lawyers ) poor at recording them.

Things get recorded wrongly and misunderstandings occur.

Its safer to refresh ( whether you’ve pre read or not ).

Not only that but symptoms, conditions and focus of patient/client change with time.

And, Annoymouse, you’ve hit the nail. If he’d blindly read and accepted the notes and previous diagnosis would have become self fulfilling.

Its a conundrum.

[2bees]

10 hours ago, wrighty said:

Feel free to PM me with details of SIK, A, xyz, B etc and I’ll see if I can help. 

Thank you. On one of the occasions when the person was seen by the other doctor before the consultation at nobles, the doctor was asked if there was anyway of moving things along as the referral had taken a long time (allowances made for Covid included), the doctor said unfortunately not and to interfere may cause more harm than good.
The course is set and will take as long as it takes. Thanks for the offer but I’d rather not rock the boat for my friend.  

[doc.fixit]

8 hours ago, quilp said:

I could have written the above. Had the same problem for years with respiratory. Different personnel, having to repeat the same story, etc. Terrible continuity, though the new guy, al-Aidi, does his best. 

I'm with that consultant! the past history mirrors yours Quilp and for the same reasons. The Spanish lady consultant a few years ago cut through the bullshit, thank goodness and put my drugs regime on the right path. I feel I owe her my current existence. It was a shame Baghmani went though, a good man.

[cissolt]

My experience with one of the consultants mirrors those mentioned here.  Two appointments in three years, over 30 cancelled appointments for various reasons, not sure how one doctor can have that many family funerals.

[Annoymouse]

1 hour ago, John Wright said:

Not only that but symptoms, conditions and focus of patient/client change with time.

And, Annoymouse, you’ve hit the nail. If he’d blindly read and accepted the notes and previous diagnosis would have become self fulfilling.

Its a conundrum.

Yes, I do understand that, it just sometimes feels like an uphill battle before you even begin. The background on how the injury occurred for example has never changed. 

[Apple]

Manx Care have their work cut out. 

Given the comments already made above clearly there are problems with the current processes and procedures, and I think if a wider survey was done there would be many more people with their stories of problems coming to light. But, no-one seeks those views and therefore the DHSC attitude seems to be "well that is how it is so just suck it up'.

There are solutions. Systems can be improved to reflect what a good health and social care service provides effectively and efficiently, for the good of the patient and the public. 

It was interesting to see at the Manx Care Board meeting how different people reported on different aspects of the services. Are we creating more or different silos ? 

There were 14 Board members on very, very good salaries on that Board. They are starting behind the line and facing more difficulties than was envisaged or expected. 

Can they even start to turn things around ? Probably in a longer time frame than what they think, but they are going to need more and better than what they currently have, and learn a lot faster about how to engage with the public in the right ways than what they have shown so far. Nowadays the co-operation and  participation of a receptive public can be crucial  and can often be underestimated. Bad news travels fast.

[quilp]

1 hour ago, doc.fixit said:

I'm with that consultant! the past history mirrors yours Quilp and for the same reasons. The Spanish lady consultant a few years ago cut through the bullshit, thank goodness and put my drugs regime on the right path. I feel I owe her my current existence. It was a shame Baghmani went though, a good man.

Coincidentally, I had a phone consultation with her yesterday and am quite satisfied at the outcome. 

[Blackajah]

Whilst I agree that Manx Care has a lot to do in terms of improving services and reform, I've always felt that more should be done to manage expectations.     I worked in a patient facing role at Noble's  for quite a few years and patients were phoning a few days after referral by GP, asking when they were to be seen, not having been informed that there was a wait.       There are still quite a few no-shows and again, little is being done to manage these.   Patients were also quite surprised and sometimes taken aback at being discharged from a consultant's clinic when there was no need for them to be seen again.   It was as though they needed to be looked after by a consultant rather than a GP.     

[Apple]

1 hour ago, Blackajah said:

Whilst I agree that Manx Care has a lot to do in terms of improving services and reform, I've always felt that more should be done to manage expectations. 

Agreed. Communications to patients between different aspects of the organisation are less than clear sometimes, and can lead to frustrations and confusion for many.

One of the reasons for what is have described above can the fitting in appointments around other personal arrangements, with off island travel being one of them. 

The point was referred to at the Board meeting, which I totally subscribe to, was that if the emphasis is on the highest standard of care being the focus of all interactions, then the right actions and procedures will emanate from that. That will require a new form of commitment and practice not only from those in the systems, but also from the organisation itself.

That is a tall order from an organisation used to operating from mainly behind closed doors, mostly in secrecy, and with, in my view, a different position on accountability both personal and organisationally than is healthy for the public.

The Duty of Candour does not fulfil all that is needed to achieve this, nor does the ineffective Charter. 

[Annoymouse]

58 minutes ago, Blackajah said:

Whilst I agree that Manx Care has a lot to do in terms of improving services and reform, I've always felt that more should be done to manage expectations.  

I’ve had my last appointment cancelled/rearranged 3 times, I never get angry or annoyed, I just accept it for what it is and take whenever the next available appointment is. I’ve worked within similar customer facing roles and I know exactly what it’s like, I’d never take it out on a receptionist or admin staff, but I will tell the consultant or whoever I see that it’s been cancelled 3 times and that I’m relieved to be finally able to see them.

I have witnessed those who do demand to be seen, cause no end of grief and are just downright rude, the GP surgery is normally full of them types and they do unfortunately seem to get their own way a lot of the time.

The length in waiting for an appointment does also mean they get easily forgotten, I’ve had appointments booked 2 or 3 months ahead and a lot can happen within that time frame, particularly when booking other appointments, it’s easy to find yourself double booked!

 

[2112]

4 hours ago, 2bees said:

Thank you. On one of the occasions when the person was seen by the other doctor before the consultation at nobles, the doctor was asked if there was anyway of moving things along as the referral had taken a long time (allowances made for Covid included), the doctor said unfortunately not and to interfere may cause more harm than good.
The course is set and will take as long as it takes. Thanks for the offer but I’d rather not rock the boat for my friend.  

I can sympathise and understand, and having had 2 referrals with consultants at Nobles, I doubt I’m going to get anywhere. I’m probably going to have to seek a private consultation in the UK, then hopefully it will get the ball rolling for a definitive diagnosis and course of treatment. Sad the way our health service has withered to nothing. I can’t see it improving anytime soon. It will take a Generation, 

[Apple]

1 hour ago, 2112 said:

Sad the way our health service has withered to nothing. I can’t see it improving anytime soon. It will take a Generation, 

I certainly echo your sentiments. The last few years have been a disaster in my opinion. BUT...it can be turned around. And in sooner than a generation.

Off the back of Covid, as history shows with other pandemics, the choices of an improved health and social care system become much more focussed. There are opportunities becoming available with the realisation now that health is all important, it dominates and defines who and how we are, it involves every body rich and poor, and benefits the economies of the nation in so many different ways.

It take public and political will, in that order, to want the best health care systems, the right people to deliver it, and the courage to call it out when it does not match what is "written on the tin".

In my view David Ashford never got that....maybe Manx Care will. Maybe we will insist they do.

[Boo Gay'n]

7 minutes ago, Apple said:

...

It take public and political will, in that order, to want the best health care systems, the right people to deliver it, and the courage to call it out when it does not match what is "written on the tin".

In my view David Ashford never got that....maybe Manx Care will. Maybe we will insist they do.

Yes, but one of our main problems here (which I suspect you know very well) is that the concept of 'political will' is almost non-existent.

Manx politicians have the decision-making skills of amoebae.  A sensation that something is good news or positive for their reputation means that they slide towards that something.  Conversely, if the sensation is that something is difficult, bad news or damaging to their reputation, they slide away from it rather more quickly!

As a consequence, so many things have been kicked into the long grass in the Isle of Man that you could build a new Snaefell with them.