Manx Care Has Failed

[jackwhite]

1 hour ago, Zarley said:

 

I have to go to Liverpool twice a year to see my consultant for a chronic illness. I go the day before for several reasons. 

1. The appointment is always first thing in the morning and if the morning flight is delayed or cancelled, I miss my appointment. Going the day before gives me some leeway.

2. Due to the stress of worrying about whether or not the flight will be on time, coupled with the fact that I need to be up at least two hours before leaving the house (due to issues from said chronic condition) by the time I get to the clinic my BP is through the roof. This has caused the consultant to ask me to have my BP checked weekly at my GP's surgery, wasting everyone's time and NHS money.  

3. This stress also sometimes causes some of my lab results to be skewed. When I used to go the day of the appointment, several times I had to go back over to have labs redone, again wasting time and money. (These test can't be done here reliably as they have to be sent across anyway and these results are often also skewed.) 

I ALWAYS pay for my accommodation. I put money aside in-between appointments for this purpose. I hate that my chronic condition costs the NHS money. Since I started going the day before a few years ago, I haven't had the BP and skewed lab issues I had in the past. So for the sake of saving up around 50-75 quid of my own money, I'm potentially saving the NHS hundreds. 

I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when people are all tarred with the same brush due to a few jerks. 

Firstly sorry to hear about your condition. Sounds difficult and hats off to you for staying in a place where you have to travel to have it managed.

We (society and on here particularly) can sometimes be sweeping in our terms and, again, credit for paying for this yourself when you could, I'm sure, have it paid for.

[Andy Onchan]

3 hours ago, Gladys said:

Agreed, but not sure the sense of entitlement is inherently Manx.

I'm inclined to think that it's tight fistedness!

[John Wright]

2 hours ago, Zarley said:

 

I have to go to Liverpool twice a year to see my consultant for a chronic illness. I go the day before for several reasons. 

1. The appointment is always first thing in the morning and if the morning flight is delayed or cancelled, I miss my appointment. Going the day before gives me some leeway.

2. Due to the stress of worrying about whether or not the flight will be on time, coupled with the fact that I need to be up at least two hours before leaving the house (due to issues from said chronic condition) by the time I get to the clinic my BP is through the roof. This has caused the consultant to ask me to have my BP checked weekly at my GP's surgery, wasting everyone's time and NHS money.  

3. This stress also sometimes causes some of my lab results to be skewed. When I used to go the day of the appointment, several times I had to go back over to have labs redone, again wasting time and money. (These test can't be done here reliably as they have to be sent across anyway and these results are often also skewed.) 

I ALWAYS pay for my accommodation. I put money aside in-between appointments for this purpose. I hate that my chronic condition costs the NHS money. Since I started going the day before a few years ago, I haven't had the BP and skewed lab issues I had in the past. So for the sake of saving up around 50-75 quid of my own money, I'm potentially saving the NHS hundreds. 

I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when people are all tarred with the same brush due to a few jerks. 

I’m in the same position. For 6 months I went over twice a week for chemo. It definitely set my heart racing, upped my blood pressure, and affected my Qt interval. All of which had to be in normal range to start the chemo. Early on we agreed to put back the testing in Liverpool until 11.00 so I could relax and regain normality. As I always booked the last flight back it worked out OK. My 100+ sectors flown actually all flew.

I’m supposed to visit Liverpool for consultations and blood monitoring for return of leukaemia every 3 months. Early on in 2020Covid  the consultant agreed I could get bloods taken at Nobles and have them couriered over. Blood clinic never have the right bottles. They forget to send them, can’t do on a Friday, or they arrive damaged ( too hot/cold/old due to the journey ).

Ive had 2 positive results in 6 months. The first I just redid. Came back OK. False positive. This current one the consultant has told me to come to Clatterbridge for a bone marrow biopsy. That’s the definitive test.

Like Zarley I’m going over a day early, at my own expense. 

My consultant and the day ward were always good to accommodate IoM patients when the plane was late. One nurse actually drove me back to Speke after the chemo couldn’t be started until I’d had potassium and other electrolytes infused. We didn’t get the nasty stuff pumped in until 18.30.

[Zarley]

1 minute ago, John Wright said:

Early on in 2020Covid  the consultant agreed I could get bloods taken at Nobles and have them couriered over. Blood clinic never have the right bottles. They forget to send them, can’t do on a Friday, or they arrive damaged ( too hot/cold/old due to the journey ).

 

Exactly. During covid my clinic sent me extra meds through the post, but there came a time when they couldn't send more until I had new labs done.

We arranged for me to get them done at Nobles. Not only were the results compromised due to issues you outline, but Nobles also forgot to let me or my consultant know in a timely fashion that my results were actually quite alarming. Cue several weeks of high anxiety and sleepless nights. 

[John Wright]

4 hours ago, Nellie said:

Indeed! We all know that Loganair have been having difficulties meeting their obligations to run a reliable and dependable service for Manx Care, but the % of flights cancelled is actually around 4%. So why would you send everyone the day before to mitigate that level of disruption. 

The problem is when your appointment is at 09.30 and the plane doesn’t arrive in Liverpool until 11.00, or when you get checked in for return and the plane doesn’t depart on time, sometimes 2 hours late. You’ve got up at 4 to get to the airport, and you don’t get home until midnight if you live in the north.

Its the significant delays. Not just the cancellations.

[John Wright]

4 minutes ago, Zarley said:

Exactly. During covid my clinic sent me extra meds through the post, but there came a time when they couldn't send more until I had new labs done.

We arranged for me to get them done at Nobles. Not only were the results compromised due to issues you outline, but Nobles also forgot to let me or my consultant know in a timely fashion that my results were actually quite alarming. Cue several weeks of high anxiety and sleepless nights. 

Ah, the fight to get Nobles/Clatterbridge/GP to share info with each other, and me!

[Gladys]

3 hours ago, Zarley said:

 

I have to go to Liverpool twice a year to see my consultant for a chronic illness. I go the day before for several reasons. 

1. The appointment is always first thing in the morning and if the morning flight is delayed or cancelled, I miss my appointment. Going the day before gives me some leeway.

2. Due to the stress of worrying about whether or not the flight will be on time, coupled with the fact that I need to be up at least two hours before leaving the house (due to issues from said chronic condition) by the time I get to the clinic my BP is through the roof. This has caused the consultant to ask me to have my BP checked weekly at my GP's surgery, wasting everyone's time and NHS money.  

3. This stress also sometimes causes some of my lab results to be skewed. When I used to go the day of the appointment, several times I had to go back over to have labs redone, again wasting time and money. (These test can't be done here reliably as they have to be sent across anyway and these results are often also skewed.) 

I ALWAYS pay for my accommodation. I put money aside in-between appointments for this purpose. I hate that my chronic condition costs the NHS money. Since I started going the day before a few years ago, I haven't had the BP and skewed lab issues I had in the past. So for the sake of saving up around 50-75 quid of my own money, I'm potentially saving the NHS hundreds. 

I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when people are all tarred with the same brush due to a few jerks. 

Zarley you are not being tarred, you are being reasonable.  It is those who believe everything should be provided for them, you don't and there will be many others who take a degree of responsibility for themselves.  But you and they aren't the ones complaining and I would hope that those who cannot afford the overnight accommodation and whose appointments require them are given the necessary support.

As ever, it will be the ones who just get on with it who don't make the noise, but the few who do are given more air time.

Best wishes to you and John, it cannot be easy and must be very frustrating and concerning to deal with a chronic condition that involves off-island treatment. 💐

[Lxxx]

7 hours ago, Gladys said:

Agreed, but not sure the sense of entitlement is inherently Manx.

Agreed, although it's just as evident here as it is anywhere else.   

[2112]

5 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

One thing we have established is that whenever the government here try to 'do commercial' they mess it up and use it as an excuse to employ lots of unnecessary people.  And everyone then criticises them for competing with the private sector. 

And I suspect there isn't any money to be made from Amazon lockers anyway (postal delivery is too good, neighbours too helpful, pilfering too rare) and if there was, someone would offer the service in a more convenient location than stuck out in the middle of Braddan.

 Another thing we know is that there isn't really any spare space at Nobles and never has been due to bad planning.  They actually had to build extra facilities for things such as diabetic treatment because they had forgotten to include them.  (I've also heard rumours of a ward being converted to offices, can this be true?).

I went to Nobles to get bloods done, and in the reception there is an office for ‘Hotel Services Manager’, any ideas? Also are IOMG now running Hotels? I they are, they have missed a trick by giving Robertshaw the job. 

[Nellie]

23 minutes ago, 2112 said:

I went to Nobles to get bloods done, and in the reception there is an office for ‘Hotel Services Manager’, any ideas? Also are IOMG now running Hotels? I they are, they have missed a trick by giving Robertshaw the job. 

"Hotel Services" is a fairly generic term in hospitals, and covers functions like catering (both patients and staff), laundry,  cleaning, house-keeping and all associated purchasing and logistics. It seems like a perfectly sensible job title, for such a post. The post holder is likely to be someone with a background in hospitality, or catering, rather than a doctor!

[snowman]

re you sure it says HOTEL

[snowman]

Why oh why do people worry about their flights or keep mentioning the stress.

 

Get a grip. The important thing is your health. This thread is full of glowing praise for appointments being rescheduled if the flight is cancelled or delayed. So why put extra pressure on yourself - particularly when it's not in your own control 

[Zarley]

7 hours ago, snowman said:

Why oh why do people worry about their flights or keep mentioning the stress.

 

Get a grip. The important thing is your health. This thread is full of glowing praise for appointments being rescheduled if the flight is cancelled or delayed. So why put extra pressure on yourself - particularly when it's not in your own control 

🤦🏻‍♀️

You haven't a clue, have you. 

[Gladys]

14 hours ago, 2112 said:

I went to Nobles to get bloods done, and in the reception there is an office for ‘Hotel Services Manager’, any ideas? Also are IOMG now running Hotels? I they are, they have missed a trick by giving Robertshaw the job. 

Come on 2112, can you not figure that out yourself? 

[John Wright]

9 hours ago, snowman said:

Why oh why do people worry about their flights or keep mentioning the stress.

 

Get a grip. The important thing is your health. This thread is full of glowing praise for appointments being rescheduled if the flight is cancelled or delayed. So why put extra pressure on yourself - particularly when it's not in your own control 

Come on, Snowman. That’s one of the most insensitive posts of the year, so far.

Passengers on PT flights are ill. Often seriously ill. Often in pain.

It may be their first flight for consultation or treatment, or they may not belong to the excellent Patient Transfer FB page run by Carole Male. 

They may not know that most hospitals and many consultants will rejig their list to fit in delayed IoM patients.

They’ll have been up since 4am.

Many are in pain.

Theres nowhere to go, stay, visit, if your appointment is at 11.00 and your plane home isn’t until 20.00. Especially if you’re not mobile. Lots of these passengers are attending appointments in outlying clinics/hospitals, can’t use public transport.

Then there’s the worry about getting home. Will the plane fly/won’t it. EZY and Logan aren’t good at communicating about delays/cancellations. Allocation of a hotel and alternative routing is a shambles. They haven’t got funds ( majority on benefits/pension ). PT office don’t pick up the phone and are closed after 17.00. They may not have essential meds or equipment.

Theres no handbook. No guidance.

I am laid back. I always took a back pack with 3 days meds, change of undies, T shirt & socks, and essential equipment. Not everyone is as organised.

No, we can’t control delays or cancellations, yes we can ameliorate. But the on hand support when things go wrong, from the airport, airlines and Manx Care aren’t up to standard.