Your pension to be used to fund the NHS from 2024?

[Venus]

I requested a state pension forecast several months ago, I see from their website they are currently processing requests for pension forecasts received in October 2023 - a year behind.

I wonder if this is planned due to pending plans to raid it.

https://www.gov.im/categories/tax-vat-and-your-money/income-tax-and-national-insurance/national-insurance-contributions/state-pensions

[Albert Tatlock]

5 minutes ago, Venus said:

I requested a state pension forecast several months ago, I see from their website they are currently processing requests for pension forecasts received in October 2023 - a year behind.

It's due to the archaic way they process these, not being joined to the UK system, and the number of staff.

In other words, all a bag of poop.

[The Phantom]

13 hours ago, Jarndyce said:

No.

Doesn’t demonstrate that you have any knowledge regarding the job description of a physician associate, which is nothing to do with pharmacy.   They’re regarded as a cheap way of replacing junior doctors and GPs as a first contact.   Are you actually mixing up pharmacy assistants with physician associates?

eta: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/medical-associate-professions/roles-medical-associate-professions/physician-associate

You're arguing with a statement you've imagine I made.  I never called them Physician Associates; you did.  I never suggested the prescribe medicine; you did. 

2 hours ago, Andy Onchan said:

Probably not a lot of difference as some GPs in my practice openly admit to looking stuff up on Google!

I've been with a GP when they did this!  Admittedly it was quite an obscure and very specific ailment.  

[Jarndyce]

24 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

You're arguing with a statement you've imagine I made.  I never called them Physician Associates; you did.  I never suggested the prescribe medicine; you did

In that case, I apologise for my error.

Who were you referring to?

[The Phantom]

5 minutes ago, Jarndyce said:

In that case, I apologise for my error.

Who were you referring to?

The woman down my road, who was a teacher, who has gone back to work in the last year after having 3 kids.  Didn't want to do teaching again and is now working as some sort of helper on the wards in the hospital.  I've no idea of her title, I know she has done some training, with more to come.  Even she told me she was doing 'things that Nurses do, but don't really need to - like taking vitals, filling out questionnaires, and giving the patient the drugs that have already been prescribed'.

[wrighty]

2 hours ago, Andy Onchan said:

Probably not a lot of difference as some GPs in my practice openly admit to looking stuff up on Google!

Why would they not do this? In the olden days we used to use books.  None of us claim to be omniscient. What medical training does allow you to do is contextualise and filter the mass of information, most of it shite, that Google turns up.

[wrighty]

1 minute ago, The Phantom said:

The woman down my road, who was a teacher, who has gone back to work in the last year after having 3 kids.  Didn't want to do teaching again and is now working as some sort of helper on the wards in the hospital.  I've no idea of her title, I know she has done some training, with more to come.  Even she told me she was doing 'things that Nurses do, but don't really need to - like taking vitals, filling out questionnaires, and giving the patient the drugs that have already been prescribed'.

Sounds like a health care assistant to me.  She probably doesn't give out drugs.

[Jarndyce]

 

19 hours ago, The Phantom said:

 The 'Physician Associate' is a neighbour a few doors down, who was a teacher, took time out due to multiple kids and recently gone back to work but fancied a change. I saw her on a ward I visited last week and wondered what she was up to.  Obviously she'll receive training, not sure if she will be a full Phyisician Associate or not (just googled). 

 

48 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

You're arguing with a statement you've imagine I made.  I never called them Physician Associates; you did.  I never suggested the prescribe medicine; you did. 

 

[The Phantom]

@Jarndyce

Physician Associate

You called her this.  I just googled it, seemed kinda similar so I agreed with you! 

Edited 16 hours ago by The Phantom

[Andy Onchan]

19 minutes ago, wrighty said:

Why would they not do this? In the olden days we used to use books.  None of us claim to be omniscient. What medical training does allow you to do is contextualise and filter the mass of information, most of it shite, that Google turns up.

I was half joking but nevertheless true. 

[wrighty]

13 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

@Jarndyce

Physician Associate

You called her this.  I just googled it, seemed kinda similar so I agreed with you! 

Terminology is important, and the medical profession is acutely aware of non-medics appropriating job titles that are potentially confusing for patients.  Couple of examples:

What's the difference between a Consultant Podiatric Surgeon and a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon? The answer is a huge amount in terms of qualifications, training and experience, but for a patient presented with an individual wearing those badges, they may as well be the same.  The former should have a sign with flashing lights saying "this person is not medically qualified".

Then there was the patient's relative who was referred to as "Mr X" and corrected me saying "It's Dr X, actually".  I naturally then switched from plain English into medical jargon when explaining the situation only to be stopped to ask what I mean by metastatic neoplasia in the distal neuraxis (or whatever, made up for illustrative purposes).  He had a doctorate in geography or something. (And before Roger Mexico chips in with only PhD holders being proper doctors, and medics not, it's the popular perception that is key here, rather than the academic rigour)

So the profession is currently in a battle, and seemingly tying itself up in knots, over what we call Physician Associates - should they be Physician Assistants, Medical Helpers, Doctor's apprentice or what? It's a bit like The Office - "You're not the assistant regional manager, you're the assistant to the regional manager".  They're also in dispute as to how they should be regulated - GMC or HPC? Currently it's by nobody.

[Jarndyce]

30 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

You called her this.  I just googled it, seemed kinda similar so I agreed with you

That’ll teach you - never just agree with me!  🙂

[Jarndyce]

11 minutes ago, wrighty said:

So the profession is currently in a battle, and seemingly tying itself up in knots, over what we call Physician Associates - should they be Physician Assistants, Medical Helpers, Doctor's apprentice or what?

As a non-medic, “Medical Helpers” seems most accurate to me.   I suppose it also depends how they present themselves when you first encounter them.

eta: I suspect that description wouldn’t appeal to them: not grand enough!

Edited 15 hours ago by Jarndyce
eta

[The Phantom]

2 minutes ago, Jarndyce said:

As a non-medic, “Medical Helpers” seems most accurate to me.   I suppose it also depends how they present themselves when you first encounter them.

I like 'Doctor's Apprentice'.

Also in respect of the 'Heath Visitor' who isn't a Health Visitor but kind of is.   My point was, it was a coincidence that I encountered these new semi delegated roles within a couple of weeks of one another.  It seems like a good way of freeing up some time and expertise when recruitment of the fully qualified is proving difficult.  I'm sure it probably saves a little bit of money, but that doesn't seem like the real driver of this. 

[Jarndyce]

1 minute ago, The Phantom said:

I like 'Doctor's Apprentice'.

“Apprentice” seems to imply that, once you’re “time-served”,  you’ll be a doctor - I’m not sure that it works like that.   @wrighty?