WHERE TO GET HELP: VOLUNTARY/INDEPENDENT HOSPITALS AND SERVICES, TALKING TO DOCTORS
Voluntary/independent hospitals and services
In some districts small independent hospitals are being set up. Many have GP beds (that is beds the GPs have sole admitting rights to) and for many GPs they use these beds for admission of elderly patients either with comparatively minor medical problems or in a respite/holiday capacity. Some of the beds may also be used for the terminally ill, though increasingly these beds are in a hospice run by those with an expertise in the care of the dying.
Talking to doctors
Some patients and carers find talking to a doctor a nerve-racking experience: they often feel that they have not expressed themselves well to the clinician or conveyed their true feelings and anxieties. Doctors are being trained to see communication as a vital skill so that even where a doctor is not naturally a good communicator and the patient nervous, progress can be made. GPs are the gatekeepers to so many services and forms of help, that good and effective communication with them is essential. Hopefully most patients and GPs will have a good working relationship. In a few cases this does not happen, the fault, if present, may be on either side, but a patient or carer may be severely disadvantaged by an insensitive or blocking GP. The first way forward is always dialogue, putting the issue as openly as possible. If a service is refused or you are not happy with the answer, ask the GP to explain why such a service/treatment is not available or the reasons for a particular course of action. If the patient/carer is still not happy it may be possible to see a practice partner or ask if the practice has any mechanism for resolving disputes.
If no progress is made, discuss the problem with the FHSA. The outcome may be to change to a different practice but that is obviously not a guarantee that a particular problem will be resolved. It is worth remembering that after the initial referral from the GP, a service may not be at the behest of the doctor but of the service manager.
It is currently not possible to bypass the GP and get a hospital specialist opinion within the NHS (one can get it by going privately in most areas). Most GPs, however, are not unreasonable about organizing a specialist opinion and a blank refusal without adequate explanation is unwarranted. Once under the combined care of the GP and specialist, the specialist will usually advise on the frequency of hospital visits and further tests. Having an appointment brought forward should be done via the GP. Direct contact with the specialist team is often possible but good practice and good communication means that they will report to the GP any client contact.
The art of good communication is a mutual understanding on both sides. Patient and carer should be given as much information and explanation as they need. In addition the doctor should appreciate the stresses of illness, of caring and the anxiety that both can generate.
*52/128/5*
GENERAL HEALTH
- The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.
- Read the product information leaflet provided with the product before using it.
Information that this website contains are general information only and are not intended as a replacement for advise and recommendations made by your medical practitioner. We do not make any warranty or represent the accuracy of information supplied herein. We reserve the right to omit portions, correct errors or withdraw an entire page on this website as we see fit without prior notice.
Information about a certain drug, its uses, recommended dosages and side effects do not serve as a substitute to a prescription or information relayed to you by a licensed medical practitioner. These materials are just a general overview about the product. Likewise, we do not endorse use of any drug found on this site.
Use of this site is at your sole risk. We disclaim responsibility for reliance you place upon the information that we posted on this site. Always seek medical advice from a professional healthcare and discuss thoroughly your intention of using any of the medicine that is offered in this website.
|
