For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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#1877703
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Those who might have to rely on health services for some time to come might do better to try and understand what the problems are the health service is facing rather than jumping on a slating band wagon


Are you seriously suggesting that you healthcare professionals have a better grasp of these matters than we Flyer forumites?

What have you been smoking? :wink:
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#1877731
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Those who might have to rely on health services for some time to come might do better to try and understand what the problems are the health service is facing rather than jumping on a slating band wagon

Tell that to the great many people who have faced almost (and in some cases absolute) impossibility in getting proper access to their GP for the length of the pandemic, FD. Many people are getting rather tired of the health service painting itself as the only victim. It hasn't been an easy time for a great many people, many of whom have faced even greater problems and risks than health professionals. Giving due credit to many hospital staff shouldn't be allowed to mask the unacceptable service that has (not) been provided by a great many GP practices. There are exceptions, but from anecdotal evidence they seem to be in more rural locations and not most urban areas.

When the inevitable post-mortem on the pandemic and the health service's response takes place, the future structure and responsibilities of GP services must form part of that. Being overly defensive of the health service doesn't help anyone.

PW
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#1877734
It's funny how all the wrongly classified tests were negative..............

Seriously though, what is the UK doing differently to the rest of the civilised world that is resulting in so many reported positive tests. I simply don't believe that the general population here is that much different to (so much worse than) the rest of Europe. I personally know of nobody who has actually been ill with covid for many months and not that many who have tested positive.

It will be interesting to see if there is a huge outbreak among the middle-aged, middle class people who were attending Cheltenham Literature Festival last week. The crowds were very crowded and the queues to get in/out of the events were certainly not socially distanced. Nobody seemed the slighest bit bothered.
#1877742
malcolmfrost wrote:A lot more testing is the simple answer, our positivity rate is around 5%, ie 1 in 20 is positive


Here in Wales, where at one time we were the lowest in the UK, 7 day case numbers are rising dramatically. Our test positivity rate is currently 22.1% ie more than 1 in 5.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... s-21927131
User avatar
By AndyR
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1877744
At work we currently always seem to have someone off due COVID, if not themselves then in the family (usually school children). We have managed to not get any work to work transmission so far, mainly down to strict enforcement of testing and ensuring that those with positive tests in their family/ home stay away from work for the duration.

Everyone takes a LFT at home before commencing a shift (about to do mine!). If everyone is conducting a similar amount of testing, I guess that explains the identification of a relatively high number of cases that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
User avatar
By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1877756
Propwash wrote:
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Those who might have to rely on health services for some time to come might do better to try and understand what the problems are the health service is facing rather than jumping on a slating band wagon

Tell that to the great many people who have faced almost (and in some cases absolute) impossibility in getting proper access to their GP for the length of the pandemic, FD. Many people are getting rather tired of the health service painting itself as the only victim. It hasn't been an easy time for a great many people, many of whom have faced even greater problems and risks than health professionals. Giving due credit to many hospital staff shouldn't be allowed to mask the unacceptable service that has (not) been provided by a great many GP practices. There are exceptions, but from anecdotal evidence they seem to be in more rural locations and not most urban areas.

When the inevitable post-mortem on the pandemic and the health service's response takes place, the future structure and responsibilities of GP services must form part of that. Being overly defensive of the health service doesn't help anyone.

PW


Overly defensive?

No, just not willing to accept DM/Express type mud slinging.

The NHS has been underfunded and under-resourced for a long time. That includes the first line services to which general practice belongs.

To suggest as you do, that GPs have not been accessible for their patients is somehow because that would be part of industrial action is incorrect and inappropriate.

Maybe those critical of the service GPs offer should hold those responsible for the provision of those services more to account and ask those folks why in the UK these services have been so affected by the pandemic whereas in other comparable countries people have access to their GPs without any undue problem.

Maybe those services are not under resourced to the same extent and maybe those GPs did not have to resort to non F2F consultations only because they had adequate protection and PPE from the word go.
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By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1877759
Flyingfemme wrote:I simply don't believe that the general population here is that much different to (so much worse than) the rest of Europe. I personally know of nobody who has actually been ill with covid for many months and not that many who have tested positive.

And it's because of this attitude, ladies and gentlemen, that we are increasingly living in a post-truth, post-science society, where facts and evidence are not just irrelevant, but positively avoided.

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1877763
A neighbour and fellow Probus member reported he's tested positive and is now isolating. Wife tested negative and trip the Lanzarote canned. Hopefully I didn't catch it at the recent Probus meeting.

Spoke to engineers this morning as I canned my Alderney trip due undercarriage problems ( :( ) they've had their first case and are all doing daily tests, he's expecting his small child to bring it home soon.

The NHS and GPs are not to blame for the lack of resources it's a combination of poor funding and organisation over many years and too many folk making unnecessary calls on those inadequate resources because "they are entitled"

I shall now walk into town and pick up some more LFT kits.

I have also been the victim of a statistical anomaly over the last month or so:

Skoda water pump failed
Alderney house central heating boiler failed
Subaru transmission faulty (at main dealer 'cos no-one else can fix it)
Merc engine light came on (thermostat and top hose will need replacement at forthcoming service)
Main gear hydraulics leaking on TB 20

:roll: :roll:
#1877765
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:
To suggest as you do, that GPs have not been accessible for their patients is somehow because that would be part of industrial action is incorrect and inappropriate.


Which I didn't actually do, of course. It was my attempt at humour.

I don't wish to descend into a mud-slinging contest with you. I can't help, however, but observe that whilst you are willing to level criticism (from my persepective and experience not always informed) at the UK police service and the Met in particular, you don't seem willing to allow outsiders to do the same with your area of expertise.

This has nothing to do with tabloid newspapers but first hand experience of trying to access my GP. When that is necessary it shouldn't be an obstacle course with layer after layer seemingly in place to prevent smooth (or in some cases any) first hand access. Complaints about others enduring the same have been swamping social media for many months; they can't all be bogus. There is a genuine and understandable anger in some quarters at what they see as abrogation of responsibility by many practices. Every public service has endured cuts to funding and resources, sometimes severe, and under different flavours of government, for decades now. The other blue light services in particular are constantly being asked not just to maintain the same levels of service but actually do more with less and less. Fire appliances withdrawn and even stations being closed has never to my knowledge led to a refusal to attend incidents and the same has been true of the police. What is so different about GPs?

As a very infrequent user of GP services I had always assumed that they would be there for me should I need them, having paid my dues for just that over a working life. I no longer make that assumption.

Sorry if that offends you.

PW
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User avatar
By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1877767
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Maybe those critical of the service GPs offer should hold those responsible for the provision of those services more to account and ask those folks why in the UK these services have been so affected by the pandemic whereas in other comparable countries people have access to their GPs without any undue problem.


Well, I cant speak for other countries, but here in France during lockdown#1 there was a move toward "online provision" by the govt and this especially was pushed for what in the UK would be termed "repeat prescriptions". But in France that doesnt exist as a concept and no prescription lasts more than a month or so - You need to go to a GP for any prescription - even to renew a prescription for medicine you will need all your life... and for that literally 30 second visit, he charges his standard fee, which you pay him directly for....Now the thing is, for the online 'visit' you put in the number for your "carte vitale" which doesnt cover what most GPs charge, so naturally as soon as face-to-face was govt ok'ed again, things went back to normal... :wink:

Who says money doesnt talk?
Last edited by skydriller on Fri Oct 22, 2021 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#1877775
TopCat wrote:
Flyingfemme wrote:I simply don't believe that the general population here is that much different to (so much worse than) the rest of Europe. I personally know of nobody who has actually been ill with covid for many months and not that many who have tested positive.

And it's because of this attitude, ladies and gentlemen, that we are increasingly living in a post-truth, post-science society, where facts and evidence are not just irrelevant, but positively avoided.

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.

Artful snipping of the comment to fit your own agenda? I asked the question, because I'd really like to know, what is the UK doing (or not doing) that is so different to the rest of the world? And I see you have no answer, merely a smug, self-satisifed sneer that you are so much brighter than me. Do you seriously believe that all Brits are filthy, disease-ridden slobs and the French, German, Spanish, Italian populations are not? I see no evidence of the NHS being overrun with covid sufferers requiring ventilation. Just media full of speculation that "it will all end in tears".
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