Personlised Care - Trying to save our NHS one appointment at a time...
As someone with a number of serious medical conditions, I won’t
list them all as it’d be a very long blog. Let’s just say my regular posty
delivers more letters from the NHS than all my other posts combined. In effect I
have to visit the hospital or Doctors 3 to 4 times a month. Most of the time.
The Doctors and Consultants agree that I know more about my conditions than
they do.
The cost to me just in parking is horrendous, but due to my conditions I have to also take a carer, which adds additional cost. Most appointments are with a Consultant, and inevitably there’s an hours wait. Sometimes tests are involved blood, or scans. Most Consultants will want to check my pulse and blood pressure. I appreciate everything they do for me. However it is a drain on the stretched system and a personal drain on me too. Time and energy are both very valuable commodities to all.
in order to try and at least have some semblance of trying to have a life, I’ve given this some thought, and using a personlised approach, where check-ups are involved, just for routine purposes. I’ve talked to my consultants and agreed that on the appointment days rather than go to the hospital, we can just have a telephone consultation. Most conversations will last less than 2 minutes. I can send him pulse, blood pressure data using my phone. So he can see my vitals are ok. If there anything new out there I’ll ask him about it or discuss what I’ve found.
I also due to one of my conditions have to have regular blood tests every six weeks. I’d go to the hospital clinic, where they’d take my blood, I would then wait to see a consultant who would advise if I needed to go in for treatment on another day. Again taking control and after discussing, I arranged for my local surgery to take my bloods. They would send it off to the hospital as part of their normal daily pickups, to get the checks done. Now instead of waiting for a doctor or consultant to tell me the results. I phone the hospital myself just ask for the result and if it’s above a certain level, I will make arrangements with the hospital to go in for treatment at a mutually convenient time. Again reducing consultant, doctor, nurse, carer and my time.
Having a pase maker inserted, for my heart conditions, even this is now monitored remotely, they can read my results regularly and one appointment a year is sufficent.
I have a full team of brilliant carers, who I employ via a Personalised Health Budget and by having a digital thermometer, a sats machine, blood pressure checker and my diabetes bloods checker. I can check myself my main conditions and this with regualr open communication channels has meant that my hospital and doctor visits have been reduced to virtualy zero.
I try now wherever possible to try and self-manage my care using personlised model, ensuring that i work with my clincians to get the most independance, control and choice I can. All it takes is a bit of thought and discussion. If you have regular check-ups and nothing has changed or there are alternatives to actually going to see someone. Why not suggest it. It does make it all easier for everyone and can help in some way to stop a drain on our stretched NHS. Every things done quickly and efficiently without unnecessary delay and cost.
The cost to me just in parking is horrendous, but due to my conditions I have to also take a carer, which adds additional cost. Most appointments are with a Consultant, and inevitably there’s an hours wait. Sometimes tests are involved blood, or scans. Most Consultants will want to check my pulse and blood pressure. I appreciate everything they do for me. However it is a drain on the stretched system and a personal drain on me too. Time and energy are both very valuable commodities to all.
in order to try and at least have some semblance of trying to have a life, I’ve given this some thought, and using a personlised approach, where check-ups are involved, just for routine purposes. I’ve talked to my consultants and agreed that on the appointment days rather than go to the hospital, we can just have a telephone consultation. Most conversations will last less than 2 minutes. I can send him pulse, blood pressure data using my phone. So he can see my vitals are ok. If there anything new out there I’ll ask him about it or discuss what I’ve found.
I also due to one of my conditions have to have regular blood tests every six weeks. I’d go to the hospital clinic, where they’d take my blood, I would then wait to see a consultant who would advise if I needed to go in for treatment on another day. Again taking control and after discussing, I arranged for my local surgery to take my bloods. They would send it off to the hospital as part of their normal daily pickups, to get the checks done. Now instead of waiting for a doctor or consultant to tell me the results. I phone the hospital myself just ask for the result and if it’s above a certain level, I will make arrangements with the hospital to go in for treatment at a mutually convenient time. Again reducing consultant, doctor, nurse, carer and my time.
Having a pase maker inserted, for my heart conditions, even this is now monitored remotely, they can read my results regularly and one appointment a year is sufficent.
I have a full team of brilliant carers, who I employ via a Personalised Health Budget and by having a digital thermometer, a sats machine, blood pressure checker and my diabetes bloods checker. I can check myself my main conditions and this with regualr open communication channels has meant that my hospital and doctor visits have been reduced to virtualy zero.
I try now wherever possible to try and self-manage my care using personlised model, ensuring that i work with my clincians to get the most independance, control and choice I can. All it takes is a bit of thought and discussion. If you have regular check-ups and nothing has changed or there are alternatives to actually going to see someone. Why not suggest it. It does make it all easier for everyone and can help in some way to stop a drain on our stretched NHS. Every things done quickly and efficiently without unnecessary delay and cost.
Sometimes to improve things
the experts are too busy treating people to see the easier ways of doing things.
Perhaps you can discuss or think of alternatives to reduce a strain on the NHS.
I’m sure if you put it out there most will be happy to discuss your needs and
streamline the processes wherever possible.
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