I have a very complex neurological history. I have a permanent superpubic catheter. I developed bleeding from my SPC site and blood in my urine with blood clots in catheter bag and worsening pain over right flank / kidney. The nearest I could get to explain my problem on rapid health was to select UTI and pelvic pain although pain in right flank and SPC site not pelvis. Then a question in a drop down box asked if I had blood in my urine so correctly selected yes.
At the end of the rapid health consultation it stated one of two of your answers suggests you should go to A&E and if unable to get there by yourself phone 999. I am housebound and a wheelchair user and unable to use a self propelled wheelchair or an electric due to my health issues. I have no family and no way to get to A&E as the local good neighbours scheme will not take people in wheelchairs. I cannot use a taxi either due to my high rate of epileptic seizures and drivers will often refuse to push my wheelchair.
For over two years now we as patients have been educated not to go to A&E unless a life threatening problem, due to the pressures on A&E. Constantly my GP Practice sends out messages telling you the appropriate place to go. If I phone 999 for my current issue I will not be popular and told off, as from experience have been told off in past for using 999 when my problem has been more serious and verbally abused numerous times over twenty years by the minority of NHS professionals for no justified reason. Then later am told by another polite NHS worker I had done nothing wrong and had the ambulance / went to A&E for a totally legitimate reason.
Prior to rapid health coming into use, I was already a very frustrated patient, but now even more so. If you have serious highly complex health issues, long gone are the days of continuity in your health care and actually speaking to a GP or anyone in the NHS who understands and knows your issues.
If you are housebound with no family, unable to leave your front door for health reasons you do not chose to have etc, then you may as well not be here in this world because, in my experience, you are just cast aside like you do not even exist because your complex health needs are just too difficult a case to be bothered with. Getting the health care you need and deserve is becoming impossible and often I feel like just giving up even trying to access it.
"Use of new Rapid Healthcare system"
About: GPs in Surrey Heath GPs in Surrey Heath
Posted by Fred Giveup (as ),
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