Pals Medical Centre.
 

Hard to believe but this place is getting worse in my view,:eek: Been rough as rats since Sunday, n as going away at weekend, dragged meself outa bed, Got down to Pals @ 7-55 (opens at 8-30) to see a doctor, fer years this has been the only way i can get one!! The counter opened at 8-30 i am 3rd in queue, was feeling bit dizzy but had made it (or so i thought):mad: 8-34 my turn comes, can i see a doctor please? Certainly sir, it will be next Wednesday,:eek: I am going on holiday on Sunday i'm poorly now says i. It seems since October 1st they have changed everything:eek: This new system is a result of patient consultation it seems (no beggars consulted me:mad:) I do not mind change if it benefits us, says i, but nobody has informed me of this change.:mad:so how is anyone supposed to know about it?? apart from this magnificent patient commitee,:rolleyes: I ended up going to accy vic to the walk in surgery and was attended too within 40 mins a very good service,:) Which it seems is under threat because of Camerons cost cutting:mad: Why does that not surprise me? That fat prick will never have a problem getting medical help.

Re: Pals Medical Centre.
 

Hope you feel better soon, Cashy.

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Did you not know that you have to give at least 4 weeks notice of being ill there to see a doctor pal?I know i will be ill in 5 or 6 weeks as my crystal ball tells me so. Yer right about the place though!

Pals Medical Centre.
 

I hope it's not chest infection cashy, that seems to be doing the rounds at the moment, so far it's put Mick in hospital and me on a liquid diet plus a few others feeling very delicate.

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It defies logic that anybody can go to the drop in place at Accy Vic and see a doctor quicker than you can get an appointment at your own

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Hope the medication you got from the Vic sorts you out Ol and you bounce back :D Go away and try enjoy your holiday matey. Pack your liberty bodice and get Mrs C to rub your chest with goosegrease ;).
atb

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Hope your feeling better soon Olly. Take care mate.

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This nonesence was happening long before Cameron came on the scene, its more to do with stupid "I'm in charge receptionist" who were actually kicked out of the Gestapo for cruelty;)

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My mum took my dad up to the walk-in clinic at Accy Vic a few days ago and said they were really good and seen really quickly. Surely, making patients wait all week to see a doctor can only mean a lot of patients will get worse therefore costing more money/treatment in the long run (aside from all the worry and discomfort of the patient).

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Normally i would agree, not this time though receptionists don't change the rules, without informing patients. And the walk in clinic at the hospital thats under threat is were i was referring to that fat slug Cameron.:mad: as you well know, cos yeh aint too dumb to read,:rolleyes: But true to form yeh try to defend the indefensible.

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hope you all fell better soon
Me I have the dentist tomorrow not liking that

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Just grit your teeth US Angel, I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think !! :D

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for a change I had to ring the docs and ask for an appointment on Monday .. mines in rossendale ... not the accy pals centre .. I ended up wi a phone call ... from the nurse practioner ..who does triage .. in otherwords if you manage to get past her you either get an appointment with her or if she thinks you need an appointment wi the doc then she'll make you one. this one told me when I said id had a fit 2 weeks ago that I should have had an appointment not just rang in ...and she would review my medication, make sure im taking it, and make sure im taking it right ... I said my medication is reviewed by my consultant .. I review your medication not your consultant .. and when is your next appointment with your consultant ... well im waiting for it to arrive ... I was in a bad mood when I went on Monday teatime ... but it wasn't her I got to see .. it was another one ... at least one thing my blood pressure was perfect ... lol

I think its not just them .. .I think its all the gp's everythings changing and sometimes not for the better ...

get better soon cashy ..

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when accypals was at avenue parade i approached the counter to be seen as i was having an asthma attack and as i had used their nebulizer before i knew they had one and it would be quicker than waiting for an ambulance.Just to be clear i wasnt at home when having ths attack it came on practically 1 street away from the doctors surgery so they were the nearest and fastest help and i was of course registered at the practice..

well you would think they were the fastest help but i was told there were no appointments for 3 weeks so nothing has changed or improved there in the past 15 years despite them shutting the doctors surgery down every friday for the past 20 years to do " STAFF TRAINING" .No idea what the staff are been trained to do but if its taking 20 years and its still not sinking in theres somat wrong.

i stumbled out of the building , got a few yards down avenue parade and had the decencey to collapse away from the premisis and some nice person rang an ambulance and i was stabalised in the street.The paramedics said i shoudl have gone into teh medical center to which i nearly had another asthma attack from laughing lol

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get better soon Cashy......I casn't put on here what I think of the goons up at that place.
They are not interested in patients, or their well being...they are only interested in making money.
I wonder which patients were consulted about these changes and how many of them were consulted....I know I certainely wasn't.
Bigger certainly isn't better.

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Hope you are feeling better, and have a really good holiday.

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the accrington victoria health access center was meant to move into where physio therapy was so it could take on more patients and still provide walk in patients which thanks to peel house there are plenty of.

unfortunatly the surgery has taken on a lot of new patients but funding has stopped so there is a half finished doctors surgery leaving the old system in place having to deal with teh extra work load plus walk in patients.

sadly what is a great surgery is been put under a lot of strain because of this and i think the walk in service should be stopped so they can concentrate on registered patients.When funding is provided to finish the new surgery then start teh walk in service again.

ps:

never expect a tory to give a toss about northerers health especially the likes of cameron and his bum chums

mind you never trust a MP period is the safest bet it dosnt really matter what colour they march under they just screw you over in different ways

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Keep taking the pills mate.

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If voting made a difference they'd stop it, :rolleyes:

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deciding between labour or conservitive is like choosing between the left and right foot been used to kick you in the nutts

either way you choose ends up been a ball-acher

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Yet again, I have to bang on about pen pushers....

My guess is that the people asked to be able to make appointments to see their own doctors rather than have to queue up from 7am ...pen pushers interpreted this as...

People do not care how long they have to wait as long as they see their own doctor.

(I just cannot believe that ordinary patients would ask for longer waiting times)

I've been with this lot since Patterson and Purnell had a surgery on Burnley Road where you walked in, took a numbered tag and waited your turn.

I have absolutely no idea who my doctor is (I lost track after Warburton went to Africa) and frankly I don't care...as long as when I'm ill I can see someone who will either cure me or put my mind at rest that I ain't a terminal case within a couple of days.

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Thanks Guinness, I was trying to remember my old doctors names. Could remember Warburton, but there was one that reminded me of professor Yaffle off bagpuss, I think that was purnell.
I had Dr. Hipwell after Warburton left, a cracking doc, if only every GP were as good as him.

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Thats were it falls down, "As long as" which aint always the case, i had the misfortune to have to see one of the poor uns, at Peel House many years ago ( mine was away) it can be a lottery when yeh see someone yeh dont know.;)

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Dr Hipwell was a house officer on my ward when I was nursing at QPH and yes he was/is a good doctor(he left to go to a practice somewhere up Newcastle way)........but then so was Dr Gavin, Dr Turner, Dr Sloan and Dr Innes Cameron...these were all in the Avenue Parade practice......it wasn't nearly so difficult to be seen when you were sick, and the doctor you saw probably knew you and your family too.
Now it is so impersonal..you have seven minutes...and that is it.
Bigger definitely isn't better.

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Our practice is not like that. There are only two partners and they both know the familys. Both Doctors did a spell on casualty at Accy Vic when my mum was a staff nurse there

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We registered at Peel House when we arrived back in Accrington - soon realised how farcical it was there. Now registered with an old fashioned practice - need to see one of the GPs quickly? ring at 0800 and you will normally have an appointment that morning. Home visits - no problem at all, 2 visits (although not requested or needed), when I had my knees done and after my recent sojourn in BRH I had 3 visits.
If you don't like the service at PALS then register somewhere else.

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Barrie, it has taken me years to get used to the Docs at what was Peel House(now Pals) I don't think I could be going and getting used to some other docs...and it is hard to find really good doctors who have spaces on their list...this is especially true if you have been diagnosed with some life limiting long term illness.
So it isn't all that easy to change.

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Dr Hipwell came to my rescue after some quack at Queens Park misdiagnosed a P.E.

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What constitutes a 'poor un'..I heard some horror stories about Turner yet he was instrumental in bringing my second child into this world, and the first wife thought he was the bees knees....others disliked Purnell for his matter of fact clinical diagnosis (great GP but definitely not a people person), personally I had an issue with Sloan because he screwed up diagnosing me (on one single occasion regarding a knee cartiledge)..yet others thought he was great.

One mans meat...etc..

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I worked in a professional capacity with all the doctors you mention(I don't mean at the surgery - but as a Sister on the ward, I spoke to them and liased with them regularly)...They were all good doctors. Conscientious, caring...but human and therefore fallible. We make decisions based on the information we are given...and sometimes because we are human we misunderstand or get the information mixed up...for whatever reason...because we are human.

I could also list some of those who in my opinion(and it is a considered opinion) who were bad....but it would get me into so much trouble that I won't go there

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Someone else who has a positive experience with their Doctor. Which surgery are you with?

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My elderly mother goes to the Rhyddings Surgery and she never has a problem getting an appointment.
And she sees the same doctor every time!

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It's in Ossy, enough said :-)

Re: Pals Medical Centre.
 

I completely agree the new system is worse than the last one!! I had been having chest pains and they said i couldn't even get an emergency appointment with them!! Then i go to register to do the online booking to find out i had to show picture i.d fair enough i drive so have this and at the counter she tells me that i will only be able to book for myself and i said what about my son (who is 6) she said no you need photographic i.d!! well i told her were to shove it the new system has let the doctors down!

p.s hope your well

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Myrtle House Doctors Dixon and Manuel

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that's down near St. Paul's school now ain't it Margaret, think Samanth Prout is a GP there

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We go to Rhyddings Surgery too. There are several doctors there including Dr. Prout and Dr.Smith who are excellent (and fiendly) GPs. Never had a problem getting appointments with them including same day if needed.

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That should be Friendly not fiendly by the way. Little slip of the keyboard!

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Yes, Samantha Prout is another of the local GP's who trained on wards that I was Sister on.Graham Smith is my mums GP and he is a gem.

Re: Pals Medical Centre.
 

I rang Peel House this morning to ask about holiday injections. I was told to go there for a " holiday form " return it filled in and then the nurse will check what holiday injections I had last year and will then contact me. What a waste of ( NHS) time and money. I expected to be asked to ring at a given time to speak to a nurse , who could check the computer there and then or for her to go check with nurse and ask me to ring at a later time.

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Hoy I hold the rights on faulty keyboards thank you:D

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She was SHO on one ward I was in quite a few years ago think it was E1 at queens park and the eye ward when they turned it into an emergency medical ward in the early 90s a very good doctor

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I have been with Dr. Bhat since I moved back to Ossy in 86 and he's been brilliant with me, has always come out on same day call outs. His daughter is in the practice with him now and she's a cracking Doctor she looked after me last year when I was very poorly, eventually admitting me to hospital when home treatment wasn't getting there, but I've every confidence in my practice

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Yes, Sam Prout was on E1.....before joining us on C2....and she was an excellent house officer.

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I must have crossed your path somewhere along the way Margaret, I was on E2 but only once, it was mostly E3 I was on back in the late 80s early 90s, Joy Hopkins was ward sister on E3 at the time

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John, my stint was on E3 in the summer of 1973......and the Sister in Cahrge was Marie Clarke...a wonderful woman...but fierce...I was scared to death of her, but she gave me the best report I ever had....it was so good the John Fletcher the nursing officer offered me a job for when I qualified...and I was only a little first year student.
By the time you were in QPH(80s-90's) I was already a Sister on the Gynae unit...so unless you had female bits that were misbehaving, our paths would not have crossed:D
Bet you are glad about that!

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I have just been to see Dr woodcock this morning, who I asked for and is sadly retiring, I made the appointment by phone on Friday afternoon so looks like things are improving:alright:Will miss dr woodcock though.

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He has probably been called similar to female bits by Labour supporters in the past :D

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Well Ya:oespecially if you were anything like the old type sister, that bites your ankles :D:D:D

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Re: Pals Medical Centre.
 

she was far more scary than that.

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i discovered today that the walk in service isnt at risk from teh government but from quite a few upset GP's

are they upset that there are risks to their patients ?

nope they are upset because the walk in service is taking money out of tehir pockets so if the service is scrapped and you find yourself unable to get yourself or your children medical help after 5pm and having to hope that A&E or a call out doctor will see fit to treat you be sure to thank your GP for puting an end to the much needed walk in service if these doctors get tehir way

perhaps the walk in service wouldnt be used so much if GP's around here and tehir practice managers got tehir act together and made it possible for patients to see a doctor.I dont know but maybe not only working 3.5 days a week woudl be a start in accy pals case for example as they are shut wednesday and most of friday doing staff training.

so this isnt a government issue its a group of doctors getting upset that someone else is picking up their slack and in a lot of cases doing a much better job

its not the government in thsi case that isnt thinking of peoles health ots teh actual doctors or a certain group of doctors accross hyndburn.I wish i knew which ones were kicking up the fuss id have no problem in naming and shaming these cretins.Its not as though these doctors can provide care in teh evening people need the walk in service because they shut at 5 or 6pm and people get ill after those hours.

hundreds of people each week have to rely on the walk in service because of their inadequate doctors surgeries i dare say quite a lot reading this have had to resort to the walk in service.

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My daughter got excellent prompt service and treatment at the walk in centre on Monday morning, I knew it wasn't worth even trying to get he an appointment at our Docs. She did see our Doc on Wednesday however(for an appointment which the receptionist then insisted never existed, even though I booked it on the phone a whole week earlier), he has now diagnosed exactly what I told him was wrong some 9 month ago(anaemia and low blood pressure). I think I read that a doc gets £600 per year for each patient on his books, I can't imagine that they are losing that money because of the walk in centre, people will still stay registered.

I only persist with my Doc because they do a late surgery on Tuesday for workers and the nurse is very good.

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do doctors not pick up a fee from prescriptions they write ? I know they can get perks for say prommising to prescribe salbutomol over ventolin which is teh exact same drug just a different manufacturer

again no expert but people are using the walk in service and discovering a better service and leaving tehir current practice which i guess is loosing them the yearly fee

either way its a very dispicable thing to try an end a service that so many people rely on

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No different from Politicos, feathering their own nest whilst they can and sod the great unwashed. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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Salbutamol is the generic version of ventolin...a bit like a supermarkets own brand of cornflakes over Kelloggs....like unbranded cereals these drugs are cheaper.
Doctors will tell you that they are exactly the same but in my experience they aren't.
I used to take Voltarol 50 mg three times a day. I was prescribed Diclofenac 50 mg three times a day...this meant each tablet should have relieved my pain for eight hours.....the branded ones did, the unbranded ones lasted barely six hours..yet they were supposed to be exactly the same.
It costs less to the practice to prescibe unbranded medications.

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Don't really want to cross swords with a professional..but I'm given to understand mg for mg there is no chemical difference. When a new drug is marketed the relevant patent allows them to market without competition for a set number of years to allow them to recoup development costs, then the gloves are off and anyone can market the drug under whatever brand name they choose..the MHRA would not allow a change in chemical composition for any brand name drug claiming to do the same as a generic.



Tin hat on and prepared to be corrected

Re: Pals Medical Centre.
 

You don't need the tin hat...and I know that what you say is true(and I have said the very same thing to my patients when they told me that the generic wasn't as effective)...but it is just that from my own personal experience...and with not just diclofenac either. If you had given me a voltarol it worked for longer than a diclofenac...the full 8 hours...and this is important when you have cracked ribs and want to sleep through the night...sometimes the diclofenac didn't even last 6 hours.
I do not know the reason for it, but I promise you, had you blindfolded me and given me a voltarol....I would most definitely have known the difference.....I would have got at least two more hours sleep.
Diclofenac had to be boosted by paracetamol.

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I was going to argue that it's whatever our minds tells us works best, thus the placebo, but I have no argument for your blindfold other than...you're weird! ;)

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You aren't the first person to tell me that.
I prefer the term 'unique' though...or at a very big push 'eccentric' :D

Pals Medical Centre.
 

Eccentric?

Not you,

Down to Earth, in such a manner no mind can fault you.

Now, would you like me to show you how to walk on water?

Only kidding, I've been out with Roy.

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dunno if your aware but people on diclofenac long term are suppossed to be been or already by now taken off diclofenac because was found that it greatly increases the risk of having a stroke. I was taken off it 2 years ago as i had been on it for over 5 years daily..

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I wasn't on it for very long. I take no regular prescibed medications.

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I agree with you, Margaret. I was on Cardicor(among other things) for ages. GP put me on a generic, swore it was identical but much cheaper. Within days I was having 'bad heart days'. Went back to have a go, the GP reluctantly agreed a lot of other people had had the same result. Back on Cardicor- fine again very quickly.

It's hard to believe how bad the PALS is- how do they get away with it? You can't plan to be ill 2 weeks ahead because that's the first time you can see what is supposed to be your GP.
How come there hasn't been a mass complaint to the BMA or someone? You have to ring early to see our GPs the same day but can't even book for the next day or any other. They all seem to make their own rules.

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the last time i was at accy pals i asked to see my doctor which is pretty much impossible or should i say was.I dont think its too much to ask that you see a doctor familiar with you and your illness but accy pals practice manager does because i wa sinformed that patients no longer had a doctor they had to see who was avialable even if it was a new doctor in training unaware to how teh practice runs yet alone its patients.

i feel sorry for the other departments in that building the doctors side of things (peel house) has dragged the name accy pals through the mud and left it in the gutter

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Gordon, I do not think it is just me.
I am very sensitive to most meds......that is why I try not to be on anything.

It is very easy for GP's to cite the 'placebo' effect for things like this.
We are all individuals and unique beings, so it is inevitable that some people will have different experiences......and these experiences have to be considered....especially with something as serious as heart drugs.