In my life, I consider myself to have been very fortunate. I have only been in hospital, with any degree of seriousness, on three occasions – excluding the day I was born of course!
On the most serious occasion, my kidneys collapsed, I was put on a dialysis machine and lapsed into a coma. I was in hospital for several weeks Those dedicated staff members battled to save my life and for that I will always be grateful.
I have nothing but admiration for those dedicated professionals who looked after me. However, believe me, I have no wish to return.
It is marvellous that we have so many dedicated conscientious and caring people who are prepared to help others. Many work over 12-hour shifts with few breaks and often are required to put in extra hours.
It therefore makes my blood boil – not literally of course – when I pass the entrances of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and see patients who are being treated for serious conditions sitting outside puffing away on their cigarettes. Some still have their drips attached, with their irresponsible visitors assisting, all puffing away. And this, despite the fact there are very clearly signs stating that smoking is not permitted in the grounds of all NHS Grampian premises.
When I think about it, there must be a correlation between smoking and an inability to read and understand signs that say that smoking is NOT allowed, since smokers seem to ignore these signs all the time.
Now it would be inhumane to suggest their treatment be stopped, despite the fact they are endangering their own recovery and possibly exacerbating their health problem. However an alternative might be to impose a heavy fine on offenders.
It might be worthwhile for the NHS to employ someone to police these and challenge offenders.
I believe the same thing should happen to people who book appointments with their GPs and fail to turn up. Not only have they deprived someone else of an appointment, but they have also wasted the precious time of the doctor. Now we can all have reasons why we might need to cancel an appointment, but to simply not appear is totally unacceptable.
During one of the occasions when I was in hospital for a minor procedure, two people had just not appeared that day-despite having appointments. The nurses on duty that Saturday had given up their weekend with their families, as had the consultant, to help clear the backlog of patients requiring this procedure.
Really a quite shameful and discourteous attitude from the ‘no shows’
As with the smokers I think the time has come to impose fines on people who are clearly ill-treating the system.
The money raised from these fines imposed on illegal smokers and discourteous appointment breakers, should then be ploughed back into the NHS coffers. That would assist the serious financial issues faced by our NHS.
This would not be the thin edge of the privatisation wedge. It is in fact a penalty for irresponsible behaviour. Currently if you miss a dental appointment you can be charged upwards of £35. I see no reason why this shouldn’t also apply to GP practices and hospital appointments.
Our NHS is free at the point of delivery, but if you abuse the system you should face a penalty.
I was interested in a recent report which claimed that since 2011, when free prescriptions were introduced in Scotland, £57 million was being spent on providing prescriptions for paracetamol. Now I do believe in providing free prescriptions, though nothing is actually free. Somebody, usually the taxpayer, will be paying for it.
Free prescriptions are a great help for children, people on low incomes and those who have long -term and potentially terminal conditions.
However I remember witnessing a set-to in the chemist just before the Christmas break where a patient was arguing with the pharmacist. Her prescription did not appear to have come through to the chemist from her GP surgery. The assistant was very understanding with the woman, but she would not be consoled. She said she to needed enough tablets to see her through the four-day Christmas break when everywhere was closed.
It transpired the tablets she needed were paracetamol. The pharmacist told her she could buy enough to see her through the break for 40p a packet. At that point the customer just turned and said: “I will just go without.”
Why, at a time when money is in short supply, are our 14 regional health authorities wasting £57 million ?
It may well be due to the poor procurement procedures of the NHS, and the constant over prescribing of low cost medicines which can be purchased over the pharmacy counter. It’s time we had a threshold which would prevent prescribing low cost medicines. Perhaps that would allow the NHS to buy the more desperately needed life saving expensive drugs.
People love our NHS. Its quite unique, as are those who work in it. So it is therefore incumbent on those who use the medical system, to also be respectful of it.
Len Ironside is a former champion wrestler who served as an Aberdeen councillor for 35 years, four years as council leader