I caught Father Ted the other night – the episode where Richard Wilson plays a version of Richard Wilson that hates the catch phrase “I don’t believe it!!”
It’s been that kind of day for me today. Tesco delivered my toilet roll. They also delivered bread mix and flour. And sparkling water. And it all arrived early. Amazing.
Maybe I should have ordered some laxative to help me make the most of my toilet paper fortune.
But that is just one small part of the day. On Saturday night I filled in an e-consult form for my doctor. I was expecting a call tomorrow from my GP to discuss it. But no. Today I got a call from outpatients to say I had been referred by my GP and would have an on-line appointment on Wednesday (turns out my GP had sent an email just two hours earlier).
In the middle of the largest crisis since it was founded I had unbelievable service. And this was not a major problem – fairly routine – but the NHS continues to work. Unbelievable service.
Yes, the NHS has problems, but overall I think it must be the greatest achievement of this country.
When I lived overseas I had really good private medical insurance. I got the best treatment. The one thing that really bothered me was the way some medical staff saw my insurance as an invitation to make a lot of money. I remember I had something blow in to my eye and had to have it washed out by an optician.
By the end of the session I was asked to see Professor XXX and say the optician had sent me – he would analyse my eyes for cholesterol (yes apparently it can be done and might have some benefit – but high cholesterol is hardly an issue for an optician even if they are a professor). The national system was pretty good, but the private insurance funded system had a level of corruption that was unacceptable.
I think the honesty, the integrity and the dedication to providing care based on need is what I value most in the NHS.
Thank you all.