r/nhs

So hypothetically, say person A was a brief patient at a local treatment center for something minor and physical, saw a person (B) who did A’s initial consult at said local treatment center before A went over to A&E, was then under someone else for a few hours and subsequently discharged with nothing needed for this minor issue…

Would it be incredibly inappropriate for person A to send person B from the treatment center a thank you note, with the offer of their number for if they’d like to get in touch outside of work.

Person A is fairly sure there was a mutual ‘vibe’, doesn’t really know how to describe it, but you know when there’s clearly an unspoken energy there?

Person B remained entirely professional the entire time.

Person A found it very difficult to break eye contact and there was quite a lingering gaze between them before they parted.

What would you do as a HCPC registered professional if you were in this situation and a former patient wrote you said note?

Disclaimer, I am neither party. This interaction was in the last 2 weeks for time frame reference.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some outside perspective because this situation feels really unsettling and I’m not sure if I’m overreacting or if this is as serious as it seems.

My ex and I have been broken up for a while, and we’re not in contact. Recently, though, they’ve started sending me cards in the mail. The issue is that I never gave them my current address, and I’ve moved since we were together.

The only place I can think of where my updated address is stored (that they might somehow have access to) is through my medical records. I’m worried they may somehow be accessing that information to find me. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?  Any advice or insight would be really appreciated.

Hi all, I’ve just received a verbal offer for a Band 8a part-time position. I was wondering if anyone has had experience negotiating this to full-time before?I’m currently in a Band 6 full-time role, so I’m trying to decide if it’s worth making the move, and whether there’s scope to negotiate for full-time hours. Please your advice would be really helpful

Hi,

I hope this is allowed, I wasn't sure where else to ask for advice.

I am autistic and I find (verbal) communication generally a bit tricky but I really, really struggle in doctor's appointments as I get very anxious.

I usually go with a support worker but I had to go today on my own as it was an urgent appointment (I saw a paramedic at the surgery a few days ago and they said I needed to come back today, as well as being referred under the 2WW thing), and I only get a set amount of support hours a week.

I had already written out everything I wanted to say (symptoms, what I tried already, what I was worried about, and a few questions). When I had the appointment earlier in the week I was able to give this to the person I saw who read through it and said it was really helpful and to give it to the doctor today.

I tried that that this afternoon but the doctor refused to read it (and wasn't very nice about it). The whole appointment went really badly - he didn't want to answer any of my questions and seemed quite angry at me. I wanted to know what I could do to feel better and he said he didn't have any advice and to come back after being seen by the hospital. The reason I think it's a communication thing is that the first person who I saw who read my notes seemed quite worried and said that the GP would be able to answer the questions I had, but the GP I saw today seemed very frustrated with the fact I was there at all.

I'm now really scared to go to the hospital on Sunday and I'm thinking of not going at all. What can I do to make it easier for me to communicate without making the doctor angry?

My mum will come with me on Sunday. I didn't want her to come into my appointment today because after the appointment earlier in the week I thought it might make her worried. I don't usually like her coming into appointments with me in case she gets worried and also so she doesn't talk over me or get angry at the doctors. I can ask her to be in my appointment on Sunday though but I'm not sure if that'll make it worse?

This happened last year

My uncle suddenly passed away last August,

I only just found out today, that my local GP a receptionist who works there the same GP my uncle is registered at, Messaged people who lived in my area telling them what happened to my uncle. Now at this point his kids hadn't even been told their dad had passed away.

I have a screenshot of the message she sent someone I know.

Now is it worth reporting? Seeing It's been so long

I just find it so wrong that a receptionist the day she was working messaging people about what had happened. Is it a breach of patient confidentiality?

Thanks

I’m not saying you've got to read through medical textbooks, but to simply have an understanding the basics. For example, which readings for vitals are normal/abnormal, knowing the names of the medications you take/the dosage/their function/potential side effects, knowing your medical history, reading lab results, having a brief understanding of what certain doctors do (*a lot* of people get confused about the specialty of doctors they're going to see).

Also, being aware of your body and how it normally functions is essential to your care. Doctors can diagnose, but you are the one who knows your body best. If you've noticed that something feels/looks off and is persisting, please seek support. Sometimes having a brief look or feel of certain areas (behave please) every so often can allow you to spot abnormalities far more easily. Keeping track of said abnormalities on physical or digital notes will be useful to relay in future appointments. I keep mine in my notes app with exact dates, and doctors have noted that I’m a great historian.

Despite being a young woman with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, doctors almost never write off my problems as simply anxiety ever since I became able to articulate my issues in a clear and precise manner. I know my medical history very well and I'm always prepared before an appointment. If they entertain the possibility of anxiety being the cause (when I know it isn't), I'll give my rebuttal, and will be listened to. If I’m still unsatisfied with the outcome of my appointment, I'll ask for a follow-up with a separate doctor (which you can do btw).

Ultimately, doctors want what's best for you. I know some can be crappy and dismissive, and I’m sorry to all those who've been subjected to that (I know I have), but I hope what I've brought up can be useful to someone. You're a bigger part of the care you receive than you think.

Looking for practical advice from people familiar with NHS recruitment, especially Band 4/5 project support, improvement or admin/project roles.

I was preparing an application for a Band 5 Project Support Officer role. It opened on 20 April and was advertised as closing on 4 May, but it closed early on 23 April. This is not the first time I’ve seen a role close earlier than expected, so I’m trying to understand how common this is.

Is it common for NHS roles to close this quickly due to application volume, or can it sometimes suggest there may already be strong internal candidates?

I’m trying to move into project support/improvement roles. My healthcare experience is from working for a healthcare provider on the learning disability side of the business, not agency recruitment. I also have experience in admin/coordination, stakeholder management, recruitment operations, Excel tracking, process improvement and project-style work.

For anyone who works in NHS recruitment or has applied for similar Band 4/5 roles, what helped you get shortlisted? Are there specific job titles I should be searching for?

Not looking to complain, just trying to understand how NHS recruitment works and how to approach similar opportunities.

(I don't think this is medical advice, if it is breaking any rules I'll delete it straight away.)

This is gonna sound really stupid, I've booked an appointment for my mental health after it's been building up for a year, I won't go into detail but I am really anxious and also autistic, I had a counseller previously and never spoke to her, I am just wondering if there's any other way I could communicate with my GP, as I'm worried I'll freeze up in the moment and won't speak, Would they find it weird if I wrote down what I wanted to say on a piece of paper?

I am not asking for medical advice, just general advice/signposting.

I had a test in the neurology department at my local hospital at the end of December, and was told I could expect to wait 6-8 weeks for results. I have still not had the results or been contacted by the neurologist.

So I rang up the hospital at the end of March and managed to get the phone number for the neurologist's secretary who was confused at first as to whether I was her patient, but after she established I was her patient she said she would get the doctor to look at my results and write me a letter.

Fast forward another 3 weeks and I still haven't received a letter. I have tried phoning the secretary again but every time it goes through to voicemail. I am really at a loss as to what to do and don't know if I will ever get these results. And in the meantime my symptoms for the issue are gradually getting worse.

Is there anyone else I could contact or anything else I can do to try to get the test results?

Hello, Im 17 years old and I want to get an x ray for my wrist to check if my growth plates are open or not. What do I say exactly to get one and how long will it take usually?

I recently had a private blood test for some private treatment and due to the broad list of things to be tested I had to get a full package of things not even requested by my private doctor. I'm aware GPs particularly don't like looking at results from private blood tests they haven't ordered and interpreting the results but given one of the things I was tested for is over quadruple the normal levels (thyroid peroxidase antibodies) would a GP want to investigate and ignore that it was a private test for a completely separate private treatment

Thanks.

So I called 111 last year because I was suicidal and needed some mental health support. I know the time and date of my call (and area), is there any way I can provide feedback for the caller that spoke to me?

I want them to know that they saved my life.

I have a recording that I can play back on my phone.

Heya,

Sorry to start on this note but I had a stillbirth back in february and I was asked to share some questions/thoughts about my care and I shared with my bereavement midwife that a day before he died I had midwife appointment and I asked about his position because it has changed (the night before) and it felt weird - like my belly was flat he was in a triangle position, not painful but uncomfortable but everything was uncomfortable at that point i was 38 weeks- and this was my second time asking about positioning.. so anyway one of my question for the review medical board was if they think the midwife should have sent me to hospital for monitoring. But she said it’s fine he is just slouching.

Safe to say my bereavement midwife was shocked, there is absolutely nothing about any of this in my notes. For a fact there is no documentation for 2/3 of my appointments at all and only my BP is logged in iCare (some are only written in my book). It is with various midwifes not just one.

I am so god damn angry. To add to this, on this last MW appointment my birth centre send back my referral with my risk assessment, but it was someone’s else’s medical file not mine. It was absolute shit show really. I was so scared that day as there was this letter from BC said I refuse blood pressure monitoring and ccg and that I had pph last time (this was my first pregnancy) and I was just petrified. I disclosed to my midwife on my booking appointment that I have health anxiety but I learned how to work around it, and I did good throughout my pregnancy!!, and she knew this but told me if I want to use the BC i have to call them myself and sort this out or just use labour ward.

Anyways, my question this, Shouldn’t my midwife document my questions and just appointments in general?? There were no mentions of my thyroid medication anywhere. I’m so confused and feel absolutely crazy when I say all of this happened but apparently it didn’t???

Just to add, I believe my blood test were never looked at. My 28 week bloods showed my iron already being low and it was gradually dropping, my ferritin 20, then 16. They had my GP records that said I had anaemia prior to my pregnancy. I’m just really confused it’s so scary to read through my files. Who keeps track on blood results ?? It can’t be me ??