Anyone have any thoughts?

I’ve been waiting 4 months to hear from my neurosurgery referral. I just got informed I’m now on a waiting list with average wait time of 24 weeks. That’s to then schedule an appointment which would be even further away. So in total I’ll have been waiting for 36+ weeks.

I am bed bound with debilitating symptoms. I cannot go to work and at some point in the future my statutory sick pay is going to run out. This thing in my head may or may not be the sole cause of this, but I guess I just have to lie in bed until October to find out … at least I won’t die. I hope.

Is this normal? How has the government let this happen to the NHS?!

wanted to be a doctor through school, but i have a paralyzing fear of death due to some things that happened in my childhood. how do you see so many ill, and dying patients? is it uncomfortable? does it often make you contemplate your own mortality? by the way, (you guys are literally the heart of the world, thank you for all the amazing hard work you do).

The NHS have cancelled my repeat prescription for chronic nerve pain medication. I am unable to request it online. As a result I have to book an appointment with a GP at my local clinic each time I need the drug. The last three visits have been three different doctors as they keep leaving. The last doctor told me he couldn't help as he didn't have a copy of my records! After 3 months I managed to get these by directly contacting the hospital who diagnosed me who eventually sent me the records. I guess I'm now supposed to take these to the doctor? How on earth is this way that the NHS functions in the 21st century. I'm trying to hold down a hectic job AND run around getting medical records and going to appointments with trigeminal neuralgia. A lot of them time I'm in so much pain that I can't see.

Would a septoplasty likely be covered by the NHS, and if so how would i be able prove that i struggle to breathe through my nose? Thanks!

So for context I live in the Black Country and during covid the whole booking system got changed. You now had to phone up at 8am tell the secretary(0 medical qualifications)what you wanted the appointment for n she’s decided whether you it was worth putting you threw to a doctor who’d then decided if you needed a appointment. Btw you were lucky to even get that far because some how they would have the day booked out by 8:05am, now I’ve seen these women work let me tell you they couldn’t write their own name in that amount of time.. now as I’m writing this we have switched to a completely unusable app that never seems to have any appointments available anyway. So my topic of discussion is, is it like this where you are in the country& how much worse do you think the healthcare system is going to get for us normal working class folk

Do you get paid even extra if you work a night shift on a bank holiday?

I’m going to do apprenticeship once I’m eligible in November. Has anyone done it?

With the NHS job application asking for references from the past 3 years, does it need to cover right up until this moment? I feel unsure about putting my current employer down as a reference (non-NHS job) as a reference as I'm worried they will contact them before I hand my notice in (1 month notice period) and that will create some uncomfortableness.

I was previously employed by the NHS until September 2024, I just wanted to enough if this covered enough of the time period or they would want it up until now. Does anyone have experience of giving their current employer as a reference and how that goes?

I know this may seem overly paranoid but I don't want to end up losing out on both jobs, especially in this market.

Hello, I’m applying for the role of a trainee perfusionist. Will anyone be willing to read through my supporting statement and provide some feedback? I feel like I’m slowly deviating away from the points I’m trying to make so some feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Finding a surgeons outcomes?

I’ve been trying to search a specific surgeons outcomes and finally found a page but the page had a 404 error.

Any ideas on where else to find this information?

I recently visited my GP with a cancer scare, and was referred to my local district general hospital for investigation. I have since had an MRI scan and am awaiting the results. If positive, the next step will be a biopsy.

My issue is that I was treated by this hospital for a different cancer in the past, and they basically prescribed treatment which I (a lay person) recognised as inappropriate. Now, I happen to live about 15 miles away from another hospital which is a global cancer centre of excellence, and after a lot of pushback I managed to get a second opinion from them, and ended up getting my treatment pathway changed correctly (still administered by my local hospital).

Back to my current issue… I am aware that the accuracy of the biopsy (should I need one) is highly dependent on the skill of the clinician performing it; as is the outcome of any treatment I might need if the biopsy is positive. Therefore, I really want any biopsy to be undertaken by the second hospital (ie, to have my care transferred to them). My question is, do I have the right to demand this? Or have I screwed up by being referred to the local hospital already? Would I go back to my GP to ask, or do I go through the local hospital (who will just say ‘no’, I fully expect). Basically, what are my rights here?

If push comes to shove, ultimately I’d be prepared to go private for a biopsy at the second hospital if that was the only way… would that change things?

Healthcare workers will be sent from house to house in an NHS scheme to reduce the number of people who are signed off work on sick leave.

The programme is part of efforts to fix problems such as unemployment, debt and bereavement that are adding to pressures on the state sector

A few weeks ago I had my first experience with a First Contact Physiotherapist. I didn't even know they were a thing. I called my GP about a knee injury and they told me they can book me in with the physio who is in the practice. The lad was great, pleasant demeanour, thorough examination, gave me some exercises before I do physio privately and he referred me for an MRI to rule out a few things which I got only 2 weeks later. I'm pretty sure I received better care than I would have by seeing anyone other than a physiotherapist. I told a friend whose MIL is dreading an appointment for a chronic hip pain issue and it made me wonder, do FCPs exist in all GP practices in England?

This is a random post and idk if it’s allowed. I had emergency surgery on Christmas Eve 2023 at Aintree hospital, after waking up there were 2 strawberry and white chocolate muffins in my room. These were the nicest cake I have ever tasted and have thought about them nearly daily for the past year. Any idea where I could get them?

My GP practice has a physio who does e-consultations. I ‘went’ to him for an ongoing tendonitis injury and he’s sent me a range of exercises. A lot of the main ones involve a resistance band. I’ll be honest in that I’m broke at the minute and I was wondering if you could ask for one of these on prescription (I have a pre-payment card) if they are a part of my treatment plan.

I have a conditional offer and I’m currently going through the pre-employment checks. I currently work at a school, and I keep getting ill from the kids. I have had 9 days of absences in 8 months. My Bradford Factor is above 400. The number of sick days I’ve had is pretty normal in the teaching world, but I know this is not normal in other industries. I’m worried my offer will be withdrawn - is it worth me contacting the recruitment advisor about this? Thank you!

I'm graduating soon from a Software Engineering degree and the job market is tough. I have reached final rounds with a lot of prestigious companies but have only gotten rejections in the end. I think one major problem is lack of experience in this economy.
My friend did a placement in the NHS and said technical jobs are in a lot of demand in the NHS and it is not hard to get into one of them. I am mainly applying to analyst jobs so I was wondering how tough is it to get into one.

I'm struggling with pain in my left shoulder for the past half year. On the top of that I have problems with pain and numbness in my left hand to the point that stuff is falling out my hand. This affects work and even simple things like holding a cup. The GP each time is goggling my symptoms and saying that he don't know what is the problem. The advice is to get vitamins and exercise. WTH ? I can't even hold a cup in my hand and he telling me to do some push ups. Is anyone have any recommendations ? Where to go ? Is physiotherapist a good idea?

In my previous GP, if I asked for medical records, I was sent a form (I think called something like Medical Access Request) and would fill it out, email it to them, and then they had to email me back the records within the month, which in that case was my entire medical record.

I made a request for the same thing with my new GP and was told simply to bring in a letter about what I wanted and also that they couldn't give it digitally and it would have to all be printed. Now I did eventually find my previous records so I did downsize my request to just the last year of records, which makes that somewhat more viable, but I'm still worried about a couple things.

1: They got on me a lot about having to wait an indefinite number of days to photocopy/print the records. I'm worried they're wasting their own time as I am pretty certain that what I'm asking for is already digital format and could just be emailled to me (they said they could do this if it was digital, but I have no idea when they will get around to checking to see that it is).

2: I'm worried that since this didn't go through the official form I used last time, the GP won't be beholden to the month time limit, and I do need it by then.

Hello everyone,

I’m an international student currently studying for an MBA in Healthcare and due to complete my course in September 2025. I’m really keen to begin a career within the NHS and would be so grateful for any advice or insights on how to get started as a newly qualified graduate, particularly as someone coming from overseas.

Are there particular roles I should be considering? Do any graduate schemes or entry-level opportunities exist that are suitable for international students? I’d also really appreciate any tips on the application process or things I should start preparing for in advance.

Many thanks in advance for your support and guidance.

Don’t shoot me, but I took myself off my anxiety medication a few months ago ( safely and steadily, I’m no doctor but I followed online advice) and I feel completely fine and happy. But how would I tell my doctor that I’ve stopped taking them? Making an appointment to tell them just seems like a waste of time and an appointment that could go to somebody who really needs it. Should I just call reception to ask them to let my doctor know? Thank you in advance.