Since I have lost a good deal of weight (without weight loss drugs or surgical intervention) my health has dramatically improved so I haven’t really been to the doctors or visited a hospital in quite some time.
This is not an aspirational snoop more informational for anyone like me who rarely goes to the doctor and doesn’t know the ropes.
On the one hand I had a pretty good urgent care experience with DHU Healthcare considering we don’t have to pay a penny for our free for everyone National Health Service.
On the other, Dr. Eastland Staveley who made controversial comments in response to a post about babies being sniped, is now working for the same CIC.
His comments on social media were enough to get him fired from his role at Finlay’s Private practise headquartered in Birmingham with a central London clinic in Great Titchfield St. However he is still practising as a G.P. The GMC are investigating the matter but has not officially confirmed details regarding ongoing investigations or the outcome of complaints at this time.
I’ve read the GMC take the stand that political views are not connected, separate from their members ability to practise, recognising doctors are entitled to their own opinions, to campaign, and to lobby government as private citizens. I guess the lines become blurred when as a private citizen you are advocating for the death of babies. Dr. Staveley defended his words and justified them as a joke.
The connection to this incident and my recent treatment is he happens to now be employed in Leicester with the not for profit community interest company (CIC) and social enterprise I have just experienced as my urgent care provider.
DHU Healthcare delivers urgent care, primary care and NHS 111 services. It operates as a business in structure but reinvests surpluses (profits) back into patient care rather than distributing them to shareholders. The use of independent care providers by the NHS is designed to relieve the pressure on stretched A and E departments across the country. Their considerations when it comes to the appointment of professional staff is another discussion.
Here’s a breakdown of the 111 process.
What do you do when you need urgent care, that is not immediately life threatening and it’s either out of hours or your G.P. doesn’t have available appointments?
You call 111. They take your information, name date of birth and the details of your issue and then make you an appointment at one of their local urgent centres across the East Midlands, Oadby, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Market Harborough, Merlyn Vaz, Leicester, Warren Lane, Leicester Forest, Oakham and Melton Mowbray all run by DHU Healthcare.
I attended two centres, Loughborough about 30 miles from my home and Oadby for a follow up much closer about 10 miles from my home.
The appointment system was chaotic, when I arrived in Loughborough the appointment I thought had been made didn’t appear to have been. However they did manage to see me after a couple of hours wait. I was told the wait in A&E could have been up to 12 hours so a couple of hours was a blessing and the care I received was absolutely excellent.
I had to return to Oadby the next day, they said to arrive before 8am when they opened. Again I thought I had an appointment. This wasn’t the case but fortunately they did manage to fit me in that morning, again I only had to wait about an hour and a half and the care was excellent.
My synopsis when you get in to see a clinician the care DHU Healthcare provided was 1st rate, the organisation and appointment scheduling wasn’t so good and you might be directed to a centre some distance away which could prove very difficult for patients without transport.
My advice, when you speak to the operator on 111, ask direct questions about whether they have actually made you an appointment or whether you have to book yourself in when you arrive and then wait to be seen. Patients at Loughborough are seen on a greatest need first basis so if your injury is minor you could be waiting quite sometime. The good thing about Loughborough though is it is also on a hospital site so the staff and clinicians have access to additional facilities and support in the event of a very serious injury, problem or emergency, if the patient needs referring for admission.
In my experience and having lived overseas, we are very fortunate in the UK to have a service like this within the National Health Service. Whilst I appreciate the demands on these resources are extremely high, the organisation from the initial point of contact to receiving care could definitely be smoother. The care provided on the other hand was exceptional so I’d recommend anyone to use the 111 service instead of going to A and E in the first instance.
Don’t worry about having the right change or a smart phone to deal with a parking app. There are no worries around recent NHS car parking issues. Car parking is free.
The recent controversy around Dr. Staveley’s appointment at DHU Healthcare did not affect my treatment. This remains an issue for the GMC and his employer to resolve.