Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th January 2020

[PorFavor]

Yes, it is.

[HindleA]

Usual codswallop from Hancock re A&E,"just go to the pharmacy";my mum fell and banged her head,straight to A&E you don't take chances with any risk.All things being equal you save lives by early assessment/intervention,if it is deemed unnecessary and a waste of resources,tough shit,basically.

[PorFavor]

Pharmacies in these parts are closed of a Sundee, in any case.

[HindleA]

Yeah,usual blame the patient deflection

[HindleA]

In any case,it was a useful check on general health in lieu of a doctor's appointment,it took a week to get a 'phone consultation just to clarify her medication.We were less than an hour.

[HindleA]

Can't be a Sunday ,the NHS isn't seven days a week,apparently.

[HindleA]

Before you get the fact,that in my experience with better half,you were more often than not referred to A&E/assessment unit in hospital or.I made the decision for them,saving time and unnecessary appointment .Not having hindsight as to "emergency "or not status,seems a concept too far.

[HindleA]

Got a prescription ,for something else.I don't believe it is legal for me to prescribe.

[Willow904]

I'm trying to think of a single thing I've gone to the pharmacist for a diagnosis for which has not ended up with going to the doctor anyway and I can't think of any. They're not diagnosticians. If you've already been diagnosed with something - migraines, hay-fever etc - they can be very helpful advising on potential remedies but anyone who thinks a pharmacist would be any use at all in a case where someone's worried enough to consider going to A&E needs their head examined.
The Coalition insisted their top down re-organisation of the NHS would safeguard it for the future, so what went wrong, why is it falling apart? That's the question the media is failing to ask. We knew how many extra older patients with complex health needs we would have by 2020 back in 2012, so why didn't the government plan for them with more resources and primary care? This isn't something that just happened. It's a failure of government, by the same party that is still in charge. The next Labour leader needs to be someone who can get this basic truth across to as wide an audience as possible.

[RogerOThornhill]

I see that Roger Scruton has died.

I'm assuming that that those lauding him as "intellectual giant" and so forth will also find space to mention his taking a good deal of money from tobacco companies while failing to disclose the conflict of interest in his writing output. They will won't they?

[Willow904]

Of course, people who can't afford health care in the US have little option but generic over the counter medicine to treat their ailments, so maybe Hancock is being serious after all.

[PorFavor]

@Willow904

Ha!

. . . but anyone who thinks a pharmacist would be any use at all in a case where someone's worried enough to consider going to A&E needs their head examined.

At A&E, presumably!

[PorFavor]

Safety fears as hospitals redeploy nurses to care for patients in corridors

Overcrowding forces ward staff to spend part of shift looking after patients without a bed

‘I’m being asked to take bloods while patients are on the floor’

(Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -corridors

[HindleA]

https://jennymorrisnet.blogspot.com/202 ... y.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RogerOThornhill]

Blue Labour
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Roger Scruton sadly died today. He was a true friend, a great thinker, and we will always honour his memory.

Blue Labour’s Jonathan Rutherford wrote a piece on his politics last year, and we attach it here.

Of course he was...I notice that that other fraud Frank Furedi is lamenting his passing too.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

As you're all talking medical matters anyway who wants to hear what a week of 'mild' viral meningitis is like?

Well I'm going to tell you anyway.

Day 1: Oooow aaargh what the fuck why does it feel like Michael Ironside in Scanners is trying to make my head explode? Why are all my muscles cramping? This really hurts. Oh great now my temperature is rising at a precipitous rate and I think I'm about to pass out...(12 hours of writhing in an agonising fever dream nightmare later)...I'm awake, and I'm still alive, ha ha! Actually thought that might have killed me.

Day 2: Ok so everything still hurts just not quite as badly and the spectre of imminent death appears to have receded but I haven't got the strength to do anything except lie on the couch curled under a quilt. Let's see what's on Netflix, ooh The Witcher, I played that last game for days let's give that a go. Nooo this is awful, it's worse than whatever's wrong with me!

Day 3: Once again everything still hurts but a wee bit less. Some strength and appetite have returned but not enough to go to a shop so learning to make my own bread is obviously the only option. Let's see soda bread eh? I've got everything I need for that, well except kitchen scales after I broke them doing that experiment, but I can just guess the amount of flour I'm using, shouldn't be too difficult. And I've produced a baked splat that smells like cat piss.

Day 4: Maybe I should go and see a doctor? Yeah probably. It's only a 10 minute walk I'm sure I'll be fine. Oh god this is the hardest walk I've ever done in my life I think I'm going to be sick in the street. What do you mean mild viral meningitis? I thought I was going to die on Monday! Are you sure? A lumbar puncture? Well now you mention it I'm feeling much better and think that would be an unneccesary expense to the NHS.

Day 5: Pain largely gone, cabin fever setting in, decide to go for a walk round some local woodland. Get to the entrance, sit on the bench exhausted, go back home feeling miserable and defeated.

Day 6: Feeling pretty much ok but decide to save my strength and fight cabin fever by playing a computer game. Steal Civilisation 6 off the internet then proceed to play it without bothering to read about any changes since the last one I played which was 4. 10 hours later my Scythians lose the space race to the Kongo.

Day 7: Feel completely fine. Go for a walk round the woods then to Tesco for supplies. Take a few hours deciding if drinking wine might be somewhat foolhardy. Eventually ignore my brain. Drink said wine. Write this.

[citizenJA]

The Guardian view on electoral reform: an argument Labour needs to have
Editorial
Whichever candidates get through the current stage of the leadership race, proportional representation must be among the ideas they take with them

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ds-to-have" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Because Labour making UK electoral reform a reality is possible right now. I'm being sarcastic. I've deleted the profanity used prior posting.

[adam]

You don't want to belgium about with meningitis. An acquaintance at University was sent home from the medical centre - flu, liquids/paracetamol/sleep - and died within a day.

[citizenJA]

@Sky'sGoneOut
Hurrah, you're feeling better! I'm sorry you've not been well. Your writing is wonderful.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

You don't want to belgium about with meningitis. An acquaintance at University was sent home from the medical centre - flu, liquids/paracetamol/sleep - and died within a day.

Yes it's fucking scary, I was trying to make light of it but last Monday I really thought I might die. I remember thinking about ringing the NHS hotline but the idea of picking up my phone, dialling a number then speaking to someone was completely beyond my abilities.

And as my doctor pointed out, mine was the mildest of the mild.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Your writing is wonderful.

Not according to the amatuer sci-fi writing forum I frequent it isn't.

Here's some responses to my latest effort.

"Too much exposition in your dialogue."

"Much too much dialogue, you might as well be writing a play."

"One of your characters is Russian but she doesn't have a Russian patronymic."

(The character is actually Georgian and it says so more than once in the story).

"Your description of the surface of Io is scientifically illiterate."

(I don't want to give away any spoilers here but Io has been replaced by something else and this person is a fucking moron).

There are many others.

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA