What a travesty the NHS has become. Having been in possession of a hell of a cough for a few weeks, I called my GP at 8am to get an appointment.
They asked: “Can you do 9am?” I replied: “On what day?” They said: “Today.”
I begrudgingly accepted because, though it left very little time to go to the shops and purchase a magazine, it would get me seen sometime before lunch. Besides, I’ve got this month’s Empire so that should see me through some of the tedium in the waiting room. I arrived at five to nine, checked in with reception and took a seat. I was eager to see which scene had taken “Classic Scene” status but this was, unfortunately, going to have to wait as I was summoned through for my appointment at exactly 9am.
A scant 15 minutes later I was on my way home with a filled prescription and a referral to Manchester Royal Infirmary for an X-ray. X-cellent I thought. I’ll be able to read the magazine there. Plus they’ve got a WH Smith there, so when I finish one magazine I can buy a second or a third as necessary.
Arriving at reception in the radiology department, I was asked to take a seat in the waiting room. Now was my chance. Some time alone for me to read. Where to sit? Near the exit? Near the beverage dispensers? Near the loos? Such was my dilemma that I sat down a minute or so later and as my hand touched my magazine a voice called my name.
“There must be a mistake,” thinks I, but no – no such luck. I was whisked in to the X-ray room, photographed, and discharged. So all in all, from my initial appointment at nine, three hours elapsed, with time in the middle to walk the dog, and I’m all sorted. Bloody NHS. I’ve still not seen this month’s Classic Scene. What a farce.
Andy Rowland
Manchester
Read more letters on the NHS
• Doctors back Stephen Hawking’s challenge to Jeremy Hunt
• NHS staff feeling drained by endless reorganisation
• Labour ought to speak out about the NHS as strongly as Stephen Hawking
• When waiting for health services can have fatal consequences
• Bloody NHS didn’t even allow me time to read my mag
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
