How to get discharged from hospital and not readmitted 5 things need to be done to carry out an effective discharge – from your (and the hospital’s) point of view: Medication Discharge summary Transport and preparing home Follow-up Feedback. Remember. You have the right to discharge yourself from hospital at any time during your stay in hospital. We will […]
Read More
A typical day in the NHS (and how much it costs) The NHS is big, really big. “Space [or the NHS!] is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just […]
Read More){kind=link}
Acute vs chronic illness – what is the difference? Time. That is the short answer. Doctors often categorise medical conditions as ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’. They also use phrases like ‘subacute’ and ‘recurrent’. But what do these terms mean? There is no agreed definition of any of them; but the following is often stated. Acute Definition […]
Read More
How much do NHS consultants (senior doctors) earn in UK? £94,000-126,000 per year. Quite a lot actually. But the average is £143,000 (with bonuses and other payments). Here is more information on UK doctors salaries from the Nuffield Trust (2023). The most senior doctors in a hospital are called hospital consultants in the UK. In […]
Read More%20earn%20in%20UK?){kind=link}
Jammed NHS hospitals – five problems and solutions In the UK, there were 7.46 million people waiting for an operation (procedure or treatment) in December 2024. This is over 10% of the population. Also, the corridors in our A&E departments are full of the frail elderly on trolleys waiting for a bed. Ambulances cannot pick up […]
Read More
A new NHS for a new age: let’s go Dutch Many people are critical of the NHS at present. But few have put forward any workable suggestions to improve it. The Netherlands has arguably one of the best healthcare systems in the world. So it useful to look at it (and other similar systems) to […]
Read More
How to take a medical history – using 10 questions “Listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis”. Dr William Osler (1849-1919) .. and 80% of the diagnosis is in the medical history. Full stop. The history is vital. Why? 80% of the diagnosis is in the history (10% examination, 10% tests) – so […]
Read More
5 ways of seeing a GP quicker In this article we will describe how to get seen faster by a GP. 1. Be polite, persistent, and patient (the ‘3 Ps’) – and use the right words Call up as soon as the appointments line becomes free. Be prepared to wait in a queue and be […]
Read More
How can I get seen faster in A&E? Arrive at 6-7am. That is when the waiting time is least, as a new shift of doctors and nurses has just started. Also the senior doctors are all there in the morning. So, they can be called if the more junior ones need help. But there are […]
Read More
What are different departments in an NHS hospital? In this article we will describe an A-Z of different departments in an NHS hospital. ‘T’ means it is a specialist department of a larger teaching hospital, that is not usually present in a smaller local hospital. AAccident and emergency (A&E)Acute medicineAnaesthesiaAudiology BBiochemistry (clinical chemistry)Breast surgery CCardiologyCardiothoracic surgery […]
Read More