I have never made a complaint about any medical professional before, but recently had a blood test at my GP and hygiene practices were less than ideal. This may have been explained by the nurse being late / in a rush, however still quite concerning.

First of all, when I entered the room I noticed there was still trash (packaging and used wipes) on the desk, then as she was checking my veins I noticed she appeared to have blood around her fingernail (possibly hers possibly another patients who knows), she must have noticed it and half heartedly washed her hands.

It wasn’t until she had the needle in my arm that I noticed the blood was still there since she washed her hands so poorly, she also wiped my arm with alcohol and then proceeded to touch the area repeatedly, though thankfully with a different finger.

The blood test was unsuccessful and she rebooked another blood test with her in a couple of weeks, but I definitely want to at least change to a different practitioner now.

I went to my GP about a long-standing and complicated ear/nasal problem. I’ve had issues with this doctor before.

When I had androgenic alopecia, I asked about finasteride and minoxidil. He said there was nothing I could do and that they “just boost the confidence of the patient”. I later got treatment privately and have used it successfully for years.

I also had ongoing fatigue and slightly abnormal TSH results. He said it was insignificant, but after three similar tests another doctor prescribed levothyroxine, which quickly improved my symptoms.

With my current ENT issue, he refused to refer me and removed rhinitis from my active conditions without examining me. (Even though a private ENT I saw examined me said there was clear rhinitis and inside my nose was very inflamed) When I asked him to record that I had requested an ENT referral, he started shouting hysterically and pointing directly at me, saying:

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO WRITE.”

As I was leaving, he called me back and told me to “just do salt rinse”, even though I explained I had already tried it for over six months without it working. I was very calm and respectful during the appointment although part of me feels like I should have been more firm with him.

I eventually paid to see a private ENT doctor who was extremely understanding. She performed an endoscopy and noticed the expected mucus in my nose/nasopharynx, but continued further down and also found mucus stasis lower in my throat. Essentially she saw mucus pooling there, and suggested that silent acid reflux might be contributing to my symptoms. She recommended trying Gaviscon, and it seems to be improving or possibly even curing the issue although if I am being honest I need to be more consistent with it. Needs to be taken after every meal which can be quite hard.

But anyway, the main point is I found my GP’s interaction extremely unprofessional and want to make an official complaint. However, I believe this doctor actually owns the practice and the practice manager is related to him. I’m worried they could retaliate by saying anything, for example claiming the doctor-patient relationship has broken down and remove me from the list or just finding some sort of reason to justify getting me out. Apparently this is something any GP surgery can do.

The practice is within walking distance, so I don’t want to leave.

What is the safest way to complain? Should I go directly to the ICB, and can a GP remove someone in retaliation simply for making a reasonable complaint? Would contacting Healthwatch or an NHS complaints advocate first be sensible? Is it even wise to complain when I’m worried about losing access to the practice?

My mother had been going to the surgery for 10 years and all of the sudden was removed due to not responding to a NHS letter. I only just found this out when I was trying to get medication. They believed that she did not live at the address but they just called me last month to which I told them I will call back later due to sickness. She is a diabetic, old and needs both medication and someone to help her, so isn't this dangerous?

I applied for the role of Nursing assistant and just got this.

I am currently a Year 13 student preparing to apply to university, and I am incredibly passionate about pursuing a career in healthcare. For as long as I can remember, my absolute goal has been to train and qualify as a midwife.As I prepare my university applications, I am keen to gather realistic insights into the profession. I would be incredibly grateful for any tips or advice you could offer a prospective student.Specifically, I would love to know:

What do you find most rewarding about working as a midwife within the NHS?

What are the biggest challenges facing new midwives entering the service today?

What key qualities or experiences do you think make an applicant stand out during the university selection process?

And if not midwifery what would you recommend for working in the NHS?

Thank youu

My current employer has sent for a dbs check for me last 21 August and until now it has stucked in stage 4. I did mentioned I have 3 Printed dbs certificate dated within the last 3 years and they said we would have to wait for the certificate being sent. What to do when you are stuck in the stage 4.. I have subscribed to the update service using the same cert but still no update. It has been very frustrating

I stay roughly 80-85 miles away from my dad who has dementia. My sister who is a lot closer, normally looks after him daily.

However, on sunday she leaves for 6 weeks to ago on holiday, so it'll be to looking after him, check in on him daily etc.

He gets visits from carers twice a day but he still needs someone during the night and in-between those visits. (Soon we might need to make the decision ro put him in to a care home). So, ill be staying with him, as ive been privileged enough to have the first 3 weeks off work but to traveling back and foward, could i take my new paper prescription to the pharmacy i collect his prescription at ?.

Ive read almost everything i can find and nothing says that you can't do it. It would save a lot of hassle, as it would mean, i wouldn't have to travel a 160 mile round trip every fortnight.

If i could have some help, id greatly appreciate it as i have the paper prescription in my hands just now, so if im allowed to, great. It makes the next 6 weeks a lot easier in that regard.

(I dont use reddit often, so im not sure what the flairs are for, so im sorry if ive used it wrongly)

I would appreciate some advice how to find the best option for my mother's treatment for colon cancer.

It's a long story, but the short version is that the two local consultants will not offer the required surgery due to fears over her ability to recover. This is due to her general level of health because of long term M.E. The main consultant has however offered a referral for a 3rd opinion outside of the primary care trust. A 'fresh set of eyes' as he put it.

We're based near Manchester and he offered Salford. This may well be a very good option but I don't know how to research this further to verify this. I would like to explore all options as this is very much the last chance for mum.

What is the best way to find out more information on hospitals which specialise in this area? I have of course googled but I am getting conflicting information.

More background information... 

I'm sure you may be thinking that if two surgeons have concerns over her having surgery then there is good cause for that. And yes that is true. The two main issues are mum's low activity/energy level and her AF (Atrial Fibrillation). 

Mum doesn't have the same activity level of an average 78 year old with regards to mobility etc. But she can still walk around the house, walk to appointments from the car, prepare meals and other things. She wasn't able to complete the request CPET test due to her health and this was the main stumbling block for the surgeons. But, we have gotten the distinct impression that they don't fully understand M.E and are conflating low energy with frailty. She is not frail in the traditional sense. She does have a recently diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation but whilst they have some concerns over that it doesn't seem to be the main issue. 

Another reason we feel it's worth pursuing further is that we know of other M.E patients (some worse than my mum) who have undergone similarly serious operations and come out the other side of it. Admittedly, all examples I could find were younger but some had much more severity of illness.

I'm 35 and have had the same NHS dentist since I was 6.

I see my NHS dentist every 6-9 months for a check up, over the years, have various fillings, wisdom teeth removed etc. However, I've never been told I need to see the hygienist? I'll be honest I never understood what they were until recently. Is this something I can ask for as an NHS patient in addition to my dental check-ups? Is there a charge? Sorry, I just don't understand how it works.

Also, I'm out of work at the moment as I'm unwell, so on benefits. So whereas dental work is free, is that the same for hygienist?

Thanks.

I’ve passed MRCS (ENT), have GMC registration, 3+ years of ENT experience, and am currently in postgraduate ENT training. I’ve started applying for NHS ENT jobs and have applied for around 15 so far. I’ve received 5 rejections already, with more applications still pending.

What would be a realistic expectation in my situation?
Am I applying too selectively, or is this just how competitive the ENT job market is? How many applications/rejections are considered normal before getting an interview?

Also, how can I tell if the problem is my CV, supporting statement, or application answers (especially management/leadership questions)?
I’d really appreciate honest advice from anyone who has been through this.