After experiencing serious reoccurring cardiovascular issues during lockdown, I finally contacted my GP this week. However, I was informed by the receptionist that the surgery would only be performing telephone appointments these days, but that there would be no more calls for the rest of the day. It was only 10:30am. I insisted that it was serious, and she then relented and said a doctor would call me later that day.

Later on, the doctor called and informed me that she could book me in for a heart diagnostic but that I would likely have to wait a few months for the appointment because the hospital’s resources were all being focused on COVID pandemic for the foreseeable future. I cannot tell you how devastated I was to hear this. No other options were offered.

What can I do now? With care being rationed to extreme levels, I can only imagine how many other people are being fobbed off like this. Why are we clapping for the NHS if the NHS has closed its doors to potentially millions who are desperate for urgent care? This whole thing makes no sense.

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I went to Kings College Hospital (London) for a procedure recently. It was about one third as busy as normal, it felt empty. But whilst waiting in the reception area, overheard a conversation between a private healthcare worker (possibly a contractor) and a NHS worker on reception.

The private healthcare worker was asking questions about how to perform a procedure on an elderly patient. It appeared that maybe some of the staff working at the hospital were being asked to perform procedures without training and having to ask for instructions immediately beforehand. Why is this happening especially since the hospital was the quietest I have ever seen it?
Have the real NHS staff been furloughed?

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I work for the NHS in mental Health a big Trust in London that support only mental health.

Since Covid and lockdown all the face to face service has been cancelled. Referrals from GP have been stopped and and medical review only done for severe case and mainly via telephone consultation. Patients really unwell are refused to be seen and contacted only via telephone.

The service is underused to its 20% of its capacity. Doctors and personnel being redeployed across the service but not sure doing what, many working from home not really doing much. I kept going to the office all this time of the lockdown and the community service I work for has discouraged all of the service users to come and visit us even if in crisis. After 3 months of this shamble, infection control service came to the building (after 3 months of lockdown) to check for distance in offices. Offices that had 4 or 7 people in the same office, now can have only 2 people.

From Monday we are supposed to have temperature check each time we enter the building and if we refuse we may be refused to enter the building??? We are forced to wear masks inside the office where only staff work together and where service users are prevented from entering the building as when the bell rings we have to ask the matter of the visit and encourage them to go back home???

We are also encouraged to record telephone reviews as face to face which is not the reality of what is happening.

There is not imminent plan to go back to face to face medical consultation and I am so furious about how they are inducing us to believe in fabricated lies and change our behaviour and the way we live and interact forever.

I feel helpless and I can not stand this felling(sic)of being helpless anymore. We need to act quickly before it is too late.

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