1. Medical
Society Dinner 2000 - Graeme Wilcox |
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The
medical society dinner was held this year at the Spring Grove House, Bewdley, on
September 22d. There was a very good attendance, there being 112
members and guests present at the dinner.
.After
a substantial meal, the President, Dr Tim Wadsworth briefly introduced the guest
speaker Dr John Ball, a former Kidderminster G.P. and senior member of the B.M.A.
Dr
Ball opened his remarks by describing his first few years in practice in
Kiddermiinster when he was still a humble GP, when the Hospital services were
pretty basic, and much of acute care took place in the community. He noted that
when he first came to
Music
was provided during the meal by a violinist, and afterwards added to by a small
group, which encouraged some of the diners to dance until after midnight.
Graeme
Wilcox
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The
Kidderminster Medical Society AGM was held on 2nd November 2000. As usual , this
was in the Post Graduate Medical Centre - but for how much longer?
A
subcommittee had met to discuss the results, and presented a discussion document
to the AGM. This was accepted apart from the proposal to consider an alternative
centre "off site", and was to be presented by Paul Newrick to Ruth
Harrison. A new multi disciplinary centre in the ADAC, with PCG / PCT on board
seemed the best option. Existing funds are to be protected in an educational
trust.
Health
Watch was discussed and
John Ball named as instigator. Tim Wadsworth had been acting as KMS
representative, but this was not felt appropriate so he will continue as a
private GP member.
It
was felt important to include in the Medical Society all doctors now working at
the
A
successful financial and social Year were reported, and new members and officers
elected. The meeting ended with a very enjoyable meal.
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Of
course it started with a little local difficulty on arrival at Stone House
Cottage Garden; buoyed up by a super rugby win by England against South Africa a
few minutes before, I was asked if I
was a performer by a car park attendant but after pausing I suggested it would
he best if I was part of the audience, because the alternative would mean very
few remaining to listen.
The
Medical Society had been allocated the 'outer circle' where about 30 of us
gathered with various chairs and 'make-do' tables plus, of course, our picnics.
The programme notes made it quite clear that noise was not to be tolerated from
the outer circle advising us "without wishing to inhibit the exuberance
within the outer circle could 'fortissimo' be decrescendo or diminish to 'piano'
during the playing of music" - they knew we were coming!
The
President and his wife were most attentive in offering us champagne and then
white or red wine and there was an opportunity to wander round the splendid
garden amongst the towers - purported to be the Tuscan San Gimignano of the
The
Staffordshire Building Society Band played a selection of well known melodies
from a variety of composers. The one that most jolted the wine glass-holding
hand was undoubtedly Strauss' Explosions Polka when the fireworks cemented our
belief that the 'outer circle' was safer than the select 'inner circle'! Kate
Williams' solo on the euphonium was my particular favourite.
The
most sartorially elegant guest of the evening was undoubtedly a certain
consultant haematologist who arrived partway through the evening having been
performing for the Kidderminster Choral Society. These consultants will do
anything to show us GPs what dress code we should be adopting!
The weather had been showery all day, but we had a totally dry evening which raised £1,500 for HAND (Hand Helping Africa to end Disease) and the Macmillan nurses. A thoroughly enjoyable evening!
On
Wednesday 24th May a party of 27 members visited the Bodenham Arboretum and
Earth Centre near Wolverley.
After
a scenic mile long drive to the entrance, the party was
given an introductory talk by the owner David Binnian. This talk was not
scheduled, but was organised to accommodate the rain and latecomers. Mr. Binnian
then took us on a shortened walk through the Arboretum, pointing out some of the
major features, including a large central lake, a superb laburnum tunne in full
bloom (very comparable with the one at Bodnant Gardens), and the azalea garden
at present a Riot of colour.
Finally,
we returned to the Earth Visitor Centre and Rotunda Restaurant, built into the
hillside, where we enjoyed a very substantial meal with wine.
This was a fascinating Society visit, but sadly not enough time was available to do more than whet our appetites for a return visit, which I shall certainly do on a sunny day.
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As
a full
time GP I was born into, and learned my trade under the protective umbrella of
the national health service. That is not to say that I respected that
inefficient and administratively overburdened health care system, but rather it
taught me that, in line with the Hippocratic Oath, patient’s needs came before
financial gain. A very far cry from what we saw as the worm of fiscal priorities
and fee orientated work ethic which had eaten into the legal profession!
Now,
having moved into a totally different type of health care provision I am able to
stand back and watch my former GP colleagues from a fly-on-the-wall perspective,
and I don’t like what I see. I’m not talking about multiple murderers or
inefficient and incompetent surgeons, but rather the offensive money first,
patient second attitude. Let me expand on my thoughts with an example.
I’m
sure I don’t have to remind you that travel insurance companies are not
charitable extensions of the national health service. They are profit making
organisations and go to great lengths to make sure that the rules are adhered to
– in other words, the small print of the policy. The whole concept of travel
insurance is to handle medical emergencies abroad, not to provide a quick and
easy way of bypassing waiting lists at home. Break a leg or have a heart attack
when you are abroad and the insurers are your friends at a time of need; but to
expect them to pay foreign medical fees for long standing medical conditions is
another matter. This is why, when an injury or illness abroad is notified to
them, the small print of the policy gives them the right to approach the GP at
home to enquire about the patient’s medical history.
There
is another very important reason for the enquiry. Very often, when someone is
taken ill in a foreign country, the doctors there want to know more about the
patient and any medication being prescribed, just in case it has a bearing on
the illness which they are trying to deal with. For instance, a patient may be
taking steroid tablets for a completely unrelated condition but which may have
significant bearing on the current illness; asthmatics may be on a whole array
of tablets and medicines, any of which could react badly to the treatment they
want to offer.
I
was asked to go to
For
the first couple of days the messages left with the doctor’s receptionists and
the numerous faxes went unanswered. Eventually, a very curt fax reply came back
stating that he did not deal with insurance companies – despite having already
been told that the information required was for his patient’s wellbeing. More
fruitless requests went by unanswered before another fax was received stating
that the doctor was prepared to divulge the information, but only on receipt of
a fee of £50 in cash! By this time the repatriation company was being
pressurised by the foreign doctors and the patient’s relatives for the
information and agreed to pay the fee. By day seven the family doctor had his
cash, but even then it took another 24 hours before he took the trouble to fax
the vital information through. The sum total of the fax was : 1992 Angina, 1993
triple CABG (coronary artery bypass
graft), Aspirin, Propranolol, Frusemide (the patients name has been changed
and the italics are my explanation). A total of twelve words was all this money
grabbing, unhelpful and thoughtless doctor could manage at £4.17p a word.
Needless to say, when the repatriation exercise was completed the patient went
home armed with all my criticisms of his family doctor, and my report contained
many of the thoughts that
I’ve shared with you.
That
was just one example of the many ‘fee before fact’ general practitioners
that repatriation companies are having to deal with. This is not to say that all
GPs are of the same ilk but those that are, are a disgrace to the profession.
They would do well to remember that it is their patient’s well being which is
at risk because of their pound in the pocket attitude.
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