I've just been ill and used the service. Now that's what I call a roller coaster ride.

Pick of the bunch? Local GP. No wait for an appointment or wait in the waiting room and a clean and welcoming reception and receptionist. Good diagnosis too, followed up with a prescription for a short course of generic broad-spectrum antibiotics (first time she's given them to me or my family in over seven years) and an instruction to rest for 10 days. Which I assiduously ignored, thus making myself more ill.

Worst experience? Having an MRI. The MRI is the one like a Smarties tube rather than the one like a Polo mint, which is the CT scan. It is vile. Claustrophobic, oppressive, noisy and uncomfortable. Frankly, I'd rather run the risk of undiagnosed pathology than go through that again. The CT wasn't bad though, especially the rush you get as the contrast whooshes down your arteries.

Most shaming experience? Giving in after four - yes four - attempts to book an outpatient appointment at the local hospital. A complete and utter disgrace.

And the moral of the tale?

  • Every manager and doctor in training should experience an MRI scan and probably every other procedure it's safe to put them through.

  • Every manager should try to book an outpatient appointment at "their" hospital and if it's not good enough then mend it.

It's time we stopped moaning about GPs: the rat's cohones, that woman, the rat's cohones.

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