Monday 15 March 2010

Quackery

There are many flaws in the NHS. Oh so very many. But to my mind, both the ideology and delivery of care are better than other models I've seen (which are even more flawed).

If you (or your health insurance company) pay for you to be referred and see and receive care from a Consultant Psychiatrist, what do you get from that?

One lady got not a Consultant Psychiatrist, but an hour for a new patient assessment by a member of the Consultant's team, then 15 to 20 minutes with the Consultant Psychiatrist at the end of this.

You can argue the toss over whether this is good practice or not.

What I find hard to argue is the choice of individual initially seeing this new patient (instead of the Consultant Psychiatrist), the patient being a 38 year old lady with significant past psychiatric needs, necessitating ongoing psychiatric care.

The lady was assessed through her new patient referral to a Consultant Psychiatrist by . . . an Energy Healer.

You couldn't make it up. Read about it here.

Quack quack quack.

3 comments:

The Girl said...

I couldn't believe that, either. Surely that is against some law somewhere.

Eileen said...

Probably not in the USA! I think I might have been tempted to expend some energy in her direction. Pity help anyone who is too ill to cope with such a situation.
However - at least at present we don't get fobbed off with such drivel in the NHS whatever its less ideal points! Of course - who knows what "Sir" Liam's replacement might come up with!

Sarebear said...

I couldn't believe it either, and I'm the patient in question. Lol.

Heh.