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I'm sorry but today I feel I have to have a good old whinge
Are standards dropping? I think the answer to that is yes.
I was recently asked to send some blood pressure tests to our local surgery which I duly did and heard nothing for a few weeks.
A few days ago I got a message on my phone to contact the surgery on a specific number. They also left a message on my answermachine again with a number to contact. The answermachine message was prefaced with the words "nothing to worry about." So I assumed it was either about my blood pressure or possibly a date for a blood test or my second shingles jab.
So I rang the number and got a message from the practice manager no less. This informed me that the only phone calls they were taking were for emergencies. For non emergencies I needed to go online. I listened to the end of the message which went onto say that the practice was doing all it could with a shortage of clinicians and to ask people not to be abusive to staff.
There was then a list of numbers to input via a keypad. I had been told to select option one on my answermachine message. This I did to be told I was number one in the queue and would be answered shortly. Eighteen minutes later I gave up. It was obvious they weren't taking any phone calls.
I thought the start of the message might be of interest so I took it down.
"We are now only taking telephone calls needing urgent on the day appointments." It comes to something when you can no longer telephone your local surgery. Of course many people have already found this to be the case. The practice has promised to improve but we seem to be moving one step forward and two back.
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So I went to the gym to try and get my blood pressure down as the practice call had raised it which I'm sure is counter to what medical authorities are trying to achieve.
In the men's changing rooms at the gym is a row of three showers. Yesterday one was out of order and another had a piece broken off making it almost impossible to change the temperature of the water.
So after a quick run on the running board and an even quicker shower we decided to have our usual coffee in the hotel lounge. Many of the tables hadn't been cleared and we had no option but to sit at one with half eaten food which wasn't the greatest advert for the place.
Now I may be having a good old whinge but I don't blame the frontline staff at all. They are simply the poor people in the firing line. When we asked for the table to be cleared we were met with a smile and a "yes of course" which made up for some of the things we had experienced.
Then I had another good old whinge when I received a letter in the post from Barclays Bank. Does their generosity know no bounds?
At the present time through my Barclaycard we get what are called Freedom Points. That's one point for every pound spent.
These can then be redeemed for vouchers for places such as Marks and Spencers, Currys or Amazon etc. during a year we would get a number of vouchers. Not so long ago they put the number of points needed up. But now they are doing away with Freedom Points and introducing Barclays cash back. Sounds good, yes? Well actually no because cash back is 0.25% . On a £1000 spend that equates to cash back of £2.50. Not a very good deal that. Time to switch banks I feel to get a better deal.
Then we learned yesterday that British Gas' profit has increased ten fold over the past year. Memo to our outgoing Government: How about either capping their profits or getting them to lower household bills? Not going to happen I hear you say and sadly I believe you will be right.
Whinges over. Tomorrow I'll try to get back to being positive, although at times it's difficult.