Had a facebook message exchange with Alan regarding his own gallbladder/gallstone experience… and it does sound similar. Tried to make a doctor’s appointment (ideally online)… sadly, their website has been over by a rubbish “big boss” entitled ‘Patient Access’ (there’s a joke there somewhere) that can now offer you appointments all over the country. I sensed that this organisation might be the brainchild of one of Health Minister’s friends (no experience required, simply focussing on revenue… of course). Making an online appointment USED to be a doddle, but today I found it completely beyond me. At one point, I really thought I might have ‘cracked it’… and found myself being referred to an entire list of “services” (you could scroll down several pages) from ‘physiotherapy’, ‘psychological’, ‘hair’, ‘counselling’, ‘erectile disfunction’ (I could go on!)… but, for me and my small brain, apparently nothing that I could click to arrange a doctor’s appointment. I ended up having to ring the surgery and, completely unsurprisingly and understandably (when I did at last get through), I was then in a 5-person queue. The person I spoke was incredibly helpful (and was duly apologetic that I was taking up her important time etc)… she emailed me with new codes. I duly tried the new codes. I was told that ‘it’ recognise my password (which I’d previously ‘banked’ several weeks/months/years ago). I again went round in circles. I ended up phoning the surgery again (another 45mins of joyful queuing) and spoke to the same lovely person who’d tried to help me before. “Is it possible that I could just arrange a doctor’s appointment over the phone?” She empathised with my predicament completely, BUT the system ONLY allows people to book telephone appointments from 8.30-10am each day (I may have misheard the details… I’d glazed over by then)… and she absolutely acknowledged these queues are pretty huge etc. She suggested that she cancelled my existing ‘account’ details and that she should me completely NEW ones – together with crucial access codes/passwords. Anyway (I thanked her again – isn’t it brilliant to have such lovely dealing with such boring people like me!) and she was as good as her word… my online services access documents duly arrived… and, yes, perhaps tomorrow I’ll find the energy, enthusiasm and tech knowledge to try again. The thing I found just a bit scary was the second email from the surgery (they both arrived at the same time). This one read: “Your Online Services account has been locked. To access your account again, please visit the practice to confirm your identity”. Suddenly, I felt as if I needed to start seeing the world through Bill Bryson’s eyes… “It didn’t used to be like this but, hey, the sun is shining and Mr Trump is on his way out”.
In other words, a wasted day (probably quite sensible as I wasn’t feeling ‘brilliant’.
Ursa had three of her ‘silver teeth’ extracted at the Bristol Dental Hospital (brave girl)(brilliant caring staff).
Mr Asda made his fortnightly delivery.
Bristol has been earmarked as “Tier 3” (‘Very High Alert’ – the highest category) when the nation comes out ‘lockdown 2’ on 2 December.
Evening telly: ‘Portrait Artist’ and the last episode of ‘Berlin 1945’.
Image: Harbour water (bit like I feel at present).
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