Is Facebook like Marmite - you either love it or you hate it??
Some people think so..........me, personally, I like FB, I post a lot of random stuff, rant, comment and according to hubby, live my life on it. I don't think I do, but I do use it a lot as I enjoy the snapshot into people's lives, so you sort of feel connected in a strange sort of way.
And then we come to the question of what, if any boundaries should there be on FB? One of the things we hear quite frequently at work is 'so and so posted a nasty comment about me on FB' So, ok, have deleted them as a friend then, changed your privacy setting so they can't post on your page? 'No' is invariably the answer. WHY NOT????
Now if I'm friends with someone who posts things I don't agree with, or I find offensive, I'll either tell them or delete them and like wise, if you don't like what I post, delete me, I'm not going to be offended and wage a vendetta against you.
Now obviously you have to respect the laws that we live under (in which ever country you reside), and posting comments that are discriminatory in any way have the potential to get you into trouble, likewise posting things that would incite people to commit illegal acts, also a bit of a no no!
Then we get to posting nasty things about people, and by this I mean a bit more than name calling, saying he/she is ugly, fat etc. Not nice, agreed, but not usually enough to get you into trouble. But when you start posting stuff that is either untrue, or is truly offensive, this is were trouble can start.
And then we get to our employers. Quite a lot of us have out employer listed on FB, and it is usual for it either to be in your contract of employment or terms and conditions that you should not bring your employer into disrepute...........ie don't say anything nasty about them. And the same goes for FB.......if you want to slag your employer off, be careful if you're going to do it on FB, there may be repercussions.
But then we get to the fact that we all have the right to a private life, the freedom to express our personal opinions and at what point should we then curb what we say because someone else might be offended, or your employer might not like it.
My employer has a whole policy about the personal use of social media. Fair enough, considering who they are. Most of it is about being sensible and rather strangely it does not forbid you to have them listed as your employer, just states that if you do, then you must make it clear that the views are your own, not theirs. You also have to be careful about what info you put on about yourself (sensible in the age of identity theft), as putting too much info could compromise your vetting. Again fair point.
However, at work at the moment we have what someone has dubbed the 'Facebook mole'. Now the mole has taken it upon themselves to report colleagues (and FB friends) to PSD (Professional Standards Department - they deal with complaints!) for comments that have put on FB. Are these posts offensive? No. Do they slag off our employer? No. Has the mole got their facts straight? In the most part .... No.
Unfortunately we have no idea who the mole is..............we have the ability to make reports of supposed misconduct anonymously. But hey, if you are going to grass up your colleagues, at least get your facts straight first!
Friday, 9 May 2014
The wonders of the NHS
In the UK, we have this thing called the NHS (National Health Service), which is the healthcare provider for the entire country. Some people say that it is free, and if you take that fact that to see your GP, you (yourself) don't have to physically hand over payment of the cash kind, or if you need an operation, and are happy to wait anywhere from 3 months to 5 years, again it is free - no bill to be settled.
However, nothing in life is free, and in reality the NHS is paid for, by those of us who work and pay into the UK tax system, so it's not really free is it. And on top of the fact that a large proportion of my wages are syphoned off by the government to pay for things like the NHS, and benefits for those who don't work, so who really do get the NHS for free (separate rant, I digress), I still have to pay for drugs that I should need because I am sick, in pain etc, pay to have my eyes tested and then pay for glasses so I can actually see (to go to work to earn money, so the government can syphon large chunks off) and to have my teeth checked - well I go private for that, because NHS dentists are rarer than hens teeth ha ha!!
But, if you are in urgent need, the NHS is a great thing. On his last day at work, before our Spring leave (when the kitchen was due to be done), hubby didn't feel well. He didn't look well either, so some of his concerned colleagues said he should go see the duty inspector and ask to go home. The duty inspector didn't like the look of him either (but that's another story), and called an ambulance, as they suspected he was having a heart attack - but of a common occurrence in the bus industry. Ambulance was called, arrived on blue lights, and hubby whisked off to the local mortuary, sorry, hospital to be treated.
Turns out it wasn't a heart attack, wonderful news, but probably angina, not so wonderful news (more on that later). Anyway, his BP was sky high, so they decided to admit him to do more tests. They were pretty sure that it wasn't a heart attack, but they like to make sure, and one of these making sure things, was redoing some test, 12 hours after the 'attack' started, which would have been the middle of the night. So hubby spent a rather uncomfortable night in hospital and they did the test, which was the same as the first one, so no, not a heart attack. And this being the NHS, not a penny was demanded for any of this pleasurable experience.
Anyway, then the fun started. Hubby's BP was still very high, so they wanted to keep him in. However, he was in an assessment ward, where he would remain, so no real facilities (TV, Radio, reading lights) and building work going on outside the window from 07.00 hrs until 21.00 hrs - don't they know sick people need to sleep. And that is before we get on to the poor chap in the bed opposite who was unconscious, but attached to some type of monitor that went off every time he breathed - 'don't move' they kept saying. He's nearly dead FFS, he's not moving!!! My BP through the roof when I went in there, no wonder hubby's wasn't coming down. Now bearing in mind he was admitted Tuesday lunch time, they wanted him to stay until Friday, to do an exercise stress test, which would prove or disprove the angina theory. Reason he had to stay until Friday, they'd given him a drug they shouldn't have!! Hubby said no, he'd come back, and although they weren't happy, and made him sign a form saying he'd discharged himself against medical advice, they let him go. Anyway off goes the doc, to sort out the drugs but then the sister says 'no, if you're discharging yourself, no drugs'
WHAT - is the NHS having a strop?? If you don't do what we want, you can't have the drugs that might make you better, so you might then have to come back, and be even sicker............luckily the doc was sensible, and hubby got drugs and an appointment for the exercise stress test about 2 weeks later, and a letter saying that he'd have to have an echo cardiogram, to be booked at a later date.
Now hubby was being released with 'suspected angina attack'. Now hubby is a bus driver, and as such has to pass a fairly stringent medical (group 2) to get and keep his licence to drive a bus. The DVLA (the lot that issue driving licences in the UK) require to be told about any little medical episode, illness.......basically anything which may effect his fitness to drive. They already know about his high BP (when he takes his drugs, it's within the required parameters). Let's just say I am now a bit of an expert of the Medical requirements of a group 2 licence, and if hubby had angina, he had to be attack free for 6 weeks before he could drive again. But at the moment it was only suspected, so what do we tell them.
So we begin the waiting game and the gauntlet of actually getting the NHS to labour into action. Hubby was off sick from work for 4 weeks..........that's 4 weeks on sick pay, and while he does get paid most of his salary, it's his basic salary, no allowances or anything, so almost a 50% pay cut - ouch. Exercise stress test came and went, passed with ease, no angina attack, which is basically what they were trying to do, so all good. Still no sign of the echo appointment and also no sign of an appointment to see anyone who would say 'you have this wrong with you'. Of course during this time, hubby is having to go to the GP to get sick certificates for work, and try and find out the results.
When he had the exercise test, he was told that the results would be sent to his GP within a week. So, he made an appointment to see the GP for a week later. Guess what, no results, signed off for another week, and come back. Went back a week later, still nothing. GP starts to chase and response from hospital 'results can take up to two week to come through' Ok, why was he told a week, and it is now two weeks, even though the hospital seemed to think he'd only just had the test. GP said they would chase again on Monday. On Monday we get a different story 'the results aren't sent to the GP' they are sent to the cardiologist, who will then decide if the patient needs to be seen' And how long will that take........................no-one actually appears to know, but here is a number you can call, which is either constantly engaged or never answered!!
Of course all this time, hubby can't go back to work, as understandably, the bus co. don't want to risk him dropping dead at the wheel and bending one of their shiny vehicles. Hubby is of course bored out of his skull, having been on the sick for 4 weeks, so kindly, his boss agrees that if the GP agrees, he can go back to work on 'light duties', not driving a bus. So, hubby goes back to work and is paid for sitting around drinking tea....................well he did do some odd timing checks etc, but an awful lot of tea drinking was involved!
Still nothing from the hospital, so in the end, hubby actually goes to the hospital and goes to the cardiology department, where he was lucky enough to encounter one of the consultants pa's, who took it upon herself to get things sorted. Basically they had forgotten about him, he had slipped through the system, he was just pending. Within 24 hours she had an echo booked for him and an appointment with a consultant and finally things were looking up. And finally hubby gets a diagnosis, 8 weeks after the original 'incident'..............all caused by.....................he hadn't been taking his BP tablets and his BP had got extremely high. No heart attack, no angina, in fact his heart is very healthy, so back to work..........finally!!!
Now, none of these test, appointments or treatments did we have to stump up hard cash for (though hubby does have to actually pay for the drugs to keep the BP under control). But the NHS isn't free and when you get shoddy service like this (sorry, he was just missed), it makes you a bit angry.
Anyway, ultimately the good news is hubby is fine, no lasting damage, and things are back to normal, but it was a fraught couple of months not knowing if he was really ill and if he would keep his job.
However, nothing in life is free, and in reality the NHS is paid for, by those of us who work and pay into the UK tax system, so it's not really free is it. And on top of the fact that a large proportion of my wages are syphoned off by the government to pay for things like the NHS, and benefits for those who don't work, so who really do get the NHS for free (separate rant, I digress), I still have to pay for drugs that I should need because I am sick, in pain etc, pay to have my eyes tested and then pay for glasses so I can actually see (to go to work to earn money, so the government can syphon large chunks off) and to have my teeth checked - well I go private for that, because NHS dentists are rarer than hens teeth ha ha!!
But, if you are in urgent need, the NHS is a great thing. On his last day at work, before our Spring leave (when the kitchen was due to be done), hubby didn't feel well. He didn't look well either, so some of his concerned colleagues said he should go see the duty inspector and ask to go home. The duty inspector didn't like the look of him either (but that's another story), and called an ambulance, as they suspected he was having a heart attack - but of a common occurrence in the bus industry. Ambulance was called, arrived on blue lights, and hubby whisked off to the local mortuary, sorry, hospital to be treated.
Turns out it wasn't a heart attack, wonderful news, but probably angina, not so wonderful news (more on that later). Anyway, his BP was sky high, so they decided to admit him to do more tests. They were pretty sure that it wasn't a heart attack, but they like to make sure, and one of these making sure things, was redoing some test, 12 hours after the 'attack' started, which would have been the middle of the night. So hubby spent a rather uncomfortable night in hospital and they did the test, which was the same as the first one, so no, not a heart attack. And this being the NHS, not a penny was demanded for any of this pleasurable experience.
Anyway, then the fun started. Hubby's BP was still very high, so they wanted to keep him in. However, he was in an assessment ward, where he would remain, so no real facilities (TV, Radio, reading lights) and building work going on outside the window from 07.00 hrs until 21.00 hrs - don't they know sick people need to sleep. And that is before we get on to the poor chap in the bed opposite who was unconscious, but attached to some type of monitor that went off every time he breathed - 'don't move' they kept saying. He's nearly dead FFS, he's not moving!!! My BP through the roof when I went in there, no wonder hubby's wasn't coming down. Now bearing in mind he was admitted Tuesday lunch time, they wanted him to stay until Friday, to do an exercise stress test, which would prove or disprove the angina theory. Reason he had to stay until Friday, they'd given him a drug they shouldn't have!! Hubby said no, he'd come back, and although they weren't happy, and made him sign a form saying he'd discharged himself against medical advice, they let him go. Anyway off goes the doc, to sort out the drugs but then the sister says 'no, if you're discharging yourself, no drugs'
WHAT - is the NHS having a strop?? If you don't do what we want, you can't have the drugs that might make you better, so you might then have to come back, and be even sicker............luckily the doc was sensible, and hubby got drugs and an appointment for the exercise stress test about 2 weeks later, and a letter saying that he'd have to have an echo cardiogram, to be booked at a later date.
Now hubby was being released with 'suspected angina attack'. Now hubby is a bus driver, and as such has to pass a fairly stringent medical (group 2) to get and keep his licence to drive a bus. The DVLA (the lot that issue driving licences in the UK) require to be told about any little medical episode, illness.......basically anything which may effect his fitness to drive. They already know about his high BP (when he takes his drugs, it's within the required parameters). Let's just say I am now a bit of an expert of the Medical requirements of a group 2 licence, and if hubby had angina, he had to be attack free for 6 weeks before he could drive again. But at the moment it was only suspected, so what do we tell them.
So we begin the waiting game and the gauntlet of actually getting the NHS to labour into action. Hubby was off sick from work for 4 weeks..........that's 4 weeks on sick pay, and while he does get paid most of his salary, it's his basic salary, no allowances or anything, so almost a 50% pay cut - ouch. Exercise stress test came and went, passed with ease, no angina attack, which is basically what they were trying to do, so all good. Still no sign of the echo appointment and also no sign of an appointment to see anyone who would say 'you have this wrong with you'. Of course during this time, hubby is having to go to the GP to get sick certificates for work, and try and find out the results.
When he had the exercise test, he was told that the results would be sent to his GP within a week. So, he made an appointment to see the GP for a week later. Guess what, no results, signed off for another week, and come back. Went back a week later, still nothing. GP starts to chase and response from hospital 'results can take up to two week to come through' Ok, why was he told a week, and it is now two weeks, even though the hospital seemed to think he'd only just had the test. GP said they would chase again on Monday. On Monday we get a different story 'the results aren't sent to the GP' they are sent to the cardiologist, who will then decide if the patient needs to be seen' And how long will that take........................no-one actually appears to know, but here is a number you can call, which is either constantly engaged or never answered!!
Of course all this time, hubby can't go back to work, as understandably, the bus co. don't want to risk him dropping dead at the wheel and bending one of their shiny vehicles. Hubby is of course bored out of his skull, having been on the sick for 4 weeks, so kindly, his boss agrees that if the GP agrees, he can go back to work on 'light duties', not driving a bus. So, hubby goes back to work and is paid for sitting around drinking tea....................well he did do some odd timing checks etc, but an awful lot of tea drinking was involved!
Still nothing from the hospital, so in the end, hubby actually goes to the hospital and goes to the cardiology department, where he was lucky enough to encounter one of the consultants pa's, who took it upon herself to get things sorted. Basically they had forgotten about him, he had slipped through the system, he was just pending. Within 24 hours she had an echo booked for him and an appointment with a consultant and finally things were looking up. And finally hubby gets a diagnosis, 8 weeks after the original 'incident'..............all caused by.....................he hadn't been taking his BP tablets and his BP had got extremely high. No heart attack, no angina, in fact his heart is very healthy, so back to work..........finally!!!
Now, none of these test, appointments or treatments did we have to stump up hard cash for (though hubby does have to actually pay for the drugs to keep the BP under control). But the NHS isn't free and when you get shoddy service like this (sorry, he was just missed), it makes you a bit angry.
Anyway, ultimately the good news is hubby is fine, no lasting damage, and things are back to normal, but it was a fraught couple of months not knowing if he was really ill and if he would keep his job.
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