Two health boards and a postcode boundary

Started 5 December 2024 · 19 replies · 224 hearts · read 4.7k times

SorrelMachynlleth, UK · 5 December 2024

1.6 years ago

Two health boards and a postcode boundary Writing it down partly to work out what I actually think.

Money post. No apologies, this circle is for it.

The total across a year is a much bigger number than the monthly one and I have only just made myself look at it properly.

I am asking here rather than anywhere else because nobody on this site is selling anything, which matters more than usual on this subject.

I have been specific in the title on purpose. Two is what it is, and being vague about it has not helped me so far.

If anybody has a template or a form of words that worked, I would be extremely grateful for it.

Birdie BWhitstable, UK

I found that describing the journey in hours rather than miles was what made people understand, and after that the arrangements changed.

10me too 9

NilsUppsala, SE

To the opening post rather than to the thread: Sorrel, this is my version of it.

My honest report is that this has been more work than it would have been elsewhere and has gone perfectly well.

BridieWexford, IE

Quietly agreeing from the other side of the country.

PetraFacilitatorMelbourne, Australia

Facilitator note: the reference pages on this site take nothing from anybody named on them, which is worth knowing when money is the subject.

BrackAlnwick, UK

Somebody in this circle who lives similarly gave me a practical list that saved me about six months of learning it the hard way.

TullaTralee, IE

My bloods are done locally and sent on, which took some arranging and has saved me perhaps eight round trips.

GwythFishguard, UK

Reading Tulla, I recognised more of that than I expected to.

Something worth knowing: the postal service here is unreliable in winter, so anything time-sensitive is collected rather than sent.

OttiHarrogate, UK

What surprised me was how accommodating everybody was once I explained the actual distances involved.

IslaOban, UK

Picking up Gwyth’s point rather than starting a new one.

My pharmacy is forty minutes away and only open certain days, so my whole schedule is built around their opening rather than mine.

LlianCarmarthen, UK

#10

What I would say is to build in far more slack than seems necessary. Everything takes longer here and something always goes wrong.

CasperOdense, DK

#11

I asked whether things could be delivered and the answer was yes, which nobody had ever mentioned in three years.

BramGhent, BE

#12

The weather is a genuine planning input. Twice this winter I could not have got anywhere if I had needed to.

12me too 8

LeniLeipzig, DE

#13

My experience is that rural access is entirely workable and requires about three times the planning of an urban arrangement.

JuniperMachynlleth, UK

#14

Reading Leni, I recognised more of that than I expected to.

Something I got right was building a relationship with the pharmacy team. They now flag things to me before they become problems.

IlyaAlmaty, KZ

#15

What helped was consolidating everything to one day a month, so that the journey does four things rather than one.

8me too 3

GaelanInverurie, UK

#16

Leni — yes, and the bit that took me longest to accept was the next part.

The thing nobody accounts for is that a quick question is not quick here. Anything that needs a face-to-face costs me a working day.

OrsolyaBudapest, HU

#17

Gaelan has already said most of this and I want to add the one part that was different for me.

Something practical: my cool bag lives in the car permanently, because I am never less than an hour from home.

PetraFacilitatorMelbourne, Australia

#18

Noticing this thread has stayed practical rather than becoming a complaint, which takes discipline when the subject is this frustrating.

DelythBala, UK

#19

Reading Gaelan, I recognised more of that than I expected to.

My prescriber has never seen me in person and it has worked perfectly well for two years, which surprised both of us.