How to Access Medical Services as a Continuous Cruiser.
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
- Doctor On The Cut - How to Access Medical Services as a Continuous Cruiser.
As a continuous cruiser you are officially of ‘no fixed abode’, so how do you go about making a doctor’s appointment, and how do you get your medication sent through to where you are?
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Hi Andrew hope you are well. Here’s a tip from a ex-paramedic. Navigate to the nearest large town, turn up at a GP walk-in or casualty dept say you don’t feel good and voila! BP & bloods taken before you can say Count Dracula.
Old Sawbones and barbers assistant.
Yes Henry suggested going to a walk-in centre - it was quite a walk from the canal in Oxford! I kind of thought with covid they might have other priorities. This week I collected my meds. Despite ordering them a week in advance the prescription wasn't sent through to the chemist I chose. I made 4 phone calls to my surgery before they eventually sent the prescription. Happy I was not! Hey-ho, I you and the barber's assistant are keeping up to scratch.
I looking forward to your Autumn, Winter photography. We may all be locked down once more, so you may become my eyes and ears, to the outside world, witnessing Mother Nature in all her majesty.
I'm looking forward to summer actually starting in the UK! You may have noticed how short the wheat was this year.
If you're in a location for a reasonable amount of time, you should be able to register with the nearest GP. They can't refuse. We did this when we moved from our house in Norfolk to our boat which was in Leicestershire at the time.
I've had to go back once to Leicester for an annual check up, but the surgery has electronic NHS prescription service so I can get regular medication by ordering a repeat and specifying where to collect it.
Thanks. I've been considering over-wintering on the K&A so might try this.
I never knew over 50’s have an annual health check I’m in my 60’s and haven’t had 1 yet. I live in hope. That did make me laugh. Love your video’s
Thanks Carol, and yes if I were you I'd check out the annual health check
Yea most doctors are crooks, the hib attracts dishonest people, they charge the NHS for doing it but dont actually do it, yet another well known finacial fraud in our NHS, ive never had one either
I have now re-registered at a surgery near to where I currently am on the K&A having become frustrated with the attitude of my surgery in Northumberland. When signing here I was asked to give the Post Restante address of the local post office as an address. I hope this is useful to others looking to register whilst continuous cruising.
Surely if you berth in a marina for a period of time you are no longer of no fixed abode and can give the marina address as you 'home' address?
Love your stuff by the way. Thank you for taking such a lot of effort in producing them etc. etc.
The real question might be 'How do you get a haircut on the cut?', but I guess, you haven't figured this one out yet.
Best wishes and keep on keeping on.
thanks Michael, I had a lightbulb moment during lockdown, I cut my own hair, and very fetching it looks too!
How disappointing. I was hoping that there was a special hospital narrow boat with its own crack team of medics - a bit like the Flying Doctor service in Australia. The tiller would naturally be manned by a doc in mask, stethoscope and full surgery kit. Then when an emergency call came in to this floating A&E, the team would spring into action "Have no fear, we are on our way - we'll be with you in two weeks!"
Ah hello, nice to hear from you again. No there were no gorgeous nurses lining the gunwales on the look out for ailing boaters, no blues and twos as the NB Paramedic 'sped' it's way along the canal. However, do not scoff, I shall indeed reveal something akin to a hospital boat on the K&A in a future vlog, so stay tuned. Oh, and did you know that during the first world war conscripted boaters were used to helm the hospital barges from the front to the French ports?
Really enjoy your videograpfy.
Yes. I’m over due for an appointment. Just made it this morning. Need to see if anything can be done with my bad leg but I’m poor so I need it covered by Medicare. They don’t really like to pay out. Enjoy!
I must say I am extremely grateful for the free NHS service we have, even though it has been underfunded for many years. Of course they have been over-stretched due to covid which is causing a backlog. When I finally managed to get an appointment I had to wait three weeks.
Really useful vlog, thank you. How wonderful to see a return to some beautiful shots too.
I’ll have to be careful about where I chose to live before going CCing!
Wishing you a sublime autumn and well stocked winter.
Thanks for continuing to provide vlogs of interest.
Thanks
A doctor is not allowed to refuse to register a patient unless the surgery is full. I am currently doing a GP mystery shopper exercise for Friends, Families and Travellers and we did a workshop before we started on rights of people with no fixed abode.
That's interesting, perhaps someone should tell them Cropedy Surgery! I have since re-registered at a surgery near to where I currently am having become frustrated with the attitude of my surgery in Northumberland. When signing here I was asked to give the Post Restante address of the local post office as an address.
Hi, when I last cruised the K&A continuously I used the Bampton sub post office as a care of address and was able to use this address to register at the doctors next door. They also had a surgery in Bath. This was about six years ago so things may be different now.
I hope this helps.
Good advice, thanks Paul
One would think the CRT would have some plan for access to medical services for their members 🤷🏻♂️
Dealings with Doctors. When registered in Wales my doctors would post out 3 months prescriptions for me and the wife we sent them a stamp addressed envelope to where we were. Now registered with a doctor in Manchester and whilst staying in Braunston I needed my ears checked my doctor rang me and said to make a temporary registration locally 😭. At 0831 on a Monday morning I registered in daventry and 😁😃😀 at 14020 same day I was treated to an ear drop prescription. 😀 Though I’m under no illusion it was probably a government box ticking exercise for dealing with nuisance patients. Love the vlogs real good stuff. NB Fiddlesticks 👍👍🖐
Thanks Stephen, occasionally we come across great service, like when I'd injured my leg in Uppermill. I've just registered permanently at the docs in Bradford on Avon, so much better than the surly doctors practice in Allendale I'd been with for 6 years. By the way, I rewatched Tixall Pixels recently and realised I had filmed nb Fiddlesticks going by - unless that's another Fiddlesticks.
I would tell the new doctor that “ I have moved to the area and I want to register. Is that allowed?
Sadly not William because they'll want an address, and if you are a continuous cruiser you don't have an address. If however you have a permanent mooring then you may well have an address.
Are the docs allowed to see folks from another country if paid for visit with cash? That gas been a big concern for me I used to visit the UK at least once per year. Now Id like to find a suitable boat and enjoy the cut, but now with the virus that may never happen I'd had the miss the last 2 British Falconry fairs
Yes the doctors will see people from oversees, again you have to complete a temporary registration form. The service used to be free, but I think a charge is now made via your holiday insurance. If you bought a boat surely you would be resident in the UK for at least part of the year, and therefore entitled to free NHS treatment.
Lucky you our surgery don't provided this service!
I get the feeling my surgery aren't too pleased about it, and would like to see the back of me.
But did you ever get your annual?
I did indeed Marilyn, although it took a lot longer to get an appointment than expected. And yes, I'm in good health.
@@talesfromtheswansneck yay!
Do you have walk in clinics . If you have a sore throat or a broken bone. And can you use them regardless of were you are.?
Most large towns have walk-in clinics, however due to covid I think most of them have been overstretched. And yes, you can use them wherever you are.
@@talesfromtheswansneck thank you for that. Aways trying to compare systems.
Hi I've been thinking about joining the cut but some things still are open questions to me. Do you know what solo continuous cruisers do if they don't have a mail drop with a relative? I don't think my ex will want to receive my mail even though our split was amicable.
Personally my mail is sent to a relative. You can though hire a PO box. There are postal services for CCs which I don't bother with. You can get mail sent to post offices near you via poste restante, but not all post offices offer this service. Hope that is some help.
@@talesfromtheswansneck Thanks very much for the response.
On the Llangollen in July I witnessed 3 fire engine crews, an animal welfare officer and a boat crew on the canal to rescue a happy cow who, as it turned out, calmly stepped out of the water.
Unfortunately, a few weeks later and in great pain, I had to call an ambulance. Despite what 3 words they couldn't find me! I made my own way to hospital.
Priorities!
That's worrying. I thought the emergency services were aware of all the bridge numbers, and What3Words made the whole thing easier still. Apparently not... Hope you're ok
@@talesfromtheswansneck Much better thanks.
Maybe you should have stopped off in the village you described as crap, before Cropredy and saw the doctors there. I am older than you and not been to the doctors for 8 years, so just man up !
I do enjoy your vlogs but sometimes you take an awful length of time to say something that requires few words
too much waffle.