Navigating The Health Care System

How To Best Navigate The NHS

 A Patients Perspective

I may seem a little obsessed, Maybe I am, but when you are fighting for your life, for your health, you’ll leave no stone unturned.

I’ve learnt how to best navigate the Health Care system after 9 years, I’ve felt frustrated and at times angry, especially when I am trying to do all I can outside of my treatment.
But, i’ve processed that frustration and learnt that getting pissed off and annoyed does you no good so you’ve got to learn to navigate and best manage things.

Helpful Tips

My hopefully helpful tips and links to best navigate the NHS  system with an amazing app that helps you as the patient take some control and keep on top of things:

• You are fighting for you, even on the tough days nobody cares as much about you as you!! And thats not a selfish thing or self centred – you have to learn to put yourself first.
• As a patient you can very easily slip through the cracks in the healthcare system. I know it shouldn’t happen but it does and it’s more common than not.
• The Consultants, The Doctors, the Nurses, they see that many patients daily you are just a number – don’t assume they will know everything about you, that they will know your medical journey and definitely don’t assume they will have all your medical notes.
• Keep your own medical files and keep track and on top of everything. I am lucky to have some understanding and training in whole health / functional health and how the NHS works through trainings i’ve attended.  One app I highly recommend is through the NHS and has all my GP history with all test results and space for me to add hospital letters my own notes etc is
  AirMid Cares    
• Don’t be scared to be heard, I was always at first just accepting of waiting for things to be done, but then it didn’t happen so I learnt to fight but in a polite and respectful way. I fought for what I thought was right for me, I questioned things that I deemed not the right thing for me,  yes at times I felt like a right pain in the ass to people but so be it, I chased secretaries for copies of paperwork and appointments, I learnt who all my consultants PA’s were.
  Please don’t ever just sit back and wait for things to happen. Remember you are fighting for you and your health!

Help Yourself

Do all you can outside of the NHS because if you are wanting something off them remember to give something to them.
There are so many things you can do to help yourself were possible:

• Eat Well – Good nutritious nourishing foods that work well for you and your illness
• Exercise even if its just walking and a few steps a day or movement some stretching
• Practice Mindfulness
• Get in nature
• Manage Stress
• Get a good support network around you and never be scared or too proud to ask for help
• If you can afford it work with a functional practitioner to get everything outside of your disease / illness or even working with your illness working optimally.
• Quit smoking
• Manage alcohol intake
• Manage sugar intake

The NHS are amazing at treatments, surgery, emergency care and life saving operations and the treatment I receive on a weekly basis I am so grateful for, this treatment is helping me stay alive at a very hefty cost and for that I am grateful.

We also as patients need to take some personal responsibility to be in the best shape we can by taking a whole health approach.

A great place to start for well informed health information on how you can start to make healthier choices is the Public Health Collaboration

My Last Nugget and Last Resort Tip

PALS – not your mates but The Patient Advice and Liaison Service.  I knew nothing about this until someone that works within the NHS told me about it. I was fighting to have a port fitted and I felt I had exhausted all avenues from talks with consultants, letters sent, emails from my GP and then even the home-care complaining about my veins.
This series of events was leading to extreme anxiety build up each time I was due to have treatment. As a last resort I looked into PALS and each hospital has their own.
They offer confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. Provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers. They will act as a mediation service and help you feel heard and potentially move forward with issues.
A quick email a week ago and everything has been resolved. I can highly recommend them as a port of call(pardon the pun) if you feel you are not getting anywhere with things and that action needs to be taken.

Find Your Hospital PALS HERE

Claire xx