NormanH Posted Sunday at 05:17 Share Posted Sunday at 05:17 This is an article based on the experience at the CHU in Nantes.. https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/france/video/a-nantes-l-hopital-public-essouffle-apres-un-autre-ete-d-enfer-aux-urgences_239631.html Google translate: https://www-huffingtonpost-fr.translate.goog/france/video/a-nantes-l-hopital-public-essouffle-apres-un-autre-ete-d-enfer-aux-urgences_239631.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Sunday at 05:46 Share Posted Sunday at 05:46 Both links behind a paywall, Norman 😐 Recent personal experience suggests that it's in meltdown, though. Six months wait for a scanner? Four months wait to see a specialist? The local one-man-band MTs no longer even try to find a remplaçant when they swan off on holiday for a month. It's a slightly better picture in the pôles de santé where at least the other doctors try to cover for absence. Admission to local Urgences only via SAMU or MT recommendation and always the threat of complete closure during the holidays and fêtes. It's truly dire and according to my MT the government, far from revising their policy of reducing generalist student numbers, are introducing measures to make it even more difficult to qualify 🙄 You'd think that the French government might have taken a glance across the Channel and seen how NOT to run a health service by simply chucking money at it, but apparently not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted Sunday at 10:10 Share Posted Sunday at 10:10 Noisette, I hate to disagree with you because you have always seem to me to be "in the know" and to hold reasonable views. BUT our experience (OH's and mine) have not been as you described. OH had a second melanoma op recently and his MT sent him for a TEP scan (in case of metastases). I rang for a RdV and was told that after an op it was essential to wait 6 weeks before a TEP The secretariat gave me a date 6 weeks from the date of his op (note, NOT 6 weeks from the day I rang). He duly went, all that we had to do was confirm his attendance 48 hours beforehand because it was explained to us that the cost for a full body TEP costs 1.100O€ All took place as arranged and he was given the CD with the results on the same day and even given a snack before the VSL brought his home. As you live not too far away from us, I was actually very shocked by your disclosure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Sunday at 14:39 Share Posted Sunday at 14:39 Hi menthe, I'm glad to hear that all went well for your OH. I did suspect that there is more urgency applied to cancer/possible cancer patients, with time being of the essence. To a certain extent, here in Lot and Garonne, the problems are seasonal or at least they're exacerbated by lack of doctors and staff during the summer months. But.....my recent experience includes having to wait three weeks just for the result of the initial dépistage. Never known that before, even in August. I'm not knocking the actual treatment or procedures, just saying that the timescales for diagnosis are vastly different now to what they were even 5 years ago. It's also noticeable that it's a problem related to size of town or city. That's obvious as we've been told for the last 15 years that small villages are simply unable to recruit new MTs who don't want to work in la France profonde. Apparently, the other levels of staff don't even want to work in the larger towns either. There's a sliding timescale in operation...e.g. Marmande = large town = 6 month wait, Agen = préfecture = 2 month wait and although I haven't checked it out yet, I suspect Bordeaux = city = instant and quite possibly non-conventioné. Fine if you can get to a city and have a decent mutuelle! No doubt that there are steps that can be taken to try to soften the blow. Beg an MT in a multi-doctor pôle to take one on, exaggerate pain levels, just turn up at Urgences before things can turn serious.....but it's so sad to see what access to healthcare has become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted Sunday at 15:07 Share Posted Sunday at 15:07 It does seem that there are different types and levels of service. I think the NHS is the same. I hear horror stories but also very good ones from people in the UK. I suppose you are very lucky or maybe UNlucky to have something serious or preferably potentially life threatening in order to get wonderful and smooth running services?😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted Sunday at 15:09 Share Posted Sunday at 15:09 (edited) Menthe, Noisette, I can concur with both your experiences, down here in the south in NormanH's and my neck of the woods .. I have a choice of 3 cities / large towns to chose from (Carca/Narbone/Beziers, as I live on border of 2 depts, and all are about the same distance away ..plus Montpellier and Toulouse just a little further away, so better than for many, even though we are in the country. I don't use an MT in our large village though there are 2 or 3 doctors, as I go a little further to an English speaking doctor (yes, I know, naughty aren't I, but given what I've got on my plate, it's a big help for this non-native speaker ).. but it's the Oncopole at Toulouse where I go for my melanoma check ups (and yes, Menthe TEPs do cost that much, I have one every 3 months still - just checking all is well now, but even so), so it is not as such the location or the money, but lack of specialists, urgences only in certain places, (though the new Narbonne hopsital is now much closer since it's move), and longer waits for almost every specialist now (previously only dermatolgists and opthalmologists), is becoming evident. Letters from MT's help, cancer is seemingly dealt with much more quickly, and there will be exceptions of course, as wil having a sympathetic and available MT, but it does seem to be getting harder and harder to see any specialist now. Noisette, I know L&G quite well, sister has a holiday home there, and was there only 2 weeks ago, but one year when BIL needed urgences one early morning, they drove to the nearest, probably Marmande, and were told to go to La Reole (or other way round!), and because they'd gone under their own steam and not called SAMU as my sister had wanted to .. he had to wait for ages, but was well treated once he was seen .. their own home hospital is Addenbrookes .. not disimilar when my sister was told by her GP to go in for a gall bladder problem .. but the MT told BIL to drive her (9 miles) as it would be quicker than getting an ambulance.. and BIL knows the ropes there as he is a volunteer driver ... it took a while but she was seen and the problem identified pretty quickly but getting a real bed for her was another problem .. and which she had to occupy for 2 months as things took a turn for the worse when she got sepsis,.. she's OK now but it was a very worrying time .. so not much to chose between the two countries sometimes I feel. Edited Sunday at 15:11 by Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted Sunday at 15:22 Author Share Posted Sunday at 15:22 I am certainly not knocking the French Health service as in the past I have have had wonderful treatment from it without which I wouldn't be here to write these posts. I have noticed a large deterioration in the availability of MTs specialists and RDV for scanners etc since Covid and I hear horror stories from each of the three nurses in the team that care for me about the way they unable to 'nurse' as they wished in the clinics and hospitals here, and so left to become 'profession libérale'....and even then how some 'cabinets' mistreat their patients. Like menthe I am still very lucky, but am aware of storm clouds gathering. The nearest 'Maison de Santé, which has 5 generalists and a couple of nurse was SHUT for 2 days last week, and a fortnight ago the shutters were down with a hand-written notice stuck on 'PAS DE MEDICIN' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted Sunday at 15:26 Author Share Posted Sunday at 15:26 9 hours ago, Noisette said: Both links behind a paywall, Norman 😐 Recent personal experience suggests that it's in meltdown, though. Six months wait for a scanner? Four months wait to see a specialist? The local one-man-band MTs no longer even try to find a remplaçant when they swan off on holiday for a month. It's a slightly better picture in the pôles de santé where at least the other doctors try to cover for absence. Admission to local Urgences only via SAMU or MT recommendation and always the threat of complete closure during the holidays and fêtes. It's truly dire and according to my MT the government, far from revising their policy of reducing generalist student numbers, are introducing measures to make it even more difficult to qualify 🙄 You'd think that the French government might have taken a glance across the Channel and seen how NOT to run a health service by simply chucking money at it, but apparently not.... The HUFFINGTON Post link in French isn't behind a paywall. I consult the paper daily free...did you click on accept? Or perhaps it's your browser blocking it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betise Posted Sunday at 16:10 Share Posted Sunday at 16:10 I agree that the Oncopole in Toulouse is wonderful, not as personal or welcoming as the Institute Claudius Regaud, which was integrated into the Oncople when it opened, but still a centre of excellence! In our village, even though we have 2 doctors, RDVs with a MT are not available unless you plan 2 weeks in advance. For specialists, I have found that Doctolib is the best way to go. I was told that I might have to wait 9 months for a non-urgent RDV with a cardiologue, yet managed to grab a RDV with a local cardiologue for Novembre. Healthcare, or perhaps access to it, is certainly not what it was 20 years ago, but still so much better than in the UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Sunday at 17:27 Share Posted Sunday at 17:27 1 hour ago, NormanH said: The HUFFINGTON Post link in French isn't behind a paywall. I consult the paper daily free...did you click on accept? Or perhaps it's your browser blocking it Ah...I never accept cookies. Too fattening 😁 Although it's getting increasingly difficult to refuse them without being invited to subscribe. I used to love the Marmiton website but they chose to commercialise it 🤐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le martin-pêcheur Posted Sunday at 17:34 Share Posted Sunday at 17:34 (edited) Try duckduckgo as a browser, normally deals with cookies for you. Far less invasive than Google Chrome et al. https://duckduckgo.com/windows May help, hope so. Edited Sunday at 17:35 by Le martin-pêcheur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Sunday at 17:40 Share Posted Sunday at 17:40 2 hours ago, menthe said: It does seem that there are different types and levels of service What really concerns me, and has done ever since we moved here, is the emergency aspect. When Marmande was a good, fully-functioning hospital, it was a 15 minute SAMU dash to urgences which back then was fully staffed all year round. Now, depending on the time of year, it would be a 45 minute dash to Villeneuve or Agen which in a lot of scenarios would simply be too late. I know that when your number's up it's up, but quand même 🤣 I can certainly sympathise with folks who downsize to live in a town or city, although I don't think I could bear to be 'urban' again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Sunday at 17:41 Share Posted Sunday at 17:41 5 minutes ago, Le martin-pêcheur said: Try duckduckgo as a browser, normally deals with cookies for you. Far less invasive than Google Chrome et al. https://duckduckgo.com/windows May help, hope so. Thank you very much for that 🥰 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted Sunday at 20:47 Share Posted Sunday at 20:47 3 hours ago, Noisette said: What really concerns me, and has done ever since we moved here, is the emergency aspect. When Marmande was a good, fully-functioning hospital, it was a 15 minute SAMU dash to urgences which back then was fully staffed all year round. Now, depending on the time of year, it would be a 45 minute dash to Villeneuve or Agen which in a lot of scenarios would simply be too late. I know that when your number's up it's up, but quand même 🤣 I can certainly sympathise with folks who downsize to live in a town or city, although I don't think I could bear to be 'urban' again.... I am completely with you about the "urban". On an afternoon when I am too lazy to do anything, I like to watch those place in the sun programmes, mainly to see places in different countries. Today, I saw a charming house somewhere in Spain and I immediately said to OH I don't think I could bear to have neighbours so close! Ridiculous as this is only the second detached house I have ever lived in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted Sunday at 21:30 Share Posted Sunday at 21:30 Ah, you rich folks!😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted Sunday at 23:43 Share Posted Sunday at 23:43 8 hours ago, NormanH said: The HUFFINGTON Post link in French isn't behind a paywall. I consult the paper daily free...did you click on accept? Or perhaps it's your browser blocking it "Overall, we rate HuffPost Left-Biased based on story selection and editorial positions that favor the left. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to failed fact checks and the promotion of pseudoscience" https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/huffington-post/ Not a source I would regard as reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted Monday at 05:26 Author Share Posted Monday at 05:26 Whereas you DO rely on mediabiasfactcheck which shows the Huffington post as being American, when the site I refer to is the French one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted Monday at 08:32 Share Posted Monday at 08:32 16 hours ago, betise said: I agree that the Oncopole in Toulouse is wonderful, not as personal or welcoming as the Institute Claudius Regaud, which was integrated into the Oncople when it opened, but still a centre of excellence! In our village, even though we have 2 doctors, RDVs with a MT are not available unless you plan 2 weeks in advance. For specialists, I have found that Doctolib is the best way to go. I was told that I might have to wait 9 months for a non-urgent RDV with a cardiologue, yet managed to grab a RDV with a local cardiologue for Novembre. Healthcare, or perhaps access to it, is certainly not what it was 20 years ago, but still so much better than in the UK. Yes, I now use the system (similar to Doctolib, but run by ano), my MT uses to book regular appointments, but it only works for noon urgent appointments. BUt is works well for those regular appts I must have .. however, I have always found the Oncopole as friendly as it can be considering it's like a conveyor belt .. with one or two exceptions.. the lack their is not telling you if there is a delay or such when you arrive, so that you can make arrangements if need be .. but that is true for almost everyone these days .. communication is not what it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted Monday at 08:33 Share Posted Monday at 08:33 14 hours ago, Le martin-pêcheur said: Try duckduckgo as a browser, normally deals with cookies for you. Far less invasive than Google Chrome et al. https://duckduckgo.com/windows May help, hope so. I use that almost all the time now, only go to Google (and I don't use Chrome - hate it!) to search if I fail via duckduckgo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted Monday at 08:48 Share Posted Monday at 08:48 11 hours ago, anotherbanana said: Ah, you rich folks!😂 I'm feeling rich today! Got my very first pension payment. Despite the DWPs best efforts in ensuring that I pegged it before getting a sniff, I'm still alive and will do everything in my power to ensure that I live to be 120 😂 This is why it's so important to have access to good healthcare! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted Monday at 08:54 Share Posted Monday at 08:54 4 minutes ago, Noisette said: 'm feeling rich today! Got my very first pension payment. Despite the DWPs best efforts in ensuring that I pegged it before getting a sniff, I'm still alive and will do everything in my power to ensure that I live to be 120 😂 This is why it's so important to have access to good healthcare! Congratulations!! 🎉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted Monday at 09:44 Share Posted Monday at 09:44 1 hour ago, Judith said: Yes, I now use the system (similar to Doctolib, but run by ano), my MT uses to book regular appointments, but it only works for noon urgent appointments. BUt is works well for those regular appts I must have .. however, I have always found the Oncopole as friendly as it can be considering it's like a conveyor belt .. with one or two exceptions.. the lack their is not telling you if there is a delay or such when you arrive, so that you can make arrangements if need be .. but that is true for almost everyone these days .. communication is not what it was. Judith, I can't agree that communication is not what it was. I feel débordée by too MUCH communication! For example, when we have a RdV, we get a phone call from the relevant secrètariat, then a convocation sent by post, then a reminder SMS to give the exact date and time of the RdV together with all the things you need to bring in your dossier and any instructions such as being à jeun. Often, there is another phone call as well to make sure we have understood the instructions given and so on. I'm NOT complaining mind; with my scatter brain tendencies, I feel reassured that such care is taken. Similarly with actual info given at the RdV. Not only does the doctor tell us everything they have found, including diagnosis, they give us a copy of the letter they write to the MT or, on occasion, a summary of their findings and recommended course of action. If they give me a CD or those ECG charts with the swiggles, I really have no idea how to interprete them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted Monday at 15:00 Share Posted Monday at 15:00 Indeed Menthe, they seem to sway between too much or too little .. I am more than happy to get info by email, texts are a pest but becoming the norm .. and a letter which could eaily have been sent by email even less appropriate .. or the alternative .. you get nothing ... Can't win. Letters can go astray, texts are nto always delivered (in spite of what people say), same goes for some emails, but so far they are the most reliable I have found, and unless I am travelling, seen far sooner than texts .. I regularly don't have my phone on anything but airplane mode to stop interruptions when not appropriate .... it's amazing how many times people say, I phoned yo but you did not anwer. I am not a business, so who said I had to be available al the time??? And certainly not at meal times, or when I am doing other things - no!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted Tuesday at 10:23 Share Posted Tuesday at 10:23 Not just individual medicine that is in trouble; Urgences seems in the doodoo as well ( which I already knew from neighbourhood chatter), despite the Ministry apparently being economical with the truth: https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/les-medecins-urgentistes-alertent-face-a-la-degradation-inexorable-de-leurs-services-20240917 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted Tuesday at 10:28 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 10:28 That was EXACTLY the point of the original article and video that I posted ...the title was À Nantes, l’hôpital public essoufflé après un autre été d’enfer aux urgences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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