NHS Questions - Physical Exam & Elective Surgery

Hi All,

I have two questions for anyone that can share an opinion.

It seems to me that most GPs are unwilling to give physical examinations.  Is that your experience?  I know that some of the tests performed for a physical in the US are probably unnecessary (and are done to make money for the Dr.), but has anyone's GP offered to conduct a physical that would be somewhat comparable to what you get in the US? I live in Hackney and my GP said physicals were not useful for someone under 50.

My other question relates to elective surgery:

I have an appointment with the fracture clinic to potentially have an operation done on my foot.  Based on my experiences with the NHS thus far, I'm a bit reluctant and would probably rather pay out of pocket.  My question is if I opt to have surgery done through NHS, can I pick my doctor or are there ways to research a doctor's background/qualifications?  It just makes me very nervous to have a complete stranger operate on me.  In the US, I researched the physician and choose the doctor that seemed to be the best in my area for the last surgery I had.

If anyone has any insights or opinions I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!

Best,
Nick

In my experience some GP surgeries perform "physicals" when you register as a patient, but I have not found this to be the norm in the recent past. This may be due to funding constraints, or may also be due to the belief that, in fact, most physicals ARE a waste of resources for the under 50's. I have experienced both systems and would say that my annual physical in the US was a waste of resources for someone in good health, in that it just confirmed that I was in good health.

In the case of who operates on you in the UK, well you probably won't have a choice, nor will you have a choice of hospital. It is possible to research consultants who practice both privately and on the NHS, pay for a private appointment and see if it is possible to be seen by that consultant at their NHS clinic. This used to be know as queue jumping.

Perhaps you could take out some form of private insurance that would allow both an annual physical and access to consultants, but rely on the NHS for regular GP appointments? 

Our surgery offers a "Health Check" which is with the practice nurse to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, height, weight and all that good stuff.  Not sure but what it might be aimed at middle aged to older folks, as it seems to be mainly a means of assessing your cardiovascular disease risk.  But you could ask about that.

The NHS has a screening timeline to show you what tests might be available to you at certain ages.  http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Screening.aspx

and would say that my annual physical in the US was a waste of resources for someone in good health, in that it just confirmed that I was in good health.

Well it wasn't really a waste though was it? I mean aside from the peace of mind and confirmation that you apparently were doing things right, the positive outcome wasn't known until it was over.

I like the idea of regular check ups, as a way of maintaining contact with the doctor and having an opportunity to discus things that might be changing as you mature.

I am a great admirer of the NHS, but do wish they would focus a bit more on early intervention.

I like the idea of regular check ups, as a way of maintaining contact with the doctor and having an opportunity to discus things that might be changing as you mature.

I am a great admirer of the NHS, but do wish they would focus a bit more on early intervention.

I agree.  I used to save up all those little niggling questions for my annual -- things that I would consider too minor to make an appointment with my GP here.  Probably nothing but you never know.  I do think they ought to routinely do a BP check no matter what you go in for.  A nurse could do that.

Our surgery does a number of checks (usually with the practice nurse) on request, and annually if on medication.

I had a few niggling problems which I decided to explore after my mother died in May. The GP did the brief check, then referred me for x-rays, scans and an ENT consult. I was completely happy with the outcome.

I also had an elective surgery just over a year ago. My GP made the referral to the consultant, and she was the person who did the surgery, and in was done at the most proximate hospital. I have absolutely no complaints/qualms about repeating that process if the need arises.