Links from Staying Alive: How to get the best from the NHS from Phil Hammond (2015).
And for 90 per cent of symptoms, you’re better off with a dog than a doctor. […] The trick is to spot the 10 per cent that can’t be licked better. (p. 274)
The book sprinkles links throughout the text. I didn’t think I’d be able to find them again, so here are the ones I’ve found most interesting. Descriptions are my own mis-interpretations, and these are mainly for England (there are some different sites for Wales and Scotland):
- The NHS supplies the treatments recommended by NICE. The pathways section of the NICE website is an interactive guide to the handling of a condition, including quality statements, support, diagnosis.
- https://www.nhs.uk/, https://patient.info/, and https://healthtalk.org/ for advice. Also look out for condition-specific charity websites.
- https://www.cqc.org.uk/ for how well your GP or dentist is doing. There’s also https://www.careopinion.org.uk/ (was called Patient Opinion) and https://www.iwantgreatcare.org/. I’ve not tried these.
- Fast Facts books from Health Press Limited.
- https://www.hellomynameis.org.uk/ as a reminder to know who you are talking to, and a reminder you’re talking to people.
The last chapter (“Further CLANGing”, p. 274 onwards) does bring many of the links and book recommendations together, under various headings and descriptions. That’s the place to jump into if you’re in a hurry, and a reminder of questions to ask during a consultation (p. 279+).
