The grumpy thread

[sheffcortinacentre]

Unfortunately this is all part & parcel of how the country has been run into the ground over the last 50 years, & is now coming to it's inevitable conclusion with everything grinding to a halt like I said above with the haves not giving a shit about the have nots until they've now realised that they need the have nots to do the things they've deemed beneath them.

Other countries started to wake up to this circa COVID time & started putting them & there's first,but as per usual the UK carried on playing by the rules,on the moral high ground while everyone keeps taking the piss. Come the elections the shit is going to hit the fan but uncle kier the working man's friend will come out out with all the BS about how he's stepping aside to spend more time with his family & reluctantly take his peerage, golden handshake & several directorships to keep him going, while they all decide who's going to be gullible enough to take the poison Challis.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

13 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

haves not giving a shit about the have nots until they've now realised that they need the have nots to do the things they've deemed beneath them.

This. Exactly this. I'm not* speaking from experience  of course; campaigning for a place to rest and eat meals really taught me how low management and some colleagues can go to make life difficult...

I started this challenge with a mouth full of teeth; black hair yet almost ten years after starting out doing things nobody else was prepared to do, I am not in the same condition...

To be honest, it has permanently damaged how I see people in general.

 

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, vulgalour said:

@Zelandeth If you haven't already, Patient Complaint Service is the thing you're supposed to do when your GP is shit, learned that today.  Don't know that it'll do any good like.

As for healthcare, and at the risk of becoming political, my thoughts:

  Reveal hidden contents

As for pointing the finger of blame sideways to the 'undeserving poor', smackheads, immigrants, etc... Don't.  I get why you'd feel that way, I really do, but as a group they aren't the problem you think they are.  You need to point that finger up at the people that deal with the funding and staffing of services.  The problem isn't that some people seem to get unfairly preferential treatment, it's that there isn't enough to go around and we've had decades of abuse of a system that's supposed to be there for the public good.  When you blame the people to your left and right for robbing you of services, the people in control of the system have succeeded in a bit of divide and conquer.

Having worked within the NHS on and off for years, and tried to get help as a patient my entire adult life, I can confidently say the issue is more to do with mismanagement, a quagmire of bureaucracy, a lack of funding, a lack of staff, antiquated buildings, and generational neglect from successive governments desperate to turn yet another public service into an opportunity to make money.  To fix it now will require a huge overhaul of the systems in place, massive investment the likes of which we're probably never going to see this side of the next couple of decades, and a shift in attitude to one of generational reform and improvement that our current society is unwilling to embrace.  Until we start putting health as a separate thing to profit, this will never be fixed and the struggle for those of us down at the bottom of the pile will only get worse.

Our government and NHS management are set on adopting the North American model of healthcare, in spite of the fact everyone knows it doesn't work for the patient, because some people can't help but take advantage of those less fortunate than themselves in the name of profit.

 

Yep, already been down that road (albeit a couple of years ago).  Basically got told "Yes, we know it's shit, we've smacked them on the wrist, continue as you were."

Probably the biggest rage generator with them is their tendency to cancel a scheduled appointment the day before and then still send you the angry "How dare you miss an appointment!?!" letter the day after - at which point you're of course back to the start of the 12 week wait for an appointment.

By the time this cycle has repeated four times it starts to get really old.

[Metal Guru]

3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Yep, already been down that road (albeit a couple of years ago).  Basically got told "Yes, we know it's shit, we've smacked them on the wrist, continue as you were."

Probably the biggest rage generator with them is their tendency to cancel a scheduled appointment the day before and then still send you the angry "How dare you miss an appointment!?!" letter the day after - at which point you're of course back to the start of the 12 week wait for an appointment.

By the time this cycle has repeated four times it starts to get really old.

Go to A&E. They won’t let you go until they’re sure you’re ok it case there’s any comeback. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

4 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Yep, already been down that road (albeit a couple of years ago).  Basically got told "Yes, we know it's shit, we've smacked them on the wrist, continue as you were."

Probably the biggest rage generator with them is their tendency to cancel a scheduled appointment the day before and then still send you the angry "How dare you miss an appointment!?!" letter the day after - at which point you're of course back to the start of the 12 week wait for an appointment.

By the time this cycle has repeated four times it starts to get really old.

With a bit of luck you'll be better by then or have croaked , thus saving them having to deal with sick people.

[EyesWeldedShut]

Beastie Boys are back?

Sprog came round for lunch yesterday and I spotted that some b*stad has robbed the Mercedes 'gunsight' off the bonnet of her car - I genuinely thought that was a thing of the past?

Cnuts.

[captain_70s]

9 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

Go to A&E. They won’t let you go until they’re sure you’re ok it case there’s any comeback. 

Everybody I know who has been to A&E recently has had an 8hr+ wait. One gave up and went home after 10hrs because they were told it'd be at least another 4hrs before anybody could see them.

I think it is safe to say the NHS is being run into the ground deliberately, those at the top will make a lot of money selling it to private health care companies after having essentially asset stripped it for years using public funding.

At the ground level it is so poorly organised and mired by departmental arguing it is a miracle anything happens at all.

I was doing validation works at an aseptic suite the other week and found estates hadn't isolated all the fire alarms. We asked them to sort it "nope, too busy". We pointed out the last time we carried out works with that setup we evacuated the entire cancer ward of 40+ patients in the pouring rain. "What we've done is sufficient, we aren't coming back to that building this week". 

Agreed with the cleanroom staff that we couldn't safely carry out the works. We'll have to re-attened at cost and the NHS have already paid for a day of work that couldn't be done.

Oh, also. We do this job every 6 months. The job has been booked in for months in advance. This conversation happens every 6 months...

[Zelandeth]

I wouldn't even mind so much if the private companies didn't gatekeep everything to such an extent.  I HAVE private health cover - but can't bloody use it without referrals from my GP, which I can't bloody get because it takes two years to see them and they won't give the referral until they've been through another year's worth of nonsense as dictated by their flowchart.  Which actually ends up being five years because they seem to lose all record of every other consultation.  So said private cover is essentially useless.  At least at home...they were worth their weight in gold when my other half had a stroke while on a business trip in China, mind you.  So they're not at least *totally* useless.

[artdjones]

It sounds more like the UK sinking further into incompetence. You've already passed through the mediocrity level. Public and private sector.

With the example that @captain_70sgives above, you can be sure as well that if he lifted his voice above a dull monotone in highlighting the stupidity of the estates department, that a bullying complaint would be filled out against him. I hate genuine bullies, but the present definition of bullying seems to be so wide as to provide total protection to incompetent people. 

Soon, Britain will be an idiocracy.

[chadders]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I wouldn't even mind so much if the private companies didn't gatekeep everything to such an extent.  I HAVE private health cover - but can't bloody use it without referrals from my GP, which I can't bloody get because it takes two years to see them and they won't give the referral until they've been through another year's worth of nonsense as dictated by their flowchart.  Which actually ends up being five years because they seem to lose all record of every other consultation.  So said private cover is essentially useless.  At least at home...they were worth their weight in gold when my other half had a stroke while on a business trip in China, mind you.  So they're not at least *totally* useless.

My PHI didn't need that, admittedly over 10 years ago.

I saw a specialist, answered some questions, had some tests and then got booked in for my op.

Maybe things have changed or it's a policy of your PHI provider?

[Zelandeth]

16 minutes ago, chadders said:

My PHI didn't need that, admittedly over 10 years ago.

I saw a specialist, answered some questions, had some tests and then got booked in for my op.

Maybe things have changed or it's a policy of your PHI provider?

It seems to vary from provider to provider and even policy to policy.  As this is through a work scheme I don't really have much say in the matter sadly.

[Sunny Jim]

Colleague asked to borrow my caulking gun. He'd hung it back in it's place but when I went to use it today I discovered he'd somehow managed to get the plunger most of the way into a tube of PU sealant which had then cured around it.

Bad enough having to work on a Sunday without having to waste time clearing up other people's mess. What goes through someone's head that they'd leave a tool in that state?

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Oh love islands coming on.

[Spiny Norman]

Well that's that fucked then.
Building right next to Glasgow's main railway station has collapsed during a massive fire. 

[DavieW]

7 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

Well that's that fucked then.
Building right next to Glasgow's main railway station has collapsed during a massive fire. 

Jeez oh

[eddyramrod]

8 hours ago, artdjones said:

Soon, Britain will be an idiocracy.

Soon?  Oh the optimism of youth!  The country's passed through that point long ago and the rest of the West is close behind.

[artdjones]

13 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Soon?  Oh the optimism of youth!  The country's passed through that point long ago and the rest of the West is close behind.

Have you seen the film? It's not there yet, but it's heading there fast.

 

 

[Spiny Norman]

The whole building's gone. Probably the station too. 

[Spiny Norman]

Here's how it used to look complete with appropriately named car in shot. The entire yellow sandstone building is gone. 
This is the worst fire Glasgow has seen in decades. 

 

[Pieman]

I know the football hooligans had their usual riot earlier, have they taken it a step further than normal and set the city on fire?

[chaseracer]

Checking @davidfowler2000 is safe and well?  He works out of Central.

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, Pieman said:

I know the football hooligans had their usual riot earlier, have they taken it a step further than normal and set the city on fire?

There's some thought it started in a vape shop. 

[Spiny Norman]

22 minutes ago, artdjones said:

There's some thought it started in a vape shop. 

I did wonder if one of the green-v-blue morons had initiated it since it seems to have started just after the bawkick would have finished but the current thinking is that it was started in the vape shop that was seen gently smouldering about half past three this afternoon. 
An entire corner of Glasgow city centre destroyed because of a cheap lithium vape battery going pop, hardly seems believable.

[artdjones]

1 minute ago, Spiny Norman said:

I did wonder if one of the green-v-blue morons had initiated it since it seems to have started just after the bawkick would have finished but the current thinking is that it was started in the vape shop that was seen gently smouldering about half past three this afternoon. 
An entire corner of Glasgow city centre destroyed because of a cheap lithium vape battery going pop, hardly seems believable.

If you've got hundreds or thousands of the things out the back of the shop you would only need one setting itself on fire to cause an inferno.

There don't seem to be any injuries, which is a mercy, but hopefully the station will be ok. Grade A listed, and Glasgow already lost two of its 4 terminal stations.

[Pieman]

Who do I complain to about the state of the A446 between Bassett's Pole and the Belfry golf course/M42 junction 9, south of Tamworth?  It is in such terrible condition it is downright dangerous and pretty much undriveable even for large vehicles - in a couple of places there are craters in it you could probably park a motorcycle in, and if a car hit one of them at speed it could probably turn it over.  I'm assuming Warwickshire is the council responsible but if anyone can confirm let me know please, or would complaining make no difference?

[richardmorris]

3 hours ago, Pieman said:

Who do I complain to about the state of the A446 between Bassett's Pole and the Belfry golf course/M42 junction 9, south of Tamworth?  It is in such terrible condition it is downright dangerous and pretty much undriveable even for large vehicles - in a couple of places there are craters in it you could probably park a motorcycle in, and if a car hit one of them at speed it could probably turn it over.  I'm assuming Warwickshire is the council responsible but if anyone can confirm let me know please, or would complaining make no difference?

If you use "fill that hole .org.uk" you don't need to know it does it for you if you know the location.

 

Fill That Hole

 

[Metal Guru]

48 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

If you use "fill that hole .org.uk" you don't need to know it does it for you if you know the location.

My wife warned me about a pot hole on a road we use a lot after a friend had damaged damaged the tyres , wheel and suspension on his car after hitting it. When I first saw it , it was filled with water so looked just like any other puddle.

A week on it had dried out, and I was astonished to see it had been “repaired”. I say “repaired”, it had been surfaced but still left at least 6 inches deep. Unbelievable!

[Zelandeth]

The game here is closing a road for repairs - spending a whole day "repairing" one or two potholes using naught but the jet patcher - on a busy 70mph road.  So 24 hours later it's just as bad as before they touched it but now with sticky gravel everywhere as an added bonus.

But as it's been "actioned" so nobody can claim against the idiots.

[cort1977]

On 08/03/2026 at 15:16, Zelandeth said:

It seems to vary from provider to provider and even policy to policy.  As this is through a work scheme I don't really have much say in the matter sadly.

I recently paid directly for a private appointment, it was around £200 i think. Which is a lot but the doctor took a quick look and referred me straight to the NHS hospital and i had surgery about three weeks later. In comparison to the two year wait I had previously been advised it was a bargain. 

It's a totally unfair system but what else can you do?

[davidfowler2000]

16 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Checking @davidfowler2000 is safe and well?  He works out of Central.

Naw ah pure dinnae. Am a Queen St driver noo.

WOMAN_df2k still works out of Central but she was off yesterday and annual leave this week.

We were in Halfurts earlier to get car washing stuff and she picked up a new keyring for her work bag...