Patients face 12-hour wait at A&E as union warns of major crisis in Lothian hospitals - your views online

"Tell doctors at their surgeries to see their patients - no more phone calls. I have not even met my doctor”

Health fears

Patients face 12-hour wait at A&E as union warns of major crisis in Lothian hospitals

Michelle Brogan

Here's an idea. Open the GP surgeries again! Let patients see their doctors instead of relying on the receptionists, admin and pharmacy staff to diagnose and treat people! Our local surgery sent a text message out with the gist, "don't come to the doctor, we only have one working at the moment and will not see you unless its an emergency". If it’s an emergency, people go to A&E, but at the moment people are probably going to A&E for things the GP should be treating, because there is no access to the GP!

Malcolm Tunnah

Boris and co want the NHS to fail so they can "reform" the whole set up by privatising it. The Tories have been chipping away at the NHS for years and still working class people vote for them because they think it makes them "more British."

Joyce Stewart

Husband phoned GP surgery yesterday for an appointment, and was advised to phone back today at 8.30am – 19th in telephone queue. When answered, he was advised nothing today and nothing bookable in next two weeks. Advised to try again at 8.30am tomorrow. Absolute joke, the health system will fully collapse if it continues this way.

Janice Nichols

Get the medical centres open and be allowed to make an appointment to actually see your GP in person.

Kazza Manderine

Well, let us back into the GP’s surgery. How can you diagnose anything over the phone! My daughter was cutting herself but still the doctor refused for her to come into surgery and just told me to look on a website – absolute madness.

Lisa Waite

Can go to pubs and restaurants but can't see your doctor. If the vaccinations are as great as people want to believe, why won’t a doctor see you? It’s ridiculous – I can see my nurse, mind.

Keith Robertson

Maybe the A&E in Edinburgh would cope better if the vaccination rate improved. Figures at the weekend showed the City of Edinburgh with one of the worst, if not the worst vaccinated rates. Unfortunately not sure if this is down to NHS Lothian or people's attitude towards vaccine.

Rosie Sime

Maybe if the doctors surgeries opened back up this wouldn't happen. It's getting ridiculous that this is happening.

Ali Baba

Fully open GP surgeries.

Lorraine Davidson

Tell doctors at their surgeries to see their patients - no more phone calls. I have not even met my doctor.

Carolyn Fielding

Well, when you are waiting on an appointment to see a consultant to see about colorectal procedure and the waiting list is 75 weeks long and you are in agony and can't see a GP because they are phone appointments, where are you meant to go? Could be a way to meet your maker before you see a doctor.

Maureen Burnside

You can thank the Brexiteers for that!

Fuel prices

Drivers face ‘relentless’ fuel price rises as petrol hits 8-year high

Henry Campbell Gillan

Judging by the two-ton Chelsea tractors that pass as a family car these days, fuel price is not an issue.

Elaine Logan

The US cut their oil output during the pandemic to keep prices high. There is now a very high demand for petrochemicals for plastic materials due to the pandemic. Europe is a net importer of petrochemicals. The shortage is affecting all industries. The knock on effect to inflation is inevitable. The US will increase output (or stop reducing it) if oil prices remain high. Global market dynamics at play. This pandemic has to be paid for somehow! This is just the start of it.

Martha Spence

This is getting beyond a joke. The price is ridiculous, how can they justify this? They keep saying they are cutting back on production – but why? To keep prices up our government needs to reduce what they take in tax, which is outrageous.

Darren Mearns

Gotta pay that furlough cash back somehow. This will just be the beginning.

Ken Johnston

Somebody has to pay for Boris's new "royal" yacht and private plane, which he can use free of charge, along with his Tory buddies.

Ally Maciver

This is all the commodity speculators screwing us to claw back the money they lost last year in the first lockdown, when we all suddenly stopped buying fuel and petrol/diesel prices plummeted.