Author Topic: Office Of national Statistics  (Read 5870 times)

Jacqueline

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5261
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #45 on: Jun 04, 2020, 04:10:21 PM »
Mike this has turned into a farce.  Are the ONS fit for purpose?

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #46 on: Jun 04, 2020, 04:31:00 PM »
Yes Jacqueline, depressingly it is becoming a farce.  Computers were supposed to be the answer to everything, but they seem to have taken away the need to get things right among many employees.  If your job is to tick a box, don't worry about the consequences if the previous or next one doesn't get ticked, it's only someone's life.  IT it seems have turned us into a nation of jobsworths.

My doctor had the goodness to ring me today to try and understand the information he got from the nurse I had previously spoken to.  The ONS gave assurances in their invitation to participate that my GP would be kept up to date.  Our GP uses an excellent IT programme called SystemOnline which allows me to see most of my medical records and they are regularly kept up to date, I could only find the entry for the positive diagnosis.  The GP assured me that they had been told nothing by the ONS except that one call to say that I had tested positive.

The Government is not exactly immune from their own blundering, but with organisations like the ONS and NH England advising them, I cannot see much hope.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

klondike

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23258
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #47 on: Jun 04, 2020, 05:17:32 PM »
Our GP uses an excellent IT programme called SystemOnline which allows me to see most of my medical records
My GP uses the same system. At the moment it is only of any use for reordering prescriptions as they have chosen not to make medical records available and never did make all appointments bookable but now none are. They prefer to have everyone listen to several minutes of talking about Covid19 which you cannot bypass followed by a long wait in a queue before being told only phone appointments are possible. If you are very lucky you might only have to wait a couple of weeks for one.
So long and thanks for all the fish

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #48 on: Jun 04, 2020, 05:25:41 PM »
Almost all the advertised facilities are open for my GP including 38 appointment times, some split up into multiple phone times, so in effect about 60 opportunities to talk to a doctor.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

klondike

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23258
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #49 on: Jun 04, 2020, 05:30:13 PM »
I would change but have a limited choice. Parking at the nearest is an absolute nightmare and I have no idea if they are any better.
So long and thanks for all the fish

Glen

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 283
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #50 on: Jun 04, 2020, 08:43:41 PM »
I have used system online for quite a while. Today I noticed they had withdrawn booking appointments and access to detailed records. 

klondike

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23258
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #51 on: Jun 04, 2020, 09:02:56 PM »
It's up to the GP practice which options they make available to you.
So long and thanks for all the fish

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #52 on: Jun 16, 2020, 09:12:26 AM »
Another update. 5th Swab taken last Wednesday and nothing to report except that the swabs are still too long to fit the tubes even when snapped off and for the last 2 weeks they have been flexible and do not snap off, so have to be cut by the user.  To me this is typical of the disorganisation I have viewed so far.  I now revert to monthly swabs plus a blood test.


As I have said before on swab No 3 I tested positive for Corvid-19, but had no symptoms whatsoever, so  contacted the ONS who passed my query onto the firm doing the actual testing.  After waiting 2 weeks I finally got a telephone call yesterday, but little satisfaction.  The upshot is that they have had a number of false negatives, but the test is supposed to not throw up false positives.  Obviously they do not want to admit administrative mistakes can be made.  Apparently they are unable to carry out a second test on the positive swab, but my last test was negative.  The lady I spoke to was pleasant and tried to be helpful, but could say no more.  My blood will be tested for antibodies but by a different lab and I will not be told if I do have antibodies, so that is all a waste of time.  I will continue to assume that I was never positive and act accordingly.


Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Jacqueline

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5261
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #53 on: Jun 16, 2020, 10:55:43 AM »
Another update. 5th Swab taken last Wednesday and nothing to report except that the swabs are still too long to fit the tubes even when snapped off and for the last 2 weeks they have been flexible and do not snap off, so have to be cut by the user.  To me this is typical of the disorganisation I have viewed so far.  I now revert to monthly swabs plus a blood test.


As I have said before on swab No 3 I tested positive for Corvid-19, but had no symptoms whatsoever, so  contacted the ONS who passed my query onto the firm doing the actual testing.  After waiting 2 weeks I finally got a telephone call yesterday, but little satisfaction.  The upshot is that they have had a number of false negatives, but the test is supposed to not throw up false positives.  Obviously they do not want to admit administrative mistakes can be made.  Apparently they are unable to carry out a second test on the positive swab, but my last test was negative.  The lady I spoke to was pleasant and tried to be helpful, but could say no more.  My blood will be tested for antibodies but by a different lab and I will not be told if I do have antibodies, so that is all a waste of time.  I will continue to assume that I was never positive and act accordingly.


Mike.X


If this is how its done I have no faith in the system at all.  I think I have mentioned before about a lady who worked in a care home where there had been deaths, she had all the symptoms but her test came back negitave.  I wonder what the real accuracy rate is on these tests?

Diasi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13480
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #54 on: Jun 16, 2020, 12:13:08 PM »
Well we still don't know anybody who knows anybody who knows anybody who's had the virus.
Make every day count, each day is precious.
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal".  (Cassandra)

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #55 on: Jul 03, 2020, 11:39:23 AM »
Latest update.  Currently awaiting next swab test on 8th July (now monthly instead of weekly), but for me it will also be a blood test.


I had an email from the testing company last Tuesday apologising for the confusion, but insisting that my wife had tested positive.  My wife?  It was supposed to be me that tested positive,! So I emailed back directly and they replied again saying that they had misread the details an confirmed that it was me positive for Covid-19.


So there we are, until I get an antibody test, I will not know the truth, a case of too many cooks I think.


Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Michael Rolls

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 72679
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #56 on: Jul 03, 2020, 11:58:45 AM »
seems like confusion heaped upon confusion
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

klondike

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23258
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #57 on: Jul 17, 2020, 09:45:23 AM »
So long and thanks for all the fish

xetog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11227
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #58 on: Jul 17, 2020, 10:35:58 AM »
Not really klondike.  As they say, if I was unfortunate to get one of their swabs, its chance of being contaminated with covid-19 is vanishingly small and if it was it would probably have more chance of contaminating me than anything.


As it happens, there is a new symptom out the other day, a rash and it can exist in those who are asymptomatic.  My wife had quite a serious rash just before we began testing, so raising the possibility of my positive result shortly thereafter.  Whatever, it hardly matters at this point. 


Meanwhile, we were swabbed and blood tested (me) on 8th July and our next test is in one months time.  We have at least got the ONS now reporting our swab tests to our doctor who puts the results up on the computer system.


Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Ashy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 32147
Re: Office Of national Statistics
« Reply #59 on: Aug 15, 2020, 11:23:24 AM »
I have had a letter from the ONS inviting me to participate in this, to be conducted by a private company. All they will learn from me is that I am not that desperate for £50.