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A visit to the Doctor.

A

Alberta

Super Moderator
Staff member
My husband is in the unfortunate position of having to have both knees replaced because of arthritis and being only 62 he has given the timing for this a great deal of thought as he is an electrician and the Muscular skeleton people told him it may mean he will not kneel so easily afterwards.
After a painful weekend he decided it was time, his doctor had said 'when you have decided you want to be referred to a consultant come back to me'
Easier said than done, phoned today and the earliest his doctor can see him is 23rd jan.

We both then were reminiscing about 'years ago'

Steve went a doctors in Saltley and he said 'you walked into the waiting room and there would be about 5 people in front of you so you knew when it was your turn

Mine was in Washwood heath and you took a numbered peg when you went in and waited until your number was called..
we had 2 doctors and I had a favourite and when it was my turn next I always hoped the other one would keep his patient in there a long time
so that I saw my favourite, LOL

No appointments in those days.
 
1966 after my son was born went to see Dr Clarke at 5-00 PM and saw the Doctor at 7-00 PM O'clock as his surgery was swamped due to the creation of the Druids Heath Estate with no additional facilities being provided. Doctor Clarke would make his house visits (including post natal) at around 9-00 when the surgery patients were finished. 12 Months later Dr Clarke was dead.

Viva La Change
 
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I must be really lucky with my doctor's surgery. I was in Erdington High street today doing some shopping. I popped into Boots to try and get something for this chesty cough I have, Being I'm taking Warfarin I wasn't hopeful. I won't go into detail but the pharmacist said I might have a chest infection and should see my doctor. 10.15 outside Boots I called the doc, he said can you get here for 11.00, I got there for 10.50, I was seeing her at 10.55. Not bad going ay. This is not a one off, I can see a doctor on the same day 90% of the time.
 
BernardR said:
1966 after my son was born went to see Dr Clarke at 5-00 PM and saw the Doctor at 7-00 PM O'clock as his surgery was swamped due to the creation of the Druids Heath Estate with no additional facilities being provided. Doctor Clarke would make his house visits (including post natal) at around 9-00 when the surgery patients were finished. 12 Months later Dr Clarke was dead.

Viva La Change
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Dr Clarke, Bernard, REALLY ? I can go waaay back with Dr Clarke ! (We are talking the Maypole, aren't we ?).
Suffice it to say, when I joined the army, in '57, I'd only ever seen two black men, Dr Bikitsha and Dr Clarke.
 
I too liked the old system of turn up and work your way down the queue, unfortunately its the government who decided that all GP's must have an appointments system. Its very frustrating someday to find all the appointments gone, yet over 20% of people then don't bother tuning up.
 
I am so proud and pleased to be a part of this group. Laurie Pike was my doctor from the age of thirteen and they kept us on even though we are miles out of their catchment area.
  1. [h=3]Laurie Pike Health Centre | Vitality[/h]
    www.[B]vitalitypartnership.nhs.uk/locations/laurie...[/B] CachedTo speak to a doctor or prescribing nurse Call 0121 250 0370 and select option 1. Read more about this service in Laurie Pike patients to see a doctor within an hour.
 
maypolebaz said:
Dr Clarke, Bernard, REALLY ? I can go waaay back with Dr Clarke ! (We are talking the Maypole, aren't we ?).
Suffice it to say, when I joined the army, in '57, I'd only ever seen two black men, Dr Bikitsha and Dr Clarke.
Click to expand...
Yes Baz the same - I lived in Stotfold when first married.
 
Still think ours is Frothy. That is why we have to go to Perry Barr and Hansdworth as the ones round here have awful reputations. Click on my link. You will be surprised at the services offered.
 
Our Doctors were based in Great Barr, Calderwood and Mconnel. We used to sit in the waiting room hoping that the patient before us would get Dr Calderwood which hopefully meant we would get Dr Mconnel. Dr Calderwood was known to be very strict as he was the Post Office Doctor and woe betide you if you tried to pull the wool over his eyes.
 
nickcc101 said:
Our Doctors were based in Great Barr, Calderwood and Mconnel.
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I remember Dr Calderwood, we moved to him from Dr Arnott who had a surgery in Beeches Road. I seem to remember it cost 2/6d to see Dr Arnott who treated me when I was very ill with Scarlet Fever at the age of seven and had to spend six weeks confined to my bedroom, because in those days before antibiotics it was a serious disease. During that time I was given some 'Just William' books to read which led to my life long love of reading.

Sent from my iPad
 
i had to reply to this post , many ,many years ago i was laid up in bed with what turned out to be pneumonia ,i had to have a home visit from my doctor , who happened to be doctor macgregor out of gooch street practice , he came in to my room smoking a cigarette, prescribed some kind of medicine , then told my mother to buy me a packet of players no 1 cigarettes , saying ," they will clear his lungs " and this is the truth, those were the days . rwm
 
One or two on here claim to have the best Doctors, can they beat this.
When we were living in Brum in 1968, our 18 month old son Darren was poorly. Doctor came, took one look at him, then immediately whipped Darrens nappy off and stuck his face almost into the contents and took a great big sniff.
He straight away phoned the Childrens Hospital to expect us, we rushed him there in our car, where Darren went straight into isolation.
Luckily Darren survived all this and grew in to a fine man.
Never known any other Doctor stick his nose into a freshly filled nappy.
Our Doctors name was Dr. Peters, surgery on Tyburn Road, he swore you could tell more doing what he did than any other way.
Great man, owe him a lot.
 
I belong and have done for many years, to a group practice which has two medical centres: one in my town and the other a couple of miles away which has good parking facilities.

Before the practice expansion there were just two or three doctors. When my second son was born, around 7pm. in 1968, our preferred doctor - with whom we used first names - came to my parents house, quite close to the local cottage hospital, to let me know I had another son. Not a common occurrence as far as I knew.
 
The good old days when you went to see your Doctor, look in your eyes and a look at your nails and your general appearance all helped with their diagnosis. Today unfortunately a lot of patients have to have telephone conversations. Sometimes you have to talk to the receptionist to discuss your problems before a decision can be made. After we left Hockley and Dr Target our next Drs were Ostrowski etc on Plough and Harrow Road and then Drs Phillips and Clarke on Weoley Castle Square. All of these were efficient if sometimes a little brusque but you had great faith in them. I am lucky as my Drs are now in Bewdley and I not yet failed to get an appointment on the same day even if it means waiting a little while in the surgery.
 
for the last 8months I have been treated by my doctor for various illness's, but only over the phone, if ill I phone the surgery, he phones within 30 mins, he issues prescriptions which are faxed through to my local chemists they deliver free within 24hrs, works very well, for me I go to the nurse for blood pressure checks and blood tests, really no problems as yet.Paul
 
Austin K2 what a great doctor to have done that. Glad everything turned out OK. Carolina our receptionists are not allowed to make decisions but just answer the phone and give out information. Paul our surgery is the same. You get to speak with a doctor the same day and they make an appointment to go down if necessary the day. I too have to follow up that conversation with blood tests at the surgery. This system has been in operation for about three years.
 
Glad to hear that Carolina. I was a medical secretary at Bewdley for many years before my retirement (almost 5 years ago now) and they were a brilliant team to work with.

Thanks for the memory.
 
I remember as a little girl going to a doctors in Ashted Row although we lived in Washwood Heath/Saltley. I was born in that area and many family members still lived there. The doctor that we saw in the "go and wait your turn" system,which worked, was Dr Hazel Topping and her dispenser that mixed "potions" was a woman called Ivy. I was fascinated by all the large coloured jars that she took measured liquid from to make up the appropriate medicine. Dr. Topping was my doctor for years but sadly I was told that she did commit suicide. What a great loss she was.
 
Those were the days when many doctors and pharmacies made their own medicinal products - not so much pre-packaged stuff then.
My last job, before moving to Devon in 1954, was with a large pharmaceutical company in Birmingham. I was 'learning the trade' so as to speak and was given some quite responsible tasks despite my age. I prepared and packaged items ordered by doctors and pharmacies. I found the work highly interesting and rewarding and was very sad to have to leave when we moved away. There were no similar opportunities in Devon so I had to seek work in other spheres. However those were the days of National Service so I opted for a short career with the RAF.
 
Dancing Queen, we had a Doctor Topping, but male in the 1950's his surgery was in Park Road Aston, he was near retirement then, unusual name, makes me suspect they where related. He lived in Wylde Green c/o Chester Rd/Birmingham Rd Eric
 
This thread opens up lots of possibilities. Our GP when I was young was Dr Ezzat. His practice was a fairly large but poorly adapted house on the corner of Court Oak Road and Tennal Lane. There were no appointments and you would simply take the next available chair and wait your turn. Good job we were trained to queue from birth! The waiting room must have once been a sitting room or perhaps dining room. The chairs were a random mix of wooden dining chairs, but none of them was particularly comfortable. As the buzzer went (I think it was a buzzer) for the next patient, we would all move along one chair. I can picture the room very clearly even now. There was nothing warm or inviting or interesting about it. When you were called through, you would walk along a short corridor and knock on the door of the consulting room, already slightly high on the whiff of antiseptic. Dr Ezzat was a large, fairly genial Egyptian who knew all of my family and was prone to give advice on a range of things, whether you wanted it or not. My clearest recollection of him is when he treated me for a severe gash to my knee caused by newly pruned and dagger-like privet hedge at my Grand-dads house. I still have the scar, but I did not develop an infection.
 
Yes, it was great not to have to make an appointment and possibly wait a week or more, just sit down and wait your turn, our Doctor (Freshwater and Morgan, forget who was first) had a large white Georgian house next door to Aston Church, king sized waiting room, comfy chairs and the usual magazines, sadly no longer there. This was in the 50's seemed much less pressure on the NHS in those days, probably because a smaller population. eric
 
Where we are now in North Devon we are very lucky with our choice of Doctor. However one post in this series brought back memories. Our doctor was Doctor Silk who had a sugery in his house on the corner of Chester Road and Antrobus Road. Once in his smoke filled consulting room it was Hello George to my father, Good Morning Mrs Davis, How are we all today? Then out came a packet of Senior Service, cigarette George? They lit up there were a few more pleasantries and then...who's got a problem today and diagnosis and cure, usually that horrible orange medicine and a bottle of the rose pink sweet tonic and come back in a week if it is not cured. Now it is via the receptionist and a nurse. Had my annual blood test and hypertension check yesterday. She called me perky and was surprised that I still worked and was heading to the gym afterwards. She was also surprised that I was using no aids or taking no pain killers for my leg broken last year, any problems she said. Yes I replied I was able to do a mile in fifteen minutes on the treadmill before the accident now the best I can manage is .62 in the same time. What can I do to speed it up? Just found out the guy who knocked me down and admitted liability...sorry mate I did not see you, let me help you up....was not insured, he thought his partner had dealt with the insurance.....tonight I did .83 in fifteen minutes if he asks for money for the fingerprints on his bonnet I might make a mile plus in 10 minutes

Bob
 
The horrible orange medicine was possibly Gees Linctus which was for coughs. The rose pin tonic again most likely Parishs Chemical Food. Both tasted awful but had to be taken - or else!
Some childhood things were great - Virol/Cod Liver Oil & Malt (which I still take), Scotts Emulsion (for eyes and brain). I was too old when the Ministry of Food concentrated orange juice was available, I believe it was for under fives.
 
Aston Hall Rd & Witton Lane.jpg Aston Hall Rd & Witton Lane (2).jpg hi eric is this your old doctors house..hard to believe that such a splendid building was demolished..
 
Hello Lyn, Yes that was my Doctors house of the 50's, lovely old Georgian building, why demolish such a picturesque building !!!. The 2nd pic shows the old Vicarage wall on the right another old building needlessly demolished, spent many happy visits there to various church and non-church functions. Happy days. downloaded pic 2, can see a painting there !! Eric
 
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