Stroke of Luck

[Peter Mallett]

Being of an age and also needing to return to an international licence this year I found myself looking for an ECG test along with the rest of my medical. As it happened I needed a full medical and the ECG for a job so I trotted off to Harley street yesterday hoping to obtain a copy of the print out and the stats for a fee.

I met the very pleasant doctor who showed me into the room where lo and behold I spotted a model of a Healey 3000, accompanied by photos of a red and Gold Mustang racer that appears with the 70's saloons and at Goodwood. Got talking and it turns out that this gentleman is a friend and indeed the doctor for said driver/owner.

FWIW I passed the medical and got my "free" copy of the test report.

That's one doctor who has an invite to as many races as I can do next year.

[Al Weyman]

He confirmed you were still alive then Pete:-)

[R59]

That's a bit like my doc. Has direct involvement with the VSCC, owns a pre-war Lagonda, goes to Le Mans every year, etc....

When the NHS rules for "driver's medicals" pushed the rate up to over £100, he always gave me a 50% discount as he considered the racing medical only half as much work as the HGV medical.

I'll find out how much he'll charge for the ECG in a few weeks.......

Rob.

[zefarelly]

good to here you passed your MOT Pete. are you insureable though ?

[COLIN STUBBS]

reminds me of the early days of the classis saloon car club agms when they used to get a few student doctors in and all you needed to take was a bottle of something called gordons!!

[dtype38]

I married one of them .... medical anyone?

[R59]

Originally Posted by dtype38

I married one of them .... medical anyone?

Ken,

Does that mean you get to play Doctors & Nurses regularly then?

And...

I'm still waiting on a reply from "the man that can". I'll send him another massage and hope that he can remember how to use such technological equipment to reply.

Rob.

[dtype38]

The white coat got put away after med school, but I do still get regular check ups

Sadly these days she's also inclined to give my team mate a regular check up as well. Could be cos he buys her flowers and I don't.... but maybe we shouldn't get into that.

If that man that can, can't then I'll try not to take it personally

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by dtype38

Sadly these days she's also inclined to give my team mate a regular check up as well. Could be cos he buys her flowers and I don't.... but maybe we shouldn't get into that.

That reminds me, it's time for a visit to the florist.

[JohnD]

Dammit, I AM a doctor. But I still have to get an appointment at my GPs for the medical. My old GP wasn't a racer, he was a pot holer, a different sort of maniac, and he would always waive his fee, "Do the same for me some time, old boy." He's retired now, and I see some young whippersnapper, who looks younger than his stethoscope and he wants his fee, dammit.
AND, the receptionist won't even offer me an appointment! "The computer doesn't accept them for the New Year yet! Call nearer Christmas! Byeee!" My dentist's receptionist, who uses a good old ledger, has made me an appointment for next April! Grrrrrrrrrrr.

JOhn

[dtype38]

John, as a doctor, why don't you just put some ads in "GP", "Pulse" and "Doctor" for anyone interested in motorsport in the North West to get in touch with a view to coming to watch you race sometime. There's bound to be a GP in the area who would be happy to do your medical for a couple of complimentaries to one of your meetings. Oh and don't take any of that hoohaa about charging for "private" ads. Just invite the mags to do an article about you under "doctors' outside interests" and call it quid-pro-quo.

[JohnD]

Funny you suggest that, dtype. I have colleagues with Porches, Subaru Impreza Evo whatevers, Merc SLKs, even Caterhams. I have proposed track days to these posers and not a nibble. Damned if I'm going to invite them to watch me racing and get the cold finger (anyone who's had a REAL medical knows what I mean!).
I'm trying to get doctors involved as rally medics and it's an uphill struggle - the average age of rally docs is nearly as old as me! Doctors aren't that interested in motorsport, except a few GPs and some A&E guys. Even in Critical Care, where I work.
John
(Grumpy old Dr.)

[dtype38]

Oh. I guess I can see that with the Doctor/Racers. The ones I know tend to live busy hectic lives full of race meetings with friends in their Ferraris, ski holidays, picking the kids up from their flash private school half way across the country! No possibility at all of getting more than two in one place at a time.

Maybe you need to find a keen GP registrar, I've had a few come to watch me race... but then they might be a bit intimidated doing a medical on a more senior doctor.

Are you a sufficiently "grumpy" old doctor not to have any friends in the profession

[johnw]

Just had to pay my GP, whom I see annually, £120 for ten mins work
ECG last year was £130 to the cardiologist and £170 to the local NHS trust hospital.

It's getting silly.

[dtype38]

Originally Posted by johnw

Just had to pay my GP, whom I see annually, £120 for ten mins work
ECG last year was £130 to the cardiologist and £170 to the local NHS trust hospital.

It's getting silly.

Indeed. What's happening is that the Gov are progressively introducing targets and budget restraints on doctors so that they have to be productive with every minute to maintain their earnings. All in the name of efficiency you understand. I'm sure that you wouldn't argue with that, but it does mean that "non-essential" work, ie time spent not treating illness, is at a premium and if you want some of it you've gotta pay through the nose. Can't really complain any more than you can at what JP is gonna be charging to use his race tracks this year

[johnw]

No problem with the docs treating ilness, but their skills are hardly required fior the MSA medical - my mechanic could do it.
My complaint is with the differentiation of charges for the various medicals and the need to book 30 mins with the doc (taking him away from sick folks) when probably the surgery nurse or indeed the St John's ambulance could do it in five minutes.

Been wondering about getting a treadmill, cardiologist and private nurse (always seem to need one) to do a group rate. Just means that a bunch of us would have to turn up to a pub on the same night. Come to think of it, we could organise it in the scrute bay at the fiirst meeting of the season. Cars on the right, drivers on the left

I don't think that you should be knocking JP. Other buyers would have turned the MSV circuits into supermarkets and housing estates by now.
If we fielded full grids for each race at each meeting, the entry fees could be £100.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by JohnD

AND, the receptionist won't even offer me an appointment! "The computer doesn't accept them for the New Year yet! Call nearer Christmas! Byeee!" My dentist's receptionist, who uses a good old ledger, has made me an appointment for next April! Grrrrrrrrrrr.

JOhn

My doctor's receptionist won't give me an appointment at all, no matter what time of year it is. Every year I phone for an appointment and just get a blank look or a 'we'll ring you back', they never do.

[dtype38]

johnw... the issue of needing a your race licence medical with a "doctor" rather than a practice nurse, or even a medic at a race track, needs to be taken up with the MSA. I think you have a valid point, but unfortunately I think it has a lot more to do with insurance than health

As for the differentiation of charges. Essentially GP's are free to charge what they like for "private" medicals. In general this is done on a "reimbursment" scale. Some insurance companies ask for a 20 page document to be filled in, some only want two pages. The doctor will normally charge based on the paperwork involved rather than the importance to your health or activity. Then again, a hard pressed single handed doctor will simply charge the most you are will pay. That said, a private consultant will always charge you the most you are willing to pay

Oh, btw, I'm not knocking JP.... well, not any more than you are knocking your doctor... after all, business is business

[flagwaver]

I'm afraid ladies & gentleman a lot of it comes down to insurance. The MSA wouldn't be able to get insurance if they could not prove that all you guys were fit. The only people allowed (in law) to give a medical opinion are doctors. Hence the need for a medical. Several reasons for not being allowed to do the medical at an event, not least of those being if a doctor is doing your medical he is not immediately available for any incidents.
There may be an arguement that goes if it is known that you can not do your job or hobby without a medical then the sky's the limit. In this day & age of practice managers etc. it may not be the doctor who sets the pace.

[R59]

Originally Posted by JohnD

Dammit, I AM a doctor. But I still have to get an appointment at my GPs for the medical. My old GP wasn't a racer, he was a pot holer, a different sort of maniac, and he would always waive his fee, "Do the same for me some time, old boy." He's retired now, and I see some young whippersnapper, who looks younger than his stethoscope and he wants his fee, dammit.
AND, the receptionist won't even offer me an appointment! "The computer doesn't accept them for the New Year yet! Call nearer Christmas! Byeee!" My dentist's receptionist, who uses a good old ledger, has made me an appointment for next April! Grrrrrrrrrrr.

JOhn

Shouldn't you have started this one with "Dammit Jim, I AM a doctor, not a librarian" and then gone on to slate Vulcan's and their green blood, etc...

Ahh the wonders of computerisation in the NHS. Sorry, you can't be see the doctor now, he has no free appointments, you'll have to put off being ill until next month. Oh, it's an emergency? Next Friday OK?

I suppose I'd better book myself in. Silly really, I could plug into the kit in the vehicle I'm currently working on, and do a 12-lead while I'm fitting out the comms equipment!! If I had a rummage I'm sure I could do the wee test, blood pressure (nice automagic unit), clip on a pulse oxymeter too....

Wouldn't cost me a bean! I could charge them for my time!! And it'd be stress related too. Damn wires - too short, etc.... more duff kit, never works first time....

What do you mean? You want it finished by lunchtime? Grump... damned NHS!

Who do you think you are, an ambulance service? Oh, you are... sorry!

Receptionists are now all called Mrs Raven, and have demon triplets. Didn't you know that? (see "My Hero" - BBC Sitcom ).

Rob.

[R59]

Originally Posted by johnw

.
If we fielded full grids for each race at each meeting, the entry fees could be £100.

Or less (probably much less!) if the grandstands were full.

Get the crowd outnumbering the competitors by 20:1 and we could be on a winner. Currently, it's the other way around at most meetings.

I reckon you need 10000 people at a meeting to make a winner, each paying two pounds a time to come in, a further two pounds for the grandstand. And then there's the revenue from the catering, etc... Increase it to 20000 for a big meeting, and a nice purse could appear....

But that's another subject.

Perhaps Dr.JP could do the medicals for us? He is qualified, after all!

Rob.

[Al Weyman]

Tell me something, I had a medical 6 months ago so when I apply in january for my 06 licence it will still be only 7 months since the medical, can I get a new licence basedon the still well under one year old medical?

[johnw]

Reads as though it runs annually Al. So guess you need another with the application.

[MGDavid]

IIRC the MSA will accept a medical as valid up to 6 months old - so Al, apply for your new licence NOW and you should be OK.!

[johnw]

That's interesting David. Does the same hold true for ECG's then?