AJM

Studies of populations within the EU have shown that most people would welcome telephone diagnosis. Certainly for working people it means you don't need to take time off work to go to an appointment at an inconvenient time. I guess it depends on the nature of your medical complaint. From personal experience, when I go and see my GP I am rarely physically examined. It's all discourse and discussion based. Of course, if you are presenting because you're worried about a lump, then the nature of the complaint makes a face-to-face appointment a prerequisite! Controversially perhaps, cost-cutting in the NHS is not always a bad thing. It drives efficiency by freeing up more revenue to invest into more services for patients.

susyp Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > how funny i was just looking around on the > internet for answers to similar cat hell problems. > I've just moved my cat into my hubby's flat ( > we'd kept her at my flat for as long as poss as > his is upstairs, and recently decorated so looks > like a show home!). She's been here 2 days and > although she hasn;t pooed or weed (i am paranoid > about this on his lovely floors) she has now > scratched a very expensive bit of furniture and he > has stormed off to work. He also thinks it will > be a nightmare with a baby arriving in a month - > cat hair causing baby allergies and general > overcrowding. I may have to re home her if I am > not to destroy my marriage but its a very > upsetting idea. How have people found having > cats and babies together - is the cat hair a > problem? Babies aren't necessarily allergic to cats! In fact - early exposure to animals, like with germs, builds resistance. As a cat-owner/lover I'd certainly not consider re-homing unless the baby showed complete intolerance of the cat. Cats Protection and the like receive so many cats just because the owner has had a baby - but for no decent reason e.g. proven allergy. It's sad as when we adopt a cat, it should be for life. Hope you manage to work out the overcrowding though! :)