This is the time of year when I usually join all the other old gits in the district at the local health centre for my annual ‘free’ NHS flu shot.
This means I make an appointment for a convenient time and turn up a few minutes early only to find the car park is full and the place crowded with elderly people in various states of decrepitude, about twenty or so of whom having been given the same appointment time as me.
Of course, appointment times are always “running late” which confuses many of the old farts, especially those who are a bit ‘Mutt and Jeff’ and fail to hear when their time is called, which makes you wonder what will happen when they reach the ‘Pearly Gates’. Well, let’s face it, the place does rather resemble ‘God’s waiting room’.
Eventually my group of pensionistas is shepherded, moaning and muttering, down a crowded corridor, being careful not to trip over all the walking frames and sticks along the way, and, after waiting some time for our turn, each of us is ushered into an office where we are questioned about health issues etc. by nurse ‘bossy-boots’ before being jabbed in the arm. Why the questions ? .. I have no idea. The answers must already be in our medical records. Perhaps that very expensive NHS computer system was on ‘the blink’ yet again.
Now, the ‘jab’ doesn’t hurt, but the whole ‘conveyer belt’ procedure is somewhat of a ‘pain in the arse’, so I was pleased to find that this year my community pharmacy was advertising that people who qualified for a ‘free’ NHS flu vaccination could have it done there. So, as I live just down the road, I ‘signed up’, and was given an individual appointment time, which meant that when I attended I received a friendly greeting, was seen immediately, signed a consent form, had the ‘jab’ and was off the premises in …
… about five minutes !
bigjohn 
