Reduce bureaucracy

Having just had a free hearing test at a commercial business who have to use state qualified accousticians, the National health service requires one to get an ENT doctor to repeat the test and give a prescription, thus blocking up specialist doctors waiting rooms for no added value. And try getting an appointment with an ENT specialist! Takes months for anything not acute.

And so it was today. Luckily the hearing aid business who did the test a few days ago, knew of an ENT doctor who had recently set up his practice and was accepting new patients.  I got an appointment straight away.

And as expected, the doctor didn't do the test but an assistant, no doubt with exactly the same qualifications as the person in the shop, using more or less identical equipment and producing the identical charts, did the test. Then 15 minute wait for doctor to tell me exactly the same as the shop had as to which noise ranges I had a deficit. He gave me the prescription which I now need to give to the shop. Very nice doctor & now that I'm on his records, perhaps I'll more easily get an appointment should I have an acute problem, even if 35km away.

Waste of time for me, great waste of time for the doctor, and waste of money for our cash-strapped health service.