General Chat

evening darling I agree with Rambling Roses first post :-D

Dear All

Hello

Hope you are okay.

I don't like filling in forms.

At a hospital appointment about 3 years ago, I was asked
"Whats your religion?".

My reply was "I don't object to a blood transfusion".

The next part: "Do you practice your religion?"

Me: "NO COMMENT.

The gathering of information by public departments seem to be getting more sinister for my liking.

A bit like the Big Brother state as described by George Orwell in his book
"1984".

Take gentle care
Very best wishes
EOS
xx

I think just asking what ethnic group a person is from can be a problem sometimes, take the recent case of those poor children who were groomed for sex, it stated in the press they were Asian which covers a wide group.
It should have said they were pakistanis and Afghans and not just Asian, how do you think Indians or Turks or Syrians feel being lumped together as ethnic Asians.

George

I always state mine on hospital forms too, but am becoming less happy about information on these forms. They're only useful if kept properly.
Several people I know have had their information mixed with someone else.
Staff almost insisted that mother-in-law didn't know what she was talking about when she said she wasn't taking a particularly medication. -They were looking at another person's notes.
Not as bad as the time they phoned her at home to tell her that her husband was dead. Good job he was sitting at his computer upstairs or she really would have worried.

Gwyn

I always state mine on hospital forms, after all they don't send me to the path lab along with my specimen :-D

On general forms or damn surveys I leave it blank. That's sort of pay back for all the wotsits who left blank answers on the 1981 census that I processed!

Sue x

iv never really thought about it, and always just tick the right box, lol

but as you say BC you shold have a right to refuse to answer

No Gwyn, but it might have an effect on what areas of further training might be thought appropriate at that hospital?

And really a tick on an ethnicity form is a much better way of defining whether someone might have a condition like sickle cell than medical staff judging by colour...supposing the child was pale skinned and was only seen with the mother?

Re. sickle cell anaemia
I know someone of mixed race who had several medical procedures before someone thought to test for that.
Fortunately everything was OK, but the very sight of the child ( black father, white mother) ought to have alerted staff, not some filed-away form.

Would a tick in an ethnicity box have saved the situation.?

Gwyn

I don't have any specific objection when our surgery sends the form to both of us when our annual MOT is due. What I do find irritating is that every time we fill in the form but it doesn't seem to get recorded. Our origins arent going to alter from year to year!!. They say its government guidelines to ask .OK but don't keep asking cos I am getting irrated!!
We are who we are so are our ancestors!! :-|

Re BC's question, It doesn't bother me, as an ex civil servant we were asked the ethnic question many times way before it became common on forms. And I was going to say what Rose and PP said.
However I think it should be voluntary without comment if you refuse.

Re mobile phones Mau, great to know he was caught.

Re cigarette ends and chewing gum, you can get fined for dropping both in Gloucester. And one of my bug bears is throwing cigarette ends out of cars. say it isn't out properly, say it lands in a baby's pram or a cyclists eye?

I think people often/ sometimes get confused between Nationality and Ethnicity.... it doesn't actually matter what Nationality you are, your medical treatment, as your social treatment, should be the same if you qualify to be in this country, through birth or immigration etc IE Equal.

What might be important is to know your ethnicity, for the reasons Teresa has put.

My nationality is British...because I was born here ( under that I could have African/Caucasian/ Asian etc ethnicity so I think it's important to put that I am 'white caucasian'...I don't see that as in any way discriminatory...it is a statement of fact in my case).

edit to add that the definition of 'ethnicity' has altered over the years...so it is no wonder it is confusing .

Actually Gwyn, race does matter when it comes to health. As someone said earlier, things like sickle cell anaemia is pretty much unique to those of African origin, and if the presence of sickle cell is found, this could affect the treatment of other things because of medical interaction with not only any meds being used currently, but in any future medication, so it is important in that light. It is the same reason as when they ask you what meds you are currently on, or have you any other illnesses or conditions which may affect your treatment.

It's not one size fits all, life would be so easy if it were.

Rita, it's nothing to do with shame, and I can vouch for BC's pride in her Irishness, she shouts it from the rooftops at every occasion (or to security in Harrods anyway :D. But the right to not say on forms is hers, and mine, although I do say without a second thought, and that is the point she is making.

On the contrary, Rita, I am absolutely proud to be Irish through and through. What I am talking about is my right to refuse.

Thanks everyone for your input :-)

Ethnic origins shouldn't determine treatment, so I can't see that it is needed on a form.
Schools collect that information too.
Race doesn't determine a person's health needs, or whether or not they speak English and so might need help in lessons, so why do 'they' need to know.

Gwyn

nice one Merlin

I always say British having done my tree - Scottish and Irish and goodness knows what else Its for the stats and I love stats. Fascinating :-( and hopefully useful.

Not averse to questioning my treatment and care though.

Vera

I just write Welsh in Ann, the tricky part is when answering the question marked (Sex) I usually put" Often as possible",would love to see the face of the person who reads it. :-D :-D :-D

I've never given it a second thought to be honest, mostly because I think my own ethnicity is not important but someone else's may be. Mostly it is not relevant, but sometimes it is, so I just tick the relevant box.

nor Welsh

I,ve noticed on a lot of forms wanting Ethnicity,that there is no tick box for English, :-S