NHS Bashing again...

[Rooter]

Was being discussed with a knee injury post this week, but I have to start a thread in its own right..

So my GP referred me to the hospital for some tests, after waiting 4 weeks for an appointment, i now find out this appointment is to sit and have a chat with a consultant, then I will have to wait for an appointment for the actual tests. What a joke, my GP is no idiot, and its pretty obvious what is wrong and what needs to be tested, so why the need for the middle appointment prolonging my wait unnecessarily?

No wonder they are losing money left right and centre wasting everyone time, mine, the consultants etc etc etc.. Just want my diagnosis confirmed so i can start any treatment required, because to be honest i am getting {insert any word here} off with the whole thing.

Rant over. still in a mood about it, but hey ho. In fairness its management process, not the nurses and doctors etc, they do a fantastic job and i do respect them for that, just the hoops they have to jump through!!! aggghhh!!!

 

[cookelad]

I'll join you for a rant!

My old man found a lump on one of his giggleberries went straight away to the quacks who referred him to the hospital, on returning home he and me ma decided it was probably best to raid the savings and go private which he did, straight in tested and it was a lost ball within a couple of weeks, sorted! A month or so later letter from the hospital can you come in for the initial test next week!

What chance have you got, one minute it's advertised on telly to check yourself for testicular lumps bumps and abnormalities, the next it takes over 6 weeks to get a consultation after you've reported it!

 

[Ethan]

The GP has no choice but to refer you as he did. Hospital Trusts work the referrals to maximise income and compliance with targets, so if there is a t not crossed or an i not dotted, they will reject the referral and that buys them time. They also gate keep expensive tests. The consultant would probably prefer to do the tests sooner but isn't allowed to.

On the second post, if anyone is suspected of having a cancer there is a fast track referral path, known informally as a 2 week wait, and Trusts will work hard to meet that target. Presumably the lump in question was considered to be unlikely to be a nasty.

There is a suspicion among many GPs that the Govt, aided and abetted by The Daily Wail and other media sources, is pressing GP services and causing and exposing problems in order to soften up the public for major structural change, most likely involving wholesale sell offs to private healthcare companies.

 

[woody69]

Was being discussed with a knee injury post this week, but I have to start a thread in its own right..

So my GP referred me to the hospital for some tests, after waiting 4 weeks for an appointment, i now find out this appointment is to sit and have a chat with a consultant, then I will have to wait for an appointment for the actual tests. What a joke, my GP is no idiot, and its pretty obvious what is wrong and what needs to be tested, so why the need for the middle appointment prolonging my wait unnecessarily?

No wonder they are losing money left right and centre wasting everyone time, mine, the consultants etc etc etc.. Just want my diagnosis confirmed so i can start any treatment required, because to be honest i am getting {insert any word here} off with the whole thing.

Rant over. still in a mood about it, but hey ho. In fairness its management process, not the nurses and doctors etc, they do a fantastic job and i do respect them for that, just the hoops they have to jump through!!! aggghhh!!!

You want a quicker, better service. Pay for the privilege and go private. Otherwise sit back, be patient and bask in the glory of free healthcare

 

[Odvan]

I'll join you for a rant!

My old man found a lump on one of his giggleberries went straight away to the quacks who referred him to the hospital, on returning home he and me ma decided it was probably best to raid the savings and go private which he did, straight in tested and it was a lost ball within a couple of weeks, sorted! A month or so later letter from the hospital can you come in for the initial test next week!

What chance have you got, one minute it's advertised on telly to check yourself for testicular lumps bumps and abnormalities, the next it takes over 6 weeks to get a consultation after you've reported it!

On the second post, if anyone is suspected of having a cancer there is a fast track referral path, known informally as a 2 week wait, and Trusts will work hard to meet that target. Presumably the lump in question was considered to be unlikely to be a nasty

Ethan is right - as it happens I found out one of my best mates has testicular cancer (36yo) last week. Whilst his bloods were clear the consultant has said its 99.9% a tumor based on experience (feel). My mate, when he found it, walked straight into his GP, asked for an emergency appointment, got one and was sent straight to hospital - he has his bollock lobbed off next Thursday and the whole process will have taken two weeks approx.

A complain to the right place (I forget the departments name) would have seen him whisked up the waiting list.

 

[Jack_bfc]

When I found a lump like that I was in the same afternoon for a scan.

Thankfully it was nothing serious, but really glad they were so efficient in getting me sorted.

 

[Rooter]

You want a quicker, better service. Pay for the privilege and go private. Otherwise sit back, be patient and bask in the glory of free healthcare

Its not free though is it?! where do my salary contributions go? I really miss BUPA that i had for years in my last job, its too late now to join bupa for this as now its a pre-existing condition which they will not cover.

Just got back from a private hosp as we took our smallest there today, £180 for a 15 minute consultation with an ENT specialist! I cant afford what i need, so will sit here and moan about it.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Had an appointment the very next day when I found a lump - it was all done very quickly

 

[woody69]

Its not free though is it?! where do my salary contributions go? I really miss BUPA that i had for years in my last job, its too late now to join bupa for this as now its a pre-existing condition which they will not cover.

Just got back from a private hosp as we took our smallest there today, £180 for a 15 minute consultation with an ENT specialist! I cant afford what i need, so will sit here and moan about it.

Fine, "free at the point of use". But my point still stands, a quicker service is available at a cost.

The NHS may not be perfect, but I really can't empathise with anyone who feels the need to complain about the fact they are effectively getting a free service. Say your knee injury eventually requires surgery, a stay in hospital, physiotherapy and pain meds etc costing 100,000s pound. The measly amount in contributions you have made will be a drop in the ocean.

I understand it is frustrating to have to wait and efficiencies could certainly be improved to help with patient care/experiences, but I'd still take the NHS over most healthcare systems in the world

 

[Rooter]

i do see your point woody and i do understand and appreciate what service we get in the UK. Just frustrating hence the need for a rant post.

Anyway, its hardly a measly contribution, according to an article i read on BBC today, the amount of your wages that go directly to the NHS budget is 4.29% or 18.3% of your tax contribution. (based on a salary of £25.5k per year) So the article says a person on that wage pays £1094 a year toward the NHS, works for 45 years etc etc... so its not quite peanuts!

 

[woody69]

i do see your point woody and i do understand and appreciate what service we get in the UK. Just frustrating hence the need for a rant post.

Anyway, its hardly a measly contribution, according to an article i read on BBC today, the amount of your wages that go directly to the NHS budget is 4.29% or 18.3% of your tax contribution. (based on a salary of £25.5k per year) So the article says a person on that wage pays £1094 a year toward the NHS, works for 45 years etc etc... so its not quite peanuts!

It is in the grand scheme of things versus the cost. Even if it was £2k a year, over 45 years that is still only £90k. I bet you a single knee operation with all the people involved just the cost alone would exceed that.

 

[Rooter]

It is in the grand scheme of things versus the cost. Even if it was £2k a year, over 45 years that is still only £90k. I bet you a single knee operation with all the people involved just the cost alone would exceed that.

Yes true, but then what about all the people that are lucky enough never to get ill etc? It's swings and roundabouts... Anyway, still annoyed with the process and the red tape....

 

[chrisd]

You want a quicker, better service. Pay for the privilege and go private. Otherwise sit back, be patient and bask in the glory of free healthcare

We do pay for the "privilege"it comes out of our taxes!

 

[chrisd]

It is in the grand scheme of things versus the cost. Even if it was £2k a year, over 45 years that is still only £90k. I bet you a single knee operation with all the people involved just the cost alone would exceed that.

What a load of cobblers!

I've had 2 hips replaced privately in the last 4 years and the cost was absolutely nowhere near £90k and I've paid into the NHS for 46 years and had to pay privately to get the hips done promptly

 

[woody69]

What a load of cobblers!

I've had 2 hips replaced privately in the last 4 years and the cost was absolutely nowhere near £90k and I've paid into the NHS for 46 years and had to pay privately to get the hips done promptly

The "cost" isn't what is charged to you. That isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the cost of the surgeons and doctors, anaesthetist etc, the drugs perscribed, the use of the theatre, the after care etc. I can assure you healthcare is an expensive business and whatever we individually pay through our taxes isn't even close to covering it. So "cobblers" it isn't.

 

[chrisd]

The "cost" isn't what is charged to you. That isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the cost of the surgeons and doctors, anaesthetist etc, the drugs perscribed, the use of the theatre, the after care etc. I can assure you healthcare is an expensive business and whatever we individually pay through our taxes isn't even close to covering it. So "cobblers" it isn't.

It's is cobblers

If I have a private operation, and pay for it, the hospital charge what it costs plus a profit mark up and I've never paid £90k for all the private operations I've had added together, let alone just a new knee!

 

[SocketRocket]

Too many people using the service. If our Liberal elite decide we need to increase our population by many millions then they should have the gumption to work out how we will be able to provide the support services for them.

 

[Blue in Munich]

You want a quicker, better service. Pay for the privilege and go private. Otherwise sit back, be patient and bask in the glory of free healthcare

The "cost" isn't what is charged to you. That isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the cost of the surgeons and doctors, anaesthetist etc, the drugs perscribed, the use of the theatre, the after care etc. I can assure you healthcare is an expensive business and whatever we individually pay through our taxes isn't even close to covering it. So "cobblers" it isn't.

It isn't free, we pay for it through tax and National Insurance and prescription charges. And like any insurance policy, some people will pay in and never claim or make minimal claims, and others will have more than their money's worth out of it like my late father-in-law, God bless him, and overall the books balance. The cost isn't charged to anybody individually. So it is pretty much cobblers on both fronts.

 

[MadAdey]

What I would say is move to a country that does not have an NHS type of service. With having a Fiancee in the US I see what life is like without an NHS system. Her GP has advised her she needs 80mg a day of a medication, her insurance company argues it and says she only needs 40mg so that is all she gets.

I have looked at insurance and if I needed to get it to cover myself, her and her 3 kids then I would be looking at around $600 a month (about £400). that would get me 90% coverage with a $1000 dollar deductible. So basically if I needed $11000 of treatment I would be responsible for $2000 of it. If you go into an Emergency Room, they will do the minimum needed to make you comfortable, but they will do nothing else until they have authorisation from your insurance company, or you give over a credit card to pay for further treatment. If you can't do either they will patch you up and kick you out of the door.

 

[Foxholer]

The "cost" isn't what is charged to you. That isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the cost of the surgeons and doctors, anaesthetist etc, the drugs perscribed, the use of the theatre, the after care etc. I can assure you healthcare is an expensive business and whatever we individually pay through our taxes isn't even close to covering it. So "cobblers" it isn't.

'Standard' Hip replacement - including Hospital costs, is just over £11K

How's the shoe repair business?