NHS is great

So I was sick all last week, and lost my voice on Thursday, so went to the walk in clinic on Friday night, and got antiobiotics for Laryngitis, and Bronchitis.  Thought that was great, that I went in only waited 5 minutes then was seen.

So Saturday morning I left my house to ride my Vespa to the store, I got about 10 seconds down the road, and was going thru a few parked cars, and a taxi just pulled out, so I squeezed the brakes which threw me down to the ground, and my scooter went spinning off down the road, and when I fell off, I landed on my back and slid about 3 car lengths and bounced my head off the kerb then slammed my back and left shoulder into the kerb, and finally stopped.

The taxi driver came up to me and just yelled at me that it was my fault not his, and blah blah.

So my wife took me to the walk in clinic again, and I didn't wait at all.. my left arm was bandaged from the elbow to my wrist, and had it cleaned, as well as all my knuckles on my left hand, then got referred to the A & E.  Went there waited only 5 minutes, and had my back checked out, my wounds rebandaged, and burn pads put down my left arm.

I couldn't beleive how efficient they were compared to my experiences in Washington and California..

So now I lay in the recliner with a lost voice, mankey arm and hand, and tons of back pain with really nice pain killers, now dreaming of getting a new Vespa now that mine is totalled.  Time to start saving.

Ouch!!!!!! Sorry about your vespa - but I'm glad you're OK!

I hope you got the taxi dude's insurance information (or however it's handled there!) Glad you're ok. Maybe you should stay inside for a little while.

Awwww, man! Sorry about your Vespa and you just passed your driving test, too, man. That sucks. Are you sure it was your fault and not the taxi drivers? He should have looked for cycles before pulling out.  At any rate, I'm glad you are okay and hope you feel better soon!

And I agree, I've had a really good experience with the NHS so far, too. 

thanks everyone, too be honest I think it was his fault, but really both of us could of done more to avoid, but I can what if it all day, no point, I'm not dead, I was wearing a helmet, he didn't acutally hit me, so I cant do anything about it.  So yeah, shitty day, also the cat I had in America died yesterday, I was planning on bringing him to England in November, he had diabetes... So Bronchitis, Laryngitis, Dead cat, Lost my transportation, and I'm mangled haha great weekend...

I know! Isn't the NHS great? I know when I went in to get my thyroid checked out, I was expecting one or two blood tests. Once they heard about my family history, they gave me close and attentive care. My doctor wasn't missing a thing! He checked my blood cell count, liver function, and did a full round of blood tests, and mostly as precautions.

I don't know if my care would be the same if I didn't have such a family history. I know the first person who took the first blood sample seemed perplexed as to why I would want a blood test when I wasn't showing any symptoms. She took the test for me though, and that's all the matters.

I find that the NHS is great when it comes to treating things that they already know how to fix

get an infection - prescribe antibiotics
injure yourself - bandage you up

Not so good when it comes to diagnosing symptoms when it isn't immediately obvious what's wrong with you.

Just my personal experience.

I find that the NHS is great when it comes to treating things that they already know how to fix

get an infection - prescribe antibiotics
injure yourself - bandage you up

Not so good when it comes to diagnosing symptoms when it isn't immediately obvious what's wrong with you.

Just my personal experience.

Me too.  I keep "almost" passing out when exercising.  That apparently doesn't count, so they did an resting EKG and that was fine so that was the end of it.  I guess it can wait until I actually pass out and break my head open. 

I've had excellent care from my GP (now that I've found one I like) and 2 out of 3 times in A&E has been good and 5 out of 5 times, NHS 24 (NHS direct in England) has been absolutley fantastic.  A week in hospital and the 90% of the nurses were lovely and the care top notch there.
 

I find that the NHS is great when it comes to treating things that they already know how to fix

get an infection - prescribe antibiotics
injure yourself - bandage you up

Not so good when it comes to diagnosing symptoms when it isn't immediately obvious what's wrong with you.

Just my personal experience.

Agree.
The surgical consultant whilst in hospital on the other hand and another consultant I have seen since then have a lot to be desired, mostly because I'm an enigma and they scratch their heads at what's wrong- so they just tell me its because I'm fat and I'm crazy.     Maybe I am.   

I'm currently on week 13 (I guess when you're in pain for 2 years you're not considered urgent, I expect another couple months to go  ) waiting for another consultant appointment- which they've finally listened to me about family history of things, etc, however, I'm not expecting much there either.   
 

I'm glad you had a good experience, Dahmer.

Not so good when it comes to diagnosing symptoms when it isn't immediately obvious what's wrong with you.

I think that doctors and such can't and don't know everything, IME, and the more important thing is to find a GP with whom you have a good relationship, and who listens to you and respects your experience and knowledge of your body and health. And this is experiencing the NHS, universal health care (Canada) and the Dutch health care system. All have had their strengths and foibles, but finding a good GP has always remained the constant to good care IME.

I'm glad you had a good experience, Dahmer.

I think that doctors and such can't and don't know everything, IME, and the more important thing is to find a GP with whom you have a good relationship, and who listens to you and respects your experience and knowledge of your body and health.

I agree. But it's just been my general experience that American doctors are much better at figuring out what is wrong with you, often based on their own experience with other patients.

UK doctors look up your symptoms on a computer or in a book.

DH has had a condition since he was 19 which doctors told him didn't exist. (He's 40 now.) I did some research on the internet, found whole forums of people with the same condition.  It wasn't till he printed out something from the computer and  handed it to a GP that they reluctantly allowed him have to have a scan - and the scan didn't show anything because it's probably a problem with brain chemistry that wouldn't show up from a scan - but they won't refer him for any treatment because the scan says there's nothing wrong with him so that's the end of that.

I became ill a couple of years after moving to the UK - so ill that I ended up having to quit my job. After years of complaints, doctors never figured out what was wrong with me.  Eventually, I guessed that I have a Vitamin D deficiency (partially based on things I read on UKY), changed my diet to add more Vitamin D, and I feel all better.

Then there was the time I had an almost unbearable rash and went through one course of anti-fungal medication and three courses of antibiotics before it healed because the doctor couldn't be bothered to take a culture to find out what kind of rash it was.

As a counter example - once I was at my American GP and I happened to be wearing shorts. The doctor  noticed a rash on my knees. (I had come in for something totally unrelated.) The doctor pointed out the rash, and I said "Oh, it's just a rash I get sometimes. It's not important."

The doctor said "That's psoriasis. You have to treat it!" and he gave me a prescription for a steroid cream when I hadn't even come in to ask about the rash in the first place.

Bad news about the vespa, but glad you had a good experience with the NHS.  
I have found that if you already have a confirmed condition then the NHS works well.  Our 9 year old has a rare syndrome.   She had been given the diagnosis in the States, along with assorted tests.  When we moved over the transition of her care went alright.  I still have battles, but I did in the States as well when it comes to her care.
However, I have had some issues over the past two years or so.  I was very lucky in that MrRed5's private coverage through his employer did not have pre-existing.  As a result I was able to go private, and obtain a diagnosis.  Since there is a £££ cap on the private plan I'm back to the NHS trying to obtain medication that will help.  

Not so good when it comes to diagnosing symptoms when it isn't immediately obvious what's wrong with you.

Just my personal experience.

My personal experience is the complete opposite. I went from being RIDICULOUSLY healthy to suddenly having some burst blood vessels in my eyes (which isn't even a documented early sign of the blood disorder I had!), and within five weeks I was being seen by the world's leading specialist and researcher in that condition. At every stage of the game, when I needed to be escalated, I was. And fast.

I HEART HEART HEART the NHS.

I've had nothing but good experiences with NHS doctors and care here.   

Now as for their receptionists...not so good.

I have had excellent experiences here too, and from what I can tell from friends, if it is something that is urgent, it gets treated asap, if it's something that is not, it can wait. 

The one thing I have noticed is that treatment really depends on where you are - my last doctor could get me in no sooner than a week and my current one gets me in same day in most cases.  One doctor in my old practice told me that my back pain was because I was overweight and to lose weight and wouldn't do anything for me (i brought it on myself), the next doctor I saw recognised that yes, losing weight would help, but when I'm in so much pain I can't walk isn't the time to lecture me on how i need to lose weight and actually treated me.

We have 2 hosiptals here, one of them I have heard nothing but good stories about, the other (where I'm booked for my delivery) nothing but bad.  Funnily, my friend has had the opposite the good one she's heard bad stories about, the bad one she's heard good about. 

The exact same thing can be said about the States though.  An old friend recently did an interview on the local news about how lack of care (too few nurses in her case) contributed to her mother dieing earlier than she should have.  Another friend whose grandmother was in the same hospital had good treatment. There are ups and downs of any medical system.