Grateful for the NHS

I have to say, it's so nice not receiving bills in the mail! Today I had a liver ultrasound as part of standard screening for one of my conditions, in the US that would've been a couple hundred dollars and I know it cost the NHS much less, and I don't feel guilty for needing routine monitoring due to the cost. I just wish that when you do need to pay out of pocket the costs were not so astronomical, especially for mental health support and tests for "non urgent" but very painful conditions.

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Definitely! A friend’s friend needed medicine for cancer that wasn’t covered by the nhs, so things like that definitely break my heart.  My hubby had a knee operation years ago and waited months to have it.

Now that this thread has been well and truly hijacked.....

Did you see this on the news last night:
A guy was scheduled for an operation and they did the nil by mouth thing as normal.   The operation was postponed for 5 days and they kept up the nil by mouth thing for the whole time until he died!  I'm unclear on the details, but he had disabilities that prevented him from protecting himself, and was not protected by others .  The hospital is very sorry. 

There's a lot good about the NHS, but we shouldn't get too starry eyed.  And we shouldn't stop blaming the political parties that have run it down over the years.

Definitely far from starry eyed, and to be fair I cannot say the same good words about my regular gp. They mean well but just way to busy and under funded. 

I didn’t read that story but it doesn’t shock me. That’s absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting. Politicians definitely have to be responsible for what’s happened to it through the years. I’m still fairly new to the system, and my experience ( amazing) so far is only with the maternity ward. If all departments could respond and treat as well as they have it would be truly a perfect system.

I saw this heading yesterday and it hit me.  The husband unit and I (touch wood) have both been healthyish-- in January he ended up going to A&E by ambulance.  They were 10 points beyond wonderful!!  There was about an hour when it got very scary but everything simmered down.  He's on regular medication now (after they found out what the problem was) but I cannot fault them for their time and immediate attention.  Even during shift change they were EXCELLENT.  My immediate concern was that it was a Saturday night/Sunday morning and we were going to have to wait but they could see how ill he was and sprung into action and keeping me well informed along the way.

I'm sending them a Christmas card this year.  Thank you doesn't seem enough but I feel it's important.

I’m so glad your husband is okay! And that he received amazing service. It’s the times like that you truly appreciate. I always make sure to leave feedback in times like that.

Yes, that was a horrible catalogue of errors! Absolutely disgusting. His parents were advocating for him and ignored. This can happen anywhere, but it is exceptionally pronounced here where they consider disabled people annoying and a bother. He'd been admitted to the wrong area, no one was tracking the things they should, and it was an incredibly tragic incident.

I think it goes without saying that in any medical scenario you are you own advocate, and the NHS is critically underfunded and now has scared away the many people who were previously willing to put up with he quality of life that comes with the prestige of being an NHS nurse. Why would anyone work for the NHS when they can be an agency nurse on the same wards earning twice (or more) as much due to staff shortages?

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We were talking about this the other day. I used to do referencing for tenants, and I was absolutely shocked at how much junior doctors made.  It’s a blessing we still have nurses etc who want to work for the nhs because we need them.

Yeah, it's a mixed blessing, the NHS.

It's nice to know that if I fall off a mountain or trip on the way to the shop and need an ambulance (including air ambulance) it won't cost me anything other than the many-hour wait for one to arrive. (Instead of ruining me financially.) And the big new hospital obviously is doing something right, other than killing kids with contaminated water and bird poop in the ventilation system. (It's affectionately called "The Death Star". Hence my avoiding going there unless I'm bleeding out the eyeballs.) There are a lot of people who go there and are healed, and with minimal wait times. (I never went to an Emergency Room in the USA and got out in less than 10 hours.) And several of the urgent care centers were closed here recently overnight due to lack of available staff, so people were being shuffled from one to another. The Doctors and Nurses are shockingly underpaid and overworked.

Of course, I'm STILL waiting to hear about the results of my heart testing for my lung condition.... (I phoned, was told to expect it soon. Several weeks ago.)

But if you don't have really good private insurance in the USA, you are playing financial roulette if you have to access the healthcare system.

The Doctors and Nurses are shockingly underpaid and overworked.

Of course, I'm STILL waiting to hear about the results of my heart testing for my lung condition.... (I phoned, was told to expect it soon. Several weeks ago.)

This is why you have to chase, they are understaffed. I've even seen scenarios of possible cancers where if they hadn't chased results it would have been a 2-3 week delay before even getting the tests needed to determine if they needed treatment. So, best to just call again!

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Yeah, I did. Same answer.

Also phoned my GP, who said they'd gotten the results and that "everything was fine".

So I have no clue.

Yeah, I did. Same answer.

Also phoned my GP, who said they'd gotten the results and that "everything was fine".

So I have no clue.

In February, I had some blood work done to monitor my kidney function (I only have one kidney, so we keep an eye on it), and a blood sugar test, cholesterol, etc.  Just your basic screening.  I followed instructions and waited 'til the Monday after the blood draw and phoned my GP's surgery after 1:30 p.m. to get my results.  The nurse/receptionist said, "Everything is fine."  I like to know my cholesterol figure, and I wanted something more than "It's fine" about my kidney, so I tried to ask questions.  And she was very dismissive on the phone.  The entire call lasted less than a minute, as I became quickly aware that this was not going to be like phoning my GP in the US.

But last month I went in for a flu jab and asked for a BP check (my BP had been a bit high-for-me in February, and I finally thought to follow up with it)... it was still a little bit high, so the nurse booked in me for another follow-up BP check, which I finally had yesterday (it was postponed a couple of times while I was on death's door).  Aaaaaaaaand, while I was there, I was all, "Can you see the results of my bloodwork that I had ages ago?"  And this nurse happily looked in the system and told me all my numbers (which turn out to be in a different format than in the US, so I'm just as clueless, but she says they're all within normal limits, so I continue to not have diabetes and my kidney, heart, and other systems are still functioning as they should).

Anyway, I think what I'm trying to say is if you want the information, be patient, and ask for it when you are there for some other thing and sense that the person you're dealing with has the time and the will.

... but she says they're all within normal limits, so I continue to not have diabetes and my kidney, heart, and other systems are still functioning as they should).

You are working.. yay! 

You are working.. yay! 

Yes!  I left the house for the first time in almost a month yesterday, but I packed in a lot of things in my brief trip out... stopped at the GP for the blood pressure check (113/71 on my purchased-from-Amazon-because-I-couldn't-make-my-appointment-for-weeks machine, 121/78 on the "real" one but she made me laugh in the middle of it, and we both agreed that my machine's reading was probably more accurate because I was still and quiet for that one), then Aldi, B&M and Iceland (the only shops within 20 miles of me, so that's where I shop when I don't order Tesco!), and then I brought a very hefty carrier bag of glass to the recycling drop-off, came home and put away all the groceries.  It was a very full day and I managed it... and I made dinner.  I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!  Yay!

I am also someone who likes to know the numbers, so if I am there at the GP's surgery, I look at the screen and take a note myself.  The hospital (specialists) actually sends copies of all letters that were sent to the GP to myself as well. 

Yes!  I left the house for the first time in almost a month yesterday, but I packed in a lot of things in my brief trip out... stopped at the GP for the blood pressure check (113/71 on my purchased-from-Amazon-because-I-couldn't-make-my-appointment-for-weeks machine, 121/78 on the "real" one but she made me laugh in the middle of it, and we both agreed that my machine's reading was probably more accurate because I was still and quiet for that one), then Aldi, B&M and Iceland (the only shops within 20 miles of me, so that's where I shop when I don't order Tesco!), and then I brought a very hefty carrier bag of glass to the recycling drop-off, came home and put away all the groceries.  It was a very full day and I managed it... and I made dinner.  I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!  Yay!

That's awesome for your first day!    Be careful not to overdo it though. 

That's awesome for your first day!    Be careful not to overdo it though. 

I was worried about over-doing it, but I actually felt energized throughout the day.  Well, more energetic than I normally do when doing the grocery shopping, anyway.  And today I actually don't feel any worse for wear.  I am certainly bouncing back quickly considering how bad I was that first week of illness.  (Even I thought I might not be able to handle it on my own and considered asking my husband to take me to the hospital at one point... but I pushed through and kept my O2 on 24/7 (turned up a little higher), and tried every medication I could think of to try to keep my airways open.)

I am also someone who likes to know the numbers, so if I am there at the GP's surgery, I look at the screen and take a note myself.  The hospital (specialists) actually sends copies of all letters that were sent to the GP to myself as well. 

How do you get them to do this?!

Just got a letter one day in the post and it said something like "We are keen to make sure that patients understand and have access to all their medical health histories, therefore see enclosed copy of letter from Consultant XXX to your GP's surgery XXXX"

The nurse at our GP practice  emails my husband's test results to him and consultant letters are always copied to him as well. I have signed on to an online service where all my medical records are stored, including test results, letters etc. It is quite brilliant! I also request repeat prescriptions through the site and they are issued within two days.


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