Whats the point of the NHS?

bulb66 said:
Yes i had a Tummy Tuck after losing 8 1/2 stone, i did it because i had loads of excess skin which left me with no self esteem. I didn't have any help losing the weight unlike a lot of people who have tummy tuck and they get them done on the NHS.

Yeah in your view it wasn't worth writing a post, but the fact the i had to wait 30min then get given the 3rd prescription in as many days. I agree that we only pay a small amount for drugs but it annoyed me that i have to provide my own dressing, it's like asking people who work in offices to bring their own paper for the printer.

As i said i wasn't looking for an argument, but people are quick to jump on people aren't they?
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Good for you, you're annoyed. It's really not of much interest to anyone other than yourself though. You spent 24 quid and waited for 30 minutes ... BFD
 
Broke 2 metacarpals in my hand this August and NHS were very good to getting me back and sorted. Plenty of checkup x-rays and service was spot on. Cost £0.00
 
dirtychinchilla said:
I know what you mean though; I have a chronic illness and don't get any support for my prescriptions. As far as I know, as well, nor does my mother, who has lymphoma.
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I think paying £8 for drugs that could be worth hundreds, or even thousands of pounds is a fair bit of support, no?

Werewolf said:
IIRC with prescriptions if the item on it isn't controlled (can be bought over the counter) and is cheaper if bought over the counter, you can do that a lot of the time..
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Yep. Any decent independent pharmacy will see if they can do it cheaper with off the shelf products. The main one is painkillers where there are usually unbranded versions for a fraction of the cost.

There is still an alarming amount of people who will turn them down and go for the branded products though :(
 
NO issues with the nhs here either.

Infact I've paid over £300 on prescriptions this year before paying for my 12 month PPC (doing my bit to help the NHS)

I went for a CT scan yesterday. 20 mins free parking. I was in and out and didn't have to pay for parking.

I had a mole removed 2 weeks ago and was in and out in less than 40 mins.
 
I think the NHS are bloody wonderful, i developed a chronic illness this year, Ulcerative Colitis, saw my GP about a dozen times, had loads of bloodtests, put under the care of one of the top Gastroenterologists in the country, at a purpose built state of the art treatment centre, had biopsies, colonoscopy, half a dozen meetings with my consultant, & the cost to me?, £7.50 every 2 months for my prescription.
 
Having had two children, both needing c-sections, through the NHS, I can only say how lucky we are to have it. I have lived in the US and their healthcare is a mockery of a sham.
 
bulb66 said:
[RANT]What is the point of the NHS? I had to see a nurse this week because of an infection in my TT (after having to pay privately to have it, that's another rant for another time)

So first visit had to get some antibiotics (£8) don't have a problem paying for medication, then i get a phone call from the doctor "You need different antibiotics" so that's another £8.

So today i have another visit to the nurse to check everything and change the dressing, after a 30min wait i see the nurse and SHE starts moaning about the first nurse not having done a prescription for me to get more dressing, so she makes do with the dressing she has and gives me a prescription to get my own dressing.

WHAT so another £8 for me to bring my own dressing, what's the point of the NHS if we have to pay for everything???[/RANT]

Not looking for an argument here but really £24 for "free" healthcare?
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Simple solution: move to the US.
First dr. visit = 100-150$
2 sets of antibiotics = 200$
Second visit + dressing = 100-150$

Total, 400-500$.

The purpose of the NHS is, indeed, a mystery.
 
PudWud said:
Don't quote me on this but I think they're actually subsidised rather than having mark up.
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It's very common for the prescription charge to be higher than the cost of the drug; although the overall cost of drugs dispensed is substantially higher than the amount recovered in prescription charges on those drugs.

This is because some very cheap drugs (e.g. antibiotics) are prescription only but also some immensely expensive drugs (e.g. my mum was on some £20/tablet migraine pills for a while) and since cost is capped below but not so much above the average skews high.
 
Werewolf said:
... shocked at vet's costs ...
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You wouldn't believe how little vets pay for drugs. The huge majority of vets have a 100% - 150% markup on every drug. You'll never see a poor vet.

I got charged £80 the other week for a 5 minute consultation to give my dog an anti-inflammatory and a simple procedure. I was charged £15 for the drug, which I know they purchased for less than £5. Then they add consultation fees AND (which winds me up) a procedure fee.

I'll stop now because I could seriously rant all day about vets!!!

To add to the thread, go and live in the US for a few years and you'll realise how great the NHS is!
 
Lol, people having a different point of view than me is one thing and I'm completely fine with that, if we all acted the same and thought the same the world would be very boring but some comments in here are just rude and it seems as point less as my post.
 
randomshenans said:
The UK is also VERY cheap for generic drugs like paracetamol and ibu, aspirin etc. You can get the generics for what 30p for 8?

I cannot get any generics and it costs me about 5quid for 8 tablets. :(
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I just go to costco and get a tub of 500 for $10 which is paid from my HSA card, so I don't pay a penny for stuff like that, or tooth brushes, contact lens solution etc.
 
The system in France is quite good, it's a sliding scale, so if you're poor you pay less/nothing and the state covers the shortfall, if you're rich you pay more and the state pays less. However you still pay to go and see the GP etc... though again you can get insurance etc... however if you're hit by a car, and so on you'll be cared for and your life will be saved and you will be treated FOC. There are public and private hospitals. A lot of the treatment is also means tested but offset on how much tax you pay, so it all ends up being fair whether you're rich or not.

In terms of healthcare I think France is pretty high in the world's ranking - but the NHS is brilliant for what little we effectively pay for.
 
Zethor said:
Simple solution: move to the US.
First dr. visit = 100-150$
2 sets of antibiotics = 200$
Second visit + dressing = 100-150$

Total, 400-500$.

The purpose of the NHS is, indeed, a mystery.
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1) Move to UK, pay 12% national insurance tax and pay £8 for a bandage
2) move to the US, employer pays health insurance, you might not pay a penny (or have a rate of maybe $100 per month), get a free bandage.


Just putting in my salary into a UK tax calculator and it is saying I would be paying $650 USD in national insurance with the employer maybe more as well.

My employer pays health insurance costs of $350 per a month for me, I don't have to pay anything.

Suddenly the NHS doesn't seem to great a deal!
 
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