BUPA

[HEADRAT]

Do you not pay NI?????

I guess it is more a question of value for money...if the private sector could do the same service for less, then I don't see the problem with privatising the NHS...

Yes of course I pay NI but you know what I mean

I agree, if we could get a better service for less money then privatise, the only problem is that I'm not a great fan of privatised companies, their focus usually shifts away from providing a good service to how much money then can generate for their share holders.

HEADRAT

 

[GSDog]

You cannot really compare BUPA with the NHS. BUPA is much, much better and well worth every penny when it comes to your health. NHS messed my health up big time...

 

[j00ni]

I agree with the usefulness of emergency care in the NHS and how effective it normally is other than 8-9 hour waiting times. Its pretty much every other service they provide that clearly is not beneficial to patients or cost effective to the shareholders, ie you and I.

The cost effectiveness of the NHS may well be questionable, but I don't think you could support an arguement that it is "clearly not beneficial to patients" - that imo is a totally ridiculous statement to make

 

[HEADRAT]

other than 8-9 hour waiting times

Well that is why now every A&E has a Triage Nurse, if your case is urgent you will be seen quickly otherwise if you are unlucky enough to go on a Saturday evening expect a long wait

HEADRAT

 

[Alwayz Dead]

But that simply isn't the case with the NHS, you can receive the best care medical science can provide and it will cost you £0, yes there are problems with resources in the NHS but the level of care you receive in my experience is very good.

HEADRAT

Yes I should have put that better – you will get access to the same medical services but your money can dictate where and when you get it.
I have been treated under both and would not fault the treatment available but getting at it and in some cases, the way you are treated in terms of equality, leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Biohazard]

The cost effectiveness of the NHS may well be questionable, but I don't think you could support an arguement that it is "clearly not beneficial to patients" - that imo is a totally ridiculous statement to make

well not in my case its not, they've done pretty much SFA for me

I also have member of my family who died because of misdiagnoses, which if given the proper time and attention would not have been allowed to progress to a terminal state.

So it all depends on your point of view and experience, the NHS is ****.

 

[Samtheman1k]

I have been to A&E a few times for minor things, and also the minor injuries units, and, yes, I agree, the service in these is excellent. Always been out within a few hours. I guess the NHS is not so good at the routine non-emergency operations.

The MRSA scandle(s) seems to be totally shocking to me TBH. I only know what I read about, but there seems to be serious imcompetence going on, and a few criminal convictions should be passed about to try and sort it out. If that happened in the private sector, they would have been shut down.

But that's just my opinon!

 

[j00ni]

well not in my case its not, they've done pretty much SFA for me

I also have member of my family who died because of misdiagnoses, which if given the proper time and attention would not have been allowed to progress to a terminal state.

So it all depends on your point of view and experience, the NHS is ****.

I am truely sorry for your loss, but your case is by far and away the exception to the rule. Remember, if the system was privatised it would still be the same doctors and nurses and allied professionals providing the care, and like everyone, they are falliable human beings. In your case what would have been done differently under private care?

People also need to remember that BUPA can only cope as well as they do at present because of the NHS taking a huge amount of the burden of this country's health needs. If the whole system were privatised, it would be almost inevitable that the service would deteriorate.

 

[j00ni]

The MRSA scandle(s) seems to be totally shocking to me TBH. I only know what I read about, but there seems to be serious imcompetence going on, and a few criminal convictions should be passed about to try and sort it out. If that happened in the private sector, they would have been shut down.

Do you think private hospitals do not get MRSA cases??

The main reason that they can deal with it more effectively is because of smaller hospitals, with few (if any) long term patients - which are the two main contributing factors to MRSA (and other) bacteremias.

True they may be cleaner than NHS hospitals, but that is irrelevant unless the staff are significantly better at preventing cross infection. This is possible, due to them being less heavily worked, and so have more time to follow protocols (which imo would change were the whole system to be private), and you are always going to get staff who are negligent to the protocols as with anything (and I would imagine the proportion will be no different to NHS staff)

 

[Haircut]

I was referred to BUPA Murryfield in Edinburgh by my GP last week, I now have an appointment with a consultant on Monday. So I am very happy

I agree with the usefulness of emergency care in the NHS and how effective it normally is other than 8-9 hour waiting times. Its pretty much every other service they provide that clearly is not beneficial to patients or cost effective to the shareholders, ie you and I.

I am not doing this through insurance, as I don’t have any medical insurance lol. So at least I do not have the worry of someone accepting my claim or not.

Hmm, it seems that you (and some others in this thread) may be under a misapprehension.

BUPA != Private Health Care.

If you're not going through BUPA insurance, the only thing your operation has to do with BUPA is the fact that your consultant chose to have it in a hospital that is owned by BUPA.

The consultant and anaesthetist are entirely independent and have nothing whatsoever to do with BUPA.

 

[Biohazard]

I am truely sorry for your loss, but your case is by far and away the exception to the rule. Remember, if the system was privatised it would still be the same doctors and nurses and allied professionals providing the care, and like everyone, they are falliable human beings. In your case what would have been done differently under private care?

People also need to remember that BUPA can only cope as well as they do at present because of the NHS taking a huge amount of the burden of this country's health needs. If the whole system were privatised, it would be almost inevitable that the service would deteriorate.

She would have been given attention to what she was complaining about, she died of colon cancer. They done an edoscopy however could not get to the top of her bowel because of an obstruction, they said this was fine. The obstruction was a massive tumor in her gut. They said her problems were caused by irritable bowel sydrome, and fobbed her off. By the time they realised what it was it had spread to her left lung, neck and other areas. Died not too long later.

I have similar problems just now and have done for six months, what does the doctor think it is? Yes you guessed it, IBS.

 

[Biohazard]

Hmm, it seems that you (and some others in this thread) may be under a misapprehension.

BUPA != Private Health Care.

If you're not going through BUPA insurance, the only thing your operation has to do with BUPA is the fact that your consultant chose to have it in a hospital that is owned by BUPA.

The consultant and anaesthetist are entirely independent and have nothing whatsoever to do with BUPA.

Yeah I know this, as its not the hospital I have to pay but the Doctor.

 

[j00ni]

She would have been given attention to what she was complaining about, she died of colon cancer. They done an edoscopy however could not get to the top of her bowel because of an obstruction, they said this was fine. The obstruction was a massive tumor in her gut. They said her problems were caused by irritable bowel sydrome, and fobbed her off. By the time they realised what it was it had spread to her left lung, neck and other areas. Died not too long later.

I can't imagine much else could have been done under a private system to be honest. In a large number of cases the whole bowel cannot be visualised using colonoscopy, and other tests can often come back negative. Also for such an advanced tumour, I am sad to say that medical science probably couldn't offer much in the way of treatment even if a diagnosis had been made

I have similar problems just now and have done for six months, what does the doctor think it is? Yes you guessed it, IBS.

Assuming your GP is competent (and if you suspect not, go see someone else), and you explained your family history of bowel cancer, then there are protocols set out by NICE indicating what symptoms are required before your GP can make a suspected cancer referral. You could ask to get a specialist outpatients appointment at the hospital if you are dissatisfied (though I know this will require a wait, but it should be available if you push for it)

(hope that wasn't against forum rules)