Absolutely not.
..but its not a binary choice between the two systems. Plenty of room for something better between those two models, but it won't happen so long as the NHS is treated like a sacred cow.
NHS=Negligent Health Service
- Thread starter 1664kronenbourg
- Start date
Absolutely not.
..but its not a binary choice between the two systems. Plenty of room for something better between those two models, but it won't happen so long as the NHS is treated like a sacred cow.
Associate
also costs a fortune. when i first had to pay for my own private healthcare in switzerland, think i was 19 at the time, i purposely put my excess to the max (5k i believe). still cost £150 a month.
luckily i never really got ill, except 1 time i had to pay ~£50 for my 6 antibiotic tablets
and you just have to pray you don't have any underlying health issues as then it's starts to get stupidly expensive.
Associate
Private healthcare works in many countries. Some have a blend of basic free care and private. The system doesn't work in the U.S because of happy litigation happy they are. The malpractice insurance cost is what makes it so expensive. The problem being that if you spend $10000 on an operation you dont expect mistakes so you sue for any little thing which then pushes it up for others and rinse and repeat.
Man of Honour
Well I can go into detail, PALS > Complaints > and if you're really unhappy come to me in Legal armed with a Solicitor
And what makes you think it would be any different here? I wouldn't have any qualms with a blended system but people simply wouldn't stump up for it
Associate
An example of this is the Japanese system, which supposedly has health care quality equal to that of US private:
Soldato
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- 21 Jan 2010
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- 3,681
Sorry, I wasn't talking about the complaints process- more that discharging yourself is not a good course!
Permabanned
In casual conversation with a barrister i know, (no, no, not a babysitter, bloody computer....) he gave me the following advice, gratis. If you ring your GP's surgery and they fob you off from a face to face appointment for something you yourself consider a potentially serious issue, ring them back, record the conversation, telling them you are so doing, and insist their refusal of a face to face is entered in writing and dated, in your medical records. Apparently this usually triggers a change of heart, not that one should have to go down such a route. If it doesn't and you peg it, it at least gives your next of kin something to take to law, to finance a decent interment for you 
Associate
depends on implementation, while similar to the u.s I'd like to think we are a bit different. I think people would be happy with the cost if the service matched. I honestly think people have gotten so used to the poor nhs service that they just think its normal/fine. We're already paying for it and it's crap. If i had a choice between paying a reasonable price for standard service or having the nhs wait 7 hours for an ambulance, spend all night in A&E waiting for a bed service for free I know which I want.
Man of Honour
I come across some good discharges, recent ones have been -
Patient discharged themselves to go for a Subway
Patient discharged themselves to go for a smoke
Patient discharged themselves to go for a McDonalds
and so on ...........
The most recent is somebody who has claimed we held them against their will so this has also gone to a Government department as well as the NHSR.
They discharged themselves to go for a Subway, a smoke and to see their partner when we were at the peak of Covid back in Feb 21.
My sister was a Nurse (left 3 years ago) poor care, short cuts leading to poor care ignoring H&S to save time, bullying and management not caring, god like surgeons (in their opinion) bullying staff infact that surgeon bullied my sister she went to management and the unions only to be told that they were not going to do anything becasue the surgeon has mental health issues and was worried she my top herself!!! I kid you not. That surgeon is now being investigated.
I agree with you all, the NHS is broken, held together by good people trying their best.
It's all heading towards private healthcare now anyway.
Cleveland Clinic have just opened an enormous London clinic.
I look forward to my wages being at parity with the rest of the developed world.
It's all heading towards private healthcare now anyway.
Cleveland Clinic have just opened an enormous London clinic.
I look forward to my wages being at parity with the rest of the developed world.
Soldato
Don't worry, I knew what I was doing.
The first problem was an issue with blind spot in the shape/pattern of the iris occurring doing close focus. Best they could come up with was optical migraine, which it definitely is not (as I do get occasional migraine with aura and know the difference) or possibly resulting from a squint. It basically had them stumped, not helped by the fact each time you go up there see a different doctor and have to start from scratch explaining the issue and then send you for the same tests you already had. I am monitoring and if it gets worse, be assured I will go back.
Second was a Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) which just about every other health service around the world or eyecare advice source states regular follow up is required to check for retinal detachment or tearing. The NHS playbook is that they give you a one off check then it is up to you to monitor for worsening symptoms. I wasn't happy with that and in fact went through PALS to get a second inspection done which was reluctantly carried out and once again I am monitoring for any further changes to the floaters etc.
What pee'd me off was the person doing the second round of orthoptic tests couldn't make it any less obvious they CBA to do them and came out with the comment about "bankrupting the NHS".
Associate
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The future is reading online and gaining medical knowledge about your potential condition... then going private for tests to verify if you're right/rule out the bad stuff.
NHS is completely useless... they only "care" when it's too late. If you go AE with pain it's all blood pressure, blood tests and ECG. That's all they know to do.
Blood pressure can be done at home, ECG can be done at home (smart watches), blood tests are, most of the time, useless/inconclusive.
Everyone should have a separate bank account with at least 10k in it for private tests/scans ready in case you need it. 10k is easy to save up.
Once you have a diagnosis from your private tests only then seek help from the NHS. If it's serious (like a blood clot) they will finally take you seriously.
NHS is completely useless... they only "care" when it's too late. If you go AE with pain it's all blood pressure, blood tests and ECG. That's all they know to do.
Blood pressure can be done at home, ECG can be done at home (smart watches), blood tests are, most of the time, useless/inconclusive.
Everyone should have a separate bank account with at least 10k in it for private tests/scans ready in case you need it. 10k is easy to save up.
Once you have a diagnosis from your private tests only then seek help from the NHS. If it's serious (like a blood clot) they will finally take you seriously.
there's so many things though and you will likely agree with whatever ranks top of the google search.
then if you go see a GP privately 15mins for £70 your likely to influence the persons opinion when you tell them what you think it is.
Associate
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- 30 Aug 2014
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- 704
Seeing a private GP is the worst decision. GPs on the NHS are easy to see if you don't like your GP then switch to another one.
It's the scans that are important in diagnosis though. And you ain't getting an MRI scan on the NHS no matter how hard you try.
I've been watching so many knowledgeable people on YouTube that I learned a lot about conditions that have nothing to do with me.
Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Aug 2006
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- 5,207
The best combination I have found, is getting second opinions from as many people as possible and if you already have previous scans, then send it to them first before ordering a new scan, which saves time and money.
Also always look for a specialist that deals with the condition that you have or suspect you have, especially if you have been previously dealing with someone who is not a specialist and has been giving you the run around. You don't always need a GP referral for their opinion, but if they do then ask them to write to your GP as this makes it harder for the GP to then refuse doing you a referral. My preference is to always look for a specialist who works in the NHS and not solely in the private sector, but it is even better if they work in both as you can see them in private and then asked to be referred to them on the NHS.
I think what would help a lot is giving people more freedom and choice. I always remember in the early 2000s under Labour that my GP used to give me a choice of which hospital I would like to be referred to for a particular treatment and that included some private hospitals that were doing treatments for the NHS. These days, I rarely see that, but I do understand it has happened more again during the pandemic. Was this option abolished when the Tories came in from 2010...?
Also always look for a specialist that deals with the condition that you have or suspect you have, especially if you have been previously dealing with someone who is not a specialist and has been giving you the run around. You don't always need a GP referral for their opinion, but if they do then ask them to write to your GP as this makes it harder for the GP to then refuse doing you a referral. My preference is to always look for a specialist who works in the NHS and not solely in the private sector, but it is even better if they work in both as you can see them in private and then asked to be referred to them on the NHS.
I think what would help a lot is giving people more freedom and choice. I always remember in the early 2000s under Labour that my GP used to give me a choice of which hospital I would like to be referred to for a particular treatment and that included some private hospitals that were doing treatments for the NHS. These days, I rarely see that, but I do understand it has happened more again during the pandemic. Was this option abolished when the Tories came in from 2010...?
This is what I thought, but based on my experience, they have built walls less then 1 mile around their practice... If the only GP whose receptionist seemed willing to consider my application rejects it, I'll either be without a GP (and having to buy my current quarterly prescription online...
) or paying for a GP appointment privately... To be honest, I'm not against the private cost for GPs, but really, GPs need a top down restructure, they hold far too much power...Good point. When I was in America people there would kill for some NHS treatment even if it is not very good its better than nothing.
Why don't you go private? its only the poor who rely on the NHS anyway.