Help End Oxfordshire PCT's Discriminative Policies

MrsTinks

Do I think the NHS should pay for IVF? Not - absolutely not! Sorry. In Oxfordshire there is already underfunding for life saving treatments and drugs - and no I am not on about ones for conditions that are lifestyle caused here. I very firmly believe that a life that already exists should take priority over creating a new one I'm afraid.
Yes I'm pregnant, no I didn't need IVF, yes I live in Oxfordshire so probably wouldn't have been elligible for IVF if I'd needed it and yes I'm ok with that!
My cousin was touch and go on being able to have children and I had already volunteered to be surrogate if I could have been, but that would have been private and very expensive and that was something we as a family accepted. However she was eventually fortunate enough to concieve and carry her DD safely, but I did a lot of reading and research about it at the time as a result.

However my main argument on this would be that the NHS is underfunded as it is - spend the money available on saving or enhancing the care of those already here instead of creating more children in an already over populated country.

RichardM123

feelinggood wrote: »

Totally agree with that. Took me 8 years to get a referal to a pyschiatrist. That is far too long. I'm now on a waiting list for Pyschotherapy, when I hit the top of the list, I'll be 24. I was 12 when I first sought help. 12 years to wait for therapy is a very, very long time. It isn't uncommon for people to struggle to access proper mental health care.

In my area, there in one Eating Disorders unit. They can only take people suffering from anorexia or bulimia, with a BMI of under 14. They cannot offer any support to only slightly underweight, normal or overweight sufferers. With a BMI of 45, I wasn't able to get any help.

The waiting lists for Pyschology, DBT and CBT are closed here - they haven't added anyone new to the lists for 2 years.

While infertility is really very, very awful, it doesn't kill you. I'd rather money went to services that save lives.

12 years certainly is a long time to wait. I know that here in Oxfordshire waiting lists are about 2 months at present for a psychologist. Have you thought about campainging for people with MH problems? I would certainly support this.

In regards to your comments on IVF. Having to wait for or not getting IVF can put couples under a lot of stress and sometimes even depression. These people then have to wait for treatment from psychologists too. I would have thought that prevention is better that a cure - is it not?

RichardM123

MrsTine wrote: »

Do I think the NHS should pay for IVF? Not - absolutely not! Sorry. In Oxfordshire there is already underfunding for life saving treatments and drugs - and no I am not on about ones for conditions that are lifestyle caused here.

So which conditions are you on about? Just out of interest...

MrsTinks

RichardM123 wrote: »

So which conditions are you on about? Just out of interest...

Let's start with cancer... A friend of mine works for a cancer trust and another is a nurse working with children - there are plenty of drug therapies available for cancer that the NHS trust cannot afford - until they can then I think they are right to not fund IVF.
There are also drugs that the ambulance crews carry in other areas (this was 2 years ago mind - it might have changed) like Bucks and Northants, but Oxfordshire don't/didn't due to the high cost. From memory the cost to equip each manned vehicle with the drugs was £8... This was a life saving drug that does make a difference to someone suffering cardiac arrest WOULD make a huge difference - yet it was still not given to front line crews due to cost and instead an inferior and cheaper alternative was given... As I say - that one may have changed in the last 2 years...

Errata

RichardM123 wrote: »

So which conditions are you on about? Just out of interest...

Have you considered that the biggest users of the NHS are the young and the old ? Many older people have conditions caused by the work they did which need treating, many children develop conditions which have nothing to do with lifestyle which need treating.

Oldernotwiser

elainew wrote: »

I wonder if all the people who disagree with IVF are the ones sitting at home with their 2.5 children.

Actually not. I was unable to conceive after having breast cancer and so went down the adoption route.

Infertility can be a great sadness but it is not a disease that has to automatically be dealt with by medical treatment.

Oldernotwiser

RichardM123 wrote: »

You hit the nail on the head!

Raising family is a basic human right that is set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 16... These PCTs are denying people their rights. This is not acceptable.

Don't be ridiculous; if you're infertile it's not your right to have treatment for it; you're completely misusing the information!

RichardM123

MrsTine wrote: »

Let's start with cancer... A friend of mine works for a cancer trust and another is a nurse working with children - there are plenty of drug therapies available for cancer that the NHS trust cannot afford - until they can then I think they are right to not fund IVF.
There are also drugs that the ambulance crews carry in other areas (this was 2 years ago mind - it might have changed) like Bucks and Northants, but Oxfordshire don't/didn't due to the high cost. From memory the cost to equip each manned vehicle with the drugs was £8... This was a life saving drug that does make a difference to someone suffering cardiac arrest WOULD make a huge difference - yet it was still not given to front line crews due to cost and instead an inferior and cheaper alternative was given... As I say - that one may have changed in the last 2 years...

Remember that most cancer is preventable by changing your lifestyle. Cancer Research UK state that "Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world,". I agree that not all cancer is down to lifestyle, but most sadly is. Same with heart problems that cause cardiac arrest.

I don't smoke, dont drink and am not obese - but still I get nothing for that.

I agree that saving a life it important, but we have to be sensible here. If the average waistline keeps expanding here in the UK then 'lifestyle caused illneses' will keep being a drain on NHS resources. This is unfair to those of use who keep ourselves healthy.

Oldernotwiser

Beduffshirl wrote: »

So because I have had the misfortune to need 9 weeks of chemo (including 11 nights as an inpatient) due to testicular cancer you think that we should have to pay for IVF - there are a few words for you that I'm not allowed to use on this forum but I think you can guess them .......

Perhaps my comment above will make you eat your obviously unsavoury words!

Glamazon

I often have to put funding requests through to the PCT and it amazes me the things that get approved whilst the nation is crying out for life-saving drugs!

A transgender patient who is now female but has unsightly body hair - good god, I have seen some true women with unsightly hair and they can't get treatment so why should someone who has had a sex change?!!!

£2,000 for a patient to have an assessment - just because he has googled something and thinks he has it whilst there is no clinical indication - luckily this got rejected.

I personally think that if a patient wants IVF then they should have to pay privately to have this done. There are lots of other things that should come before this for patients who NEED treatment not WANT treatment.
I think that is the big thing here - WANT over NEED.
People WANT to have IVF but they don't NEED it to survive. People NEED to have life-saving drugs if they are dying.

Yes, I am pregnant but in order for me to have time off with my newborn child, I have to save my own hard-earned money as the Government won't help me because I pay my taxes.