NHS in a capitalist economy...

lostinrates

BobQ wrote: »

How would this have helped you?

In my case going private about ten years ago saved my life. The nhs couldn't figure it out at all and I felt like I was causing them inconvenience. The private gp I saw measured and tested for seemingly everything, absolutely everything. small irregularities i had not noticed or considered or remembered were shown up, though building a whole picture for a correct diagnosis for a rare situation was still jot straightforward, there was a very marked attempt to find it and quickly. to this end the private gp had me at a neurologist and as an inpatient pretty much immeadiately where we were told it was probably already too late......luckily they were wrong. The months of nothing and seeing what happened through nhs risked my life, and no effective treatment was forthcoming. No one had considered a neurological problem at all, though, in retrospect it should have been high on the list!

The nhs still refuse to use the notes that have at least tens of thousands of worth to them and contribute to my ongoing health difficulties.

As someone who sees too many doctors And sometimes the same ones privately and Nhs I certainly do feel the private service can be better, even when its the same professionals.

The very best doctor I saw last year was a junior doctor within the nhs. I sent her flowers and hoped she remains as compassionate and steadfast throughout her career....she saw something the senior consultant (private and nhs) disbelieved and she was right. Not a huge thing, but her seeing it changed the treatment plan.

In the next few weeks I am going to have a procedure which I have been putting off for sometime. We're it available privately there is no doubt whatsoever I would be doing it that way. Where I used to live we had a private ly run unit operating as an NHs treatment centre . It was truly wonderful. The main difference for the user is that most of the medical professionals are not British. They were all very kind and very good. If I could have the procedure I am about to have there I would choose that too over any of my local nhs hospitals.

Later this year I have to have a minor surgery and two other appointments which might lead to minor interventions. I will be having those privately, as both are available privately.


There are some remiss, roude and poor private only doctors, but not I have not come across as many as I have remiss or rude or poor ones in the nhs or working within the nhs.

zagubov

I know plenty of people in the US who are putting off chekups and treatment as they can't afford it/ their insurance limits won't let them have it this year.

I can't figure out if it's a bad system or just not really a systme at all.

There's other healthcare models with various mixes of private/public elements. Varied ownership models exist everywhere but I'm bored with the reductionist binary public vs private there's only apples or else there's only oranges arguments we meet here.

However the idea of syphoning off money for medicines to bribe shareholders needs explaining as this is at the end of the day a life-or-death industry with us and our loved ones with our heads on the block if it goes wrong.

globalds

I can't see how the health service can survive.

It is stretched at every end ..From staff who want top dollar to patients that want everything of a service that was never really defined ..
Is it emergency care , medical treatment , practical health care , preventative medicine ...All of this and more ..The list is endless , the cost of treatments never goes down. Every government sticks it's oar in for purely political motivation ..Did any one see the cost of out of date Tamiflu ?

It is not that I don't admire it ..But really society has to do something to protect it ..we help it out , or stop abusing it ..I think some kind of insurance interface makes real sense ..they will act as a kind of auditor ..stop the hypochondriacs and time wasters and also set out definite parameters of covered treatment and areas where extra insurance is needed.

grizzly1911

zagubov wrote: »

However the idea of syphoning off money for medicines to bribe shareholders needs explaining as this is at the end of the day a life-or-death industry with us and our loved ones with our heads on the block if it goes wrong.

Why is the health sector seen as a defensive stock, those and Dignity plc are pretty robust and always in need.

grizzly1911

globalds wrote: »

It is not that I don't admire it ..But really society has to do something to protect it ..we help it out , or stop abusing it ..I think some kind of insurance interface makes real sense ..they will act as a kind of auditor ..stop the hypochondriacs and time wasters and also set out definite parameters of covered treatment and areas where extra insurance is needed.

And those that can't or won't insure. Those on benefit or pensioners?

When ever I have been to A&E or hospital it rarely seems to full of the well heeled.

When you get old the premiums/excesses become even less affordable.

globalds

grizzly1911 wrote: »

And those that can't or won't insure. Those on benefit or pensioners?

When ever I have been to A&E or hospital it rarely seems to full of the well heeled.

When you get old the premiums/excesses become even less affordable.

Then I have to throw it back at you ..
How do we pay for something that has no agreed cost and no negotiated funding ?

I was not trying to be punitive
I was trying to offer a pragmatic future for a dream that is slowly becoming less and less achievable.
All of those scenarios would be factored and become a calculable value ..That either government would be forced through taxation to cover or for some situations some kind of legal process to collect funds would be required.
My one real concern is with those in charge of organising this ...I can't think of any group I would trust with this ..Not politicians and not Big Business.

lostinrates

grizzly1911 wrote: »

And those that can't or won't insure. Those on benefit or pensioners?

When ever I have been to A&E or hospital it rarely seems to full of the well heeled.

When you get old the premiums/excesses become even less affordable.

How do the well heeled look at a and e? I usually look a mess in clothes from the garden or pulled on over a nightdress. Last year when I went in at night I felt quite impressed I had managed to get jeans and a short on and a pashmina. The. They took it all away, put me in one of those open backed gowns and I had to go to the loo about eight times with my bum hanging out:D. We all look pretty much the same after no sleep, a lot of worry and feeling unwell or injured.

grizzly1911

lostinrates wrote: »

How do the well heeled look at a and e? I usually look a mess in clothes from the garden or pulled on over a nightdress. Last year when I went in at night I felt quite impressed I had managed to get jeans and a short on and a pashmina. The. They took it all away, put me in one of those open backed gowns and I had to go to the loo about eight times with my bum hanging out:D. We all look pretty much the same after no sleep, a lot of worry and feeling unwell or injured.

Something tells me you would exude presence and class regardless.

lostinrates

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Something tells me you would exude presence and class regardless.

Well, I'll thank you for your charm . Sadly its not true....but ta.

The point is rather in an accident or an emergency, however well heeled or 'classy' one might be, there is not time to freshen hair/make up, get out of the clothes one had the accident in, or whatever. Today I was out and realised I was wearing pyjama trousers. I have a vague idea they might have passed for yoga pants. They are certainly the sort of thing I would grab to go to a and e in a rush. .

I just don't buy into the idea you can tell someone is well heeled or not in a and e or a treatment centre. Looking back I have expressed mild frustration we are always dressed in dog walking or gardening clothes ...dh often in his track suit trousers and some awful shoes he won't let me throw away. Looking at us in such situation I am positive no one would say ' well heeled'.

globalds

My only personal complaint with A & E is that I was cue jumped ..
That really shows a system that is disorganised.

I was feeling like complete hell
I had a prolapsed disc in my neck as a consequence of tearing off my bicep ..
I was waiting with my ticket number for triage and some !!!!! with an injured son stormed in and cue jumped.
I don't know the state of his son and maybe he deserved to be in front of me ..but when any system is being run by individuals who determine there own importance with no regard for the system in place and are let to get away with it ..I feel it is a pretty good sign it does not work for the majority.