To be depressed about how expensive but shyt the UK is

We drove to France as a teen in the 80s, couldn’t afford that now.

You can not take suicidal children to A&E, they would be completely inundated. You only take them when the overdose or attempted hanging has happened. What should be happening is children and young people getting treatment or support so they aren’t suicidal and are in school and work. But things are so shit there is nothing and things escalate as a result.

How are parents supposed to work and monitor untreated or supported children 24/7.

@Thebellofstclements I do partly agree- the idea of what isa normal existence regardless of if working or middle class has kind of changed and involves spending more money on casual things to do on a pretty regular basis - I can only remember ever having a coffee out the house twice before I was 30 ( I'm now 62) and meals out were birthday and wedding anniversary treats only and hotel stays were only if on an actual holiday - and we were not poor. Paid Activities for children was brownies or guides or cubs/scouts once a week I'm not saying that's right - just that this is how things often were . So not only are the basics often costing more, expectations are higher. Children expect more too in lots of cases- I heard a girl in town today saying to her mum ( and they didn't look well off) 'but it's only £20 '

It isn't harder than 20 years ago it's just there are more opportunities to spend money. 20 years ago families very rarely ate out. They didn't spend £50 to walk around a light display or get takeaways. They didn't say "I love him to the moon and back so spend £500 I can't afford on plastic tat gifts every birthday or I get mother's guilt".
We've become very soft as a nation but also very materialistic. Days out used to be a trip to the park in the rain with some sandwiches and a bag of crisps, this was what we did as a middle class family. Drove to France for our summer holiday, that was it.
Yes, life is crap for the poorest in society but it always has been which is why state education and healthcare were introduced, as well as other benefits. (We are now in a bizarre situation where wealthy people wear their abuse of state-funded education as a badge of pride.)
People on MN always say they'd be happy to pay more tax but that's because they think it will prove their lives immediately. It won't, and then they will be left with even less disposable income and an equally shitty existence.

When we lived in Copenhagen the things that were shit were access to off the shelf medication ( really restricted- I used to stock up on uk trips) and ready meals. ( they don't really do them and what they did do were awful) I actually cook a lot but occasionally the odd quality ready meal is handy. Also any utility you needed to call only seemed to be available 9 to 2 - customer service was not great in any of them

Camhs have requested. they do not do bloods.

Why isn’t the hospital doing the bloods if it’s requested by a consultant?

Your child might be suicidal but are they attempting suicide? If they are then you have an A&E that will care for your child free of charge, no insurance required. Of course you must take responsibility for keeping them safe in the meantime - who else will?

We don’t have a 24 hour system to care for children in this way. How would it even work?

December is just a few weeks away and not so far. If it was urgent you would be sent to hospital.

we cannot access it. I need a GP appointment to get signed off with stress as the suicide watch is killing me. Nothing before 27 Nov. My child needs urgent bloods as requested by consultant. nothing before Dec. Great that it works for you. It doesn't for us!

We don't appreciate living in the UK, the freedoms and opportunities we have, because most of us haven't lived in the alternatives. People on here have detailed the problems found in other countries, including European ones, not just the third world.

We seem to have a national desire to always look on the bleak side and to moan. When one poster said they'd had good nhs service, people weren't pleased for them but accused them of being 'tone deaf'.

the UK is no Utopia but we do ourselves no favours trying to think of it as badly as possible.

Admire your eloquence OP, most impressive. Perhaps you should take yourself to somewhere else? 👋

I'm not doubting you. But you said "There is no healthcare. Have you recently needed the NHS for something serious?" And as a family we have needed the NHS for something serious, on numerous occasions, and have repeatedly had the opposite experience to you. So my point was, it's wrong to say there is "no healthcare," it's working for many of us.

You need to get "over the channel" more often. I wouldn't say UK prices are "extortionate" by comparison and we are way cheaper than the Scandinavian countries.

Neither DW nor I have had any trouble either.
I think that is the NHS's real problem, the cover and the service provided is patchy.
What second-rate newspapers like to call "a post-code lottery".

Yes and I think people would get a shock even in the USA when they realise how much property tax they pay and how much US citizens pay on their global income wherever they live.

If you think the UK is expensive, you should see NZ!

i never said I don't want to pay more. I am happy to pay more but I do not think I expected to much if I want help for a suicidal teen who cannot be kept save at home esp in the absence of help from camhs and SS.

If you had a relative who was dying from cancer because they cannot access care, you probably would note quote that bollocks about funding and accept you do not get healthcare. Why is it different for MH?

I've no idea what the answer is re the NHS. Everyone wants equally working fully funded services without it costing them a penny

It doesn't work. They waste too much money, we all know this.

Maybe some paid services need to be introduced and be part funded/part paid

The people who are complaining on here will no doubt complain even more when tax rises are announced next week. How do you actually expect public services to be paid for?

People in the UK want Nordic services with US taxes.

Doesn't work. Sorry. You need to decide what you want.

I can tell you that we cannot access care. My child is suicidal and not coping anymore. The solution by social services and camhs is to impose a 24/7 suicide watch on the family. camhs struggle to help DC and everyone agrees they need a bed but there aren't. Whilst under my watch, I blinked for one moment which resulted in an attempt to commit suicide. There is still no bed and no help. Please do not give me this patronising crap that the NHS is working. It may work for some but too many are let down and a health care system that can only cater for some is not a functioning system.

And I wouldn't be able to sort visas because I don't have a skillset they need.

If I worked in eg healthcare or IT, I might. But unlikely I would have anything that they can't get from the rest of the EU/EEA and its 300 odd million people.

We've had a very different experience of the NHS. To say "there is no healthcare" is completely wrong. I'm sure some people have horrible waiting times. But as a family we have all needed care ASAP for issues which could have been serious and we were all seen quickly.

The only things it has going for it is it's a relatively safe place to live with some level of equality but that's only when compared ro very low bars like the really undeveloped/ less civilised countries. It's becoming less safe now due to massive unregulated immigration too, and huge issues processing prisoners. It's also quite beautiful in areas but I'm afraid that won't last forever due to the unnatural increase in population and need to take up more space.

Bon Voyage OP

I’ve just returned to the UK from Canada and this thread made me laugh a lot.

Not only is Canada more expensive than the UK but also guns, carjacking, opioid crisis….and seeing a GP is almost impossible in some parts of Canada.

Yes the UK has problems but so does everywhere else.

Sigh…I just love walking around town knowing I won’t get shot at and I can buy some lunch for less than £10