To think we shouldn't be funding this on the NHS?

ALL immigrants and visitors to the UK (in their hundreds of thousands) whether they are permanent or not get free HIV and TB care on the NHS (easy to google to fact check) costing millions of pounds and yet you go after regular people doing regular things.

Anyone from anywhere can just rock up to an STI clinic and be treated for HIV etc, with or without a UK address. Some just come to the UK every 6 months for a free prescription after the very expensive initiation of treatment period.

You're spiteful to say the least.

How arrogant does a person need to be to deign who should and shouldn't be treated on a national health service- that is propped up might I add by huge taxes on cigarettes.

If only there was a treatment for how utterly unpleasant you are.

If only there was a way we could get smokers to fund their own treatment through taxes.....

Smokers also die younger & so don't clog up hospitals & care services as frail dementia patients for years on end.

I have a question for the OP.
Recent lung function test showed my lungs are working at 50%. Waiting for consultation appointment but have been told it’s either.
Damage from Radiotherapy for breast cancer or COPD.
Now if it’s the damage, should I not be allowed treatment as I chose to have the Radiotherapy, knowing the risks.
and if it’s the COPD, I’ve never smoked, but my dad did and I willingly put myself in places like pubs and clubs growing up where I came home smelling of smoke.

What would you decide OP, do I deserve treatment or not?

I agree and I wouldn’t do it and have never in 13 years but again you don’t know what the situation is. I haven’t taken patients outside to smoke but I’ve taking patients who have been in ICU for months outside for a coffee when they are finally well enough to leave their bedside. I do it when the unit is safe for me to leave and it has been risk assessed. We shouldn’t really pass judgment on one situation that the OP witnessed but has no background knowledge of.

The nurses might appreciate the chance to get outdoors for a few minutes.

Really???? So the free base climber who falls off a cliff or ends up stranded costing the rescue services thousands, that's ok. He or she should be treated? Or do they pay for treatment and the cost of rescuing them? I see no benefit to society, do you? Really???

do we refuse to treat overdoses because they are self inflicted .

i was a self harmed - without treatment would be dead .

you live in a lovely little bubble ..
many peoples mobility is restricted due to waiting lists , diet is not as simple as eat healthy. We are now aware genetics are involved .

I have had high bp since I was 21 was a healthy weight then .. but it can be linked to obesity too, it is also linked to stress and genetics Do we not treat that if someone has a stressful job🙄

Are you calling those who have smoked / those who are overweight, stupid? Also those who have mental health issues and have self harmed?

Are you in England? It is now illegal where I am and I think England is planning to follow suit soon.

Really this thread should have been "why is smoking still legal". Because that actually addresses nearly all the points made here. Only the problem with that is it doesn't really lead onto the "logical" step of moving to health insurance so private companies can hoover up premiums whilst spending most of their time working on new ways to exclude people from treatment.

Smoking needs a higher tax.
It needs saying but I’ve seen kids go without proper food whilst the parents are smokers. They buy cigarettes instead of nourishing food. Also the effect of alcohol and drugs - that’s another topic though. I’m against both drinking and drugs.

Nurses should not be away from their work whilst they take smokers outside to smoke. What about the non smokers who are waiting for care? Smoking should not be part of hospital care. Let the families take their relative out to smoke and have this noted in the treatment plan - outside for smoking means you might miss planned treatment and care - meals, washing etc let the family do this instead.

On average it makes people healthier which is positive for society. On average smokers end up with cancer which is bad for society. It is not that difficult to understand.

Death is a pretty final statement though.

I mean if you don't think people with nicotine addiction should be treated then presumably you think no-one with any sort of addiction should receive treatment? So obese people addicted to food for example? That's basically over 50% of the population you're talking about. You can't cherry pick which medical conditions should be treated depending on the person's addictions. And thankfully it's not up to you or anyone else on here.

What benefit to society is skateboarding? Or others exercising?

It benefits the individual

Food is affordable for the majority of binge eaters

Alcohol is affordable for the majority of drinkers

Drugs are affordable for the majority of occasional users

Pregnancy is affordable for the majority of women needs fertility treatment & support

So what your really saying is the cost of living is too low for people to make good decisions & speciality taxes will fix it.

A first time poster (or namechanger) ✔️
Highearner (paid £80k in tax last year ) ✔️
Hates smokers ✔️
Hates overweight people ✔️
Still uses the NHS themselves ✔️

Anything else to add for froth bingo? 😂

The OP is on the wind up.

Well there clearly is. As the OP stated lots of people are being treated for their poor decision making skills.

How did you end up with a PE?

Never surprises me that the bigger the earners, the more selfish and tight-arsed they are. If you’re earning that much why don’t you give the NHS a rest and go private…..you can obviously afford it!

Doubt it

There's no treatment for Stupid

You're being unreasonable and unbelievably judgey. Shame on you. Who made you decide who should be treated anyone. Can only assume you're a paradigm of virtue.

Where will it end? What about those like me whom have faulty genetics and family history of certain cancers, whom despite neither drinking nor smoking, being healthy, exercising, wearing sunscreen, and taking care of myself and doing all the things one should do to avoid cancer, I still got cancer before 50. Should I/we not be treated too?

Edited to add that even though I've had a few cancer-preventative surgeries too, can still get those cancers anyway. And on a related note, did you know that those whom have had breast cancer are more at risk at developing primary lung cancer irregardless of if they've smoked or not. Honestly OP, you really haven't a clue.

I think we're living with a time bomb, excess mortality is increasing, longevity rates are falling and the NHS has been underfunded for years and expected to jump to respond to every health need, cosmetic request and moral/cultural requirement. There used to be something called QALYs which facilitated health related decision making on the basis of age/quality of life, I have no idea if they still exist.
Those who want to read more might consult Danny Dorling, Professor of Human Geography at Oxford University, an expert in stats related to people, especially excess deaths. I heard him speak, he was fascinating. the link is an article about excess deaths related to failures in social care and health

https://www.dannydorling.org/?p=5951

https://theconversation.com/mortality-rates-are-still-rising-in-the-uk-and-everyone-is-ignoring-how-many-more-people-are-dying-119618