To hesitate to move back from US to UK because of terrible state of NHS

ER/A&E is usually a vanishingly small part of any access to a health service.
In an absolute emergency eg, car accident etc, our A&E is second to none. If you have an infected cut etc, go to your doctor (private insurance doctor).

I moved from an EU country with a mutual insurance system to America and then to the UK.

I think it’s six of one and half dozen of the other, OP, but like you I say that from a position (so far) of privilege. The top end of US health care is more aggressive, which has pros and cons. Our NHS health care in the UK has generally been very good, but we also have private insurance. I used it once for a surgery for something more annoying than desperate.
I wouldn’t give it up easily, even though it is a big expense mainly used for peace of mind.

The social/economic/political scene here undoubtedly has its problems, but they are nothing compared to the dysfunctional American system. I am not a Tory supporter but I was proud of Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt when, conceding the election last year, they both spoke gracefully about how important it is to keep democracy working smoothly. A big contrast with the American political climate. (I think plenty of Labour snd Lib Dem politicians would have spoken similarly)

I wouldn’t be put off as I compare the two countries.

I’ve lived in both countries and I feel loads more secure in the UK

I’m from the us and have lived in the uk for a long time, parents from both places. I’ve been feeling pretty down about the uk for the past decade, it’s sad, BUT… I would never ever live in the us again and I’m so glad my daughters aren’t us citizens. Doctors in A&E saved my ex’s life. I don’t ever wait more than a week to see a GP. I gave birth here and it was understaffed and a bit “bare bones” compared to Portugal where my other one was born, but fine. If you have something like an autoimmune disease like I do (I thought it wouldn’t happen to me I was so healthy!), being in the states would be awful. My neuro consultant is fabulous!

I could agree with you, but then we both would be wrong.

My recent experience -18months ago I woke up with heart palpitations. Did an econsult and had a GP appt at 11am. GP said I needed to go to Short stay unit at hospital for tests.
Went to A &E and within 10 mins called into short stay unit. Over the next 6 hours I saw 3 doctors including consultant had 3 ECgs, 2 blood tests, lots of obs, given tabs to lower heart rate, got a diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation given loan of a portable ecg.
Over the next 10 days I had phone calls from a dr on virtual ward, had appt with cardiologist and had an ultrasound heart scan. Since then I have had 2 more cardiologists appts.
I was really impressed with all this. i know there are a lot of issues in the NHS but you don't hear about when things go well.

I’m in the SE and happy with my local healthcare. My GP surgery is great- I use the econsult system and usually get a text or a call the same day either offering an appointment if required, or telling me they’ve issued a prescription which I can pick up that same day. I have never needed to go to A&E in my nearly fifty years (touchwood!) so can’t comment on that but my husband has been a few times with sports injuries and has rarely had to wait more than a few hours.

Dentistry is an absolute shitshow though- although NHS dentistry exists in theory, large numbers of people can’t access an NHS dentist (I can but I’ve been with the same one a long time- most people I know don’t have an NHS dentist). But I imagine you’re used to paying for dentistry and you can continue that here. Private dentistry is good here as far as I’m aware. Although I have an NHS dentist, I have had to go private for some things which the NHS doesn’t cover (root fillings, implants) and the private clinics I’ve used were excellent.

As everyone else has said, just pay for private medical insurance in the UK. Personally, if you have been living in the US (as a immigrant) for quite a lot of your working life, then you shouldn’t just be able to move back to the UK and have access to our NHS (if you haven’t paid in).

Because it’s your personal experience and doesn’t reflect the overall state of NHs Care in this country? Isnt that obvious?

OP, I can well believe it that in many cases care is prompter and provided in "shinier" facilities in the US.

But like everything, you have to look at the overall perspective. My father has terminal cancer (leukemia). He has had two courses of chemo over the past few years, requiring expensive care and long stays in isolation units with specialist nurses. He's also been in and out of various hospitals with infections due to the leukemia, and a lot of time and effort has been spent making him comfortable. He's had life-prolonging drugs costing thousands per months. Multiple senior doctors have had meetings specifically to discuss his treatment and how best to proceed. He's had hours of various doctors' time trying to work out the causes of his various infections and the best combination of drugs and medicine to treat them. They're coming to the end of what they can do for him (the type of leukemia he has is aggressive and has a poor overall prognosis) and he's been referred to palliative care. But so many medical professionals have fought the fight alongside him, and he has the small comfort of knowing that no stone has been left unturned and what has been learnt will help the next patient who presents with the same disease. Not all aspects of his care have been perfect - he's been left to sit in chairs for hours, shunted into side rooms, had ambulances delayed and hospital transfers take place in the middle of the night, had nurses not turn up and had a few gaps in the basic care provided. But my god has the NHS been there for him, probably to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds of treatment that he could never have afforded to pay even modest co-pays on, even had his insurance not lapsed or reached its limit. Cost has never been an issue - everything that could be done for him, has been. And the main expense to us and my parents has been the hospital parking charges.

We do have private health insurance and have used it on occasion. But to be honest the NHS has been fine when we have needed it. Wouldn't have another baby on an NHS ward though.
I'd rather the flawed NHS than being at the mercy of insurance alone any day of the week.

You seem very determined to minimise my experience.

I wonder why.

Which noone said. However you seem
determined that people are left with heart attacks in a&E which isn’t true and turns out, isn’t even your limited experience.

it’s very common to blame medics when your loved one doesn’t get the care they want.

this is why people get so upset about elderly people waiting hours on trolleys. But the reality is, despite their discomfort and understandable upset, they do not have a medical need that prioritises them above the genuine heart attack/ strokes.

Im usually the first to slate the nhs but when it comes to true emergency care they are excellent. If you go to a&e for a true emergency you will be treat quickly and well. And if you have private insurance for the rest then you're in a pretty good position

My DIL is American . Her granny lives in Idaho and has 97 guns of varying sorts stored in her house and a bullet making machine in her cellar. She carries a gun in her car and in her handbag at all times. My sons UK granny has 0 guns in her house. She doesn't carry guns, knives or mace spray in her car.

The NHS is hit and miss. Some areas are superb, others not. However, it’s not all dire and there’s some good people doing good work.

I some of the cases it had nothing to do with triage.

The delays happened later. Not enough staff, not enough x ray capacity, lost blood tests that needed to be repeated. And I need to sit with an increasingly worried and unwell elderly relative.

Also, triage nurses do get it wrong.

So, don't tell me everything is rosy in A&E land.

No guns, no (or not as much of a) fentanyl issue, less driving, smaller food portions, less sugar, more community spirit, Europe, more history, no guns.

You could always move back if you hated it! Just either meet a fellow US expat living here or a Brit who’s open to living in the US potentially.

Depends how they are used and collated, but yes, they can be.

And quite frankly I know what I've witnessed, so I don't really care for statistics.

You thought they were suspected- I’ll bet the triage nurse knew differently.

NHS has been fine where I live. Yes the GP booking system is annoying but they will get to you if it's urgent. And operation waiting lists are going down due to weekend operations. I couldn't imagine living in the USA where theu don't have free health care.

It’s funny you’ve written that, because nothing on this Earth would get me to move to the US, with its lack of free healthcare and free for all laws around gun use.

We made the move back about three years ago - having agonised about the decision for a long time.

we miss many things about the USA but have zero regrets about it. Being here is the right place for us at the moment (and despite all the doom mongering, the NHS has been wonderful when we have needed it. Had my first two children in the US and my third over here - slightly less hands off approach, much less anxiety inducing. No gigantic hospital bill..!)

I love American, my husband is American- I don’t think either country is better or worse.

if you’re single and relatively flexible then do it! If it doesn’t pan out - you can move back. I suspect you’ll regret not trying it out more than you’d regret the inconvenience of it not working out and having to back track.

The NHS is not perfect but frankly never heard of anyone waiting for life saving treatment. A&E is over flowing with people who need to see the GP. If you are seriously unwell the NHS is frankly fantastic.

My daughter had a heart condition. I’ve never see the children’s waiting room. I ring ahead and a nurse meets me at the door and she’s taken straight through to a team waiting for her. The surgery she needs is around £400k in the US (as quoted by Americans in our support group)

had a baby last year. Didn’t spend a penny and got first class c section care.

id take the NHS over £kkkkks on US healthcare any day

Statistics are propaganda?