What’s the point in the NHS?

As others have noted it is difficult to generalise about the NHS. In practice it is a number of small teams of varying quality and funding; the biggest issue is communication between teams.

Most ridiculous issue - during chemotherapy advised to go to A&E due to potential infection; cleared fairly quickly; then several hours waiting in a corridor for a doctor to discharge me.

I think they just have limited resources. Myself and family members have broken bones and care has been fantastic. Care during pregnancy again was fantastic. A very close relative died from cancer recently and again their end of life care was amazing.

A scan on a sprained ankle won’t tell you anything else and isn’t required unless you are an elite sportsperson or something (my son is and we have been there). Even then guess what? Told us that (wait for it) he had a sprained ankle:

The prescribed treatment is elevation, rest, ice and painkillers.

A boot will make you feel more comfortable and crutches but you can get these easily.

I don’t know the severity but even a grade three sprain you can be walking on in weeks.

YABU

You have sprained an ankle, not got a serious head injury. With proper self-care it will heal in three months. With specialist medical care it will heal in thirteen weeks !

I've not read the whole thread. I believe the NHS are great with emergencies and serious conditions. The mental health system meanwhile, certainly in my experience is a sham. In fact in my case they were/are dangerous. That is a whole different thread I feel.

Most people don’t need to visit A&E.
People should be able to treat minor injuries and illnesses at home on their own

It’s a cliche but it’s true, for most injuries, “time is the best healer”. THe NHS doesn’t have a TARDIS
Breaks, strains, sprains and cuts will generally heal on their own, especially if they’ve been set, stitched , confirmed not broken, or immobilised
Most viral illnesses are self limiting in seven to ten days. You don’t need a GP appointment if you’re a bit manky unless you’ve got an underlying condition or are known to be vulnerable , you’ll feel crap but you’ll be fine in a fortnight and there’s not a lot they can do apart from say take paracetamol, keep taking fluids and if you start getting sepsis go to A&E (you’re not going to go to the GP with sepsis)

I've currently got severe tendonitis in one ankle, which is not unlike a severe sprain. While I haven't gone to either a GP or ChatGPT, I'm currently following the advice from NHS Lanarkshire, including video exercises available on YouTube. For non-urgent/minor injuries, there's a wealth of good information out there, especially the NHS.

Have you ever used a GP on the NHS? How much dd you pay for your GP visits?

OP how much did you pay for the x-rays and doctors' time?

I agree , the NHS is failing badly . If you’ve had a serious accident and somethings hanging off they are brilliant , anything else they do a patch up job and expect that they will see you again at some point when something goes wrong . Most people I know won’t visit an and e it’s just not worth it .

To ask what is the point in NHS based on one experience with a minor injury shows you have a tremendous lack of perspective. NHS provides great care for serious ilnesses, perform world class surgeries and many people are alive because of them. If you think you can get better treatment go private, you will soon come back crawling to NHS when you see the prices in private. My husband went private (when I had insurance through work) and they billed him after every visit. Every MRI XRay separately and test was hunderds of pounds. Without the surgery he racked up thousands only on tests. The insurance paid but that is not the point. We lose perspective how expensive medical care is and we think we are entitled to it no matter what. Be thankfull for NHS.

Were you insured or was it free on Austria?

At least 15 million more people in the UK now. Less money in the bank. What do you expect?

After they've helped you initially.. AI and the internet in general can help you. Why waste more A&E time when you can help yourself personal responsibility and all that.

I ruptured two knee ligaments skiing in Austria, seen in a kind of minor injuries clinic - Xray, examination, painkillers, knee brace and crutches

You were seen (pretty quickly I may add with current wait times)
my partner was in hospital a few weeks ago and there was someone next to him kicking off about a sprained wrist as they had been there longer. Had the doctors gone and seen him first my partner would now have no leg at all it was that close. They will prioritise and a Spain isn’t anything they can do much about really. You got seen, got an x ray and got advice. If you are that anti nhs then maybe get private healthcare as pray to high heaven you or no one you are close to needs them in an actual emergency!!!

Sorry replied to wrong person

I'm similar.
I have to say that my experience in using private medicine has been pretty rubbish.

In comparison my NHS care has been excellent. Long waiting times mean I turned to private health care for a few things this year, but I can't fault the NHS for information and communication. Clarity from the NHS app to the admin staff.

In contrast my experience at the spire has been dogged by delay, miscommunication, buck passing and frustration. All dealings with consultants have been excellent but they're not actually employed by the Spire. All dealings with other staff from reception to call centre to website to med secs have been poor. Letters not sent , calls not returned, scans taking weeks to arrange then weeks for results. Whoever you speak to won't "own" the problem, it's always someone else's fault.
I havent got medical insurance but can afford to pay and they definitely don't like self funding patients, not sure why.

If the NHS weren't here you'd have got

• nothing for free
• the care you did receive for a few 1000 pounds
• better care like you seem to want for a few more 1000 pounds

If the NHS is so rubbish, why use it? No-one's forcing you to.

My husband had a stroke on Weds. Ambulance was here in under 10 minutes and he was whisked off to a major stroke unit where he had an op to remove a blood clot on the brain. He has spent three days in hospital and been seen by physio and speech therapist. He has now been given 4 different medications.

My daughter has epilepsy and sees a specialist every quarter and is on two drugs, which she gets for free. When she was younger and her seizures weren't under control, we used A&E a lot.

So if you have a serious condition it's great. It is less great when you are on a long waiting list. Also they use NICE guidelines and it could be that treatment you expected for torn ligaments had been deemed unnecessary.

It’s sometimes done brilliantly, and I am happy that your partner has had such good treatment. My father was diagnosed with liver cancer some years ago, he walked into hospital and died five weeks later having had no treatment and very little information.

He was booked for an MRI scan which was cancelled as the scanner was broken, and rescheduled for 2 weeks ahead. When he had the scan, he discovered that it had never been broken at all, he had been on an outpatient list instead of an inpatient one, so they cancelled him that day instead.

After his scan, woozy from a sedative, he received no help or attention, and fell over breaking his arm. He basically just gave up from that point, helped along with amounts of diamorphine that we weren’t entirely happy about.

So it’s not great for everyone, and this ridiculous cult like worship of an institution that consumes vast amounts of tax payers money and is the fifth-largest employer in the world does nothing to bring about better healthcare for everyone.

The arthritic conditions this poster is describing are not minor. They are autoimmune conditions that can cause significant disability and sometimes need very expensive immune-modulating injections just to manage the pain. At least look them up before commenting....

Nonsense.
I did the same thing 12 years ago. Immediate X-Ray reassured me nothing was broken. I followed the doctor’s advice of Rest, Ice and Compression. Probably bought a bandage from Tesco not Amazon. An MRI scan would nowadays cost £400 and would not impact on your treatment or recovery, just a waste of money and time.
Meanwhile I’m sitting here 3 days after a knee replacement operation which would have cost £20,000 if done privately.
Words cannot express my gratitude to the NHS surgical and hospital team.

Same with us @mindutopia. I hope your care continues to be excellent. 💐