What’s the point in the NHS?

Well that's a well balanced article...not!
I live in France and IME the healthcare system is excellent. Not without issues, particularly in the déserts médicaux, but our government is actively implementing measures to address them. Unlike UK governments over the past several decades.

I don’t know if the UK citizens are eligible for cross border or European private health scheme, where public patients can go private abroad if you are waiting over a year. My Dad had his eyes done, he was fully reimbursed by the HSE.

im 35 and the NHS has saved my life on more than one occasion, x2 emergency operations being the top two things. Maybe they save money towards more serious things rather than a sprained ankle!

What absolute rubbish you talk. That is so not true. If you are going to spout daily mail/tik tok rubbish please make sure you evidence it

The American system is so much better because op would be one of those people who would get all the scans needed or not, and all the appointments because OP would have insurance and wouldn’t care that someone else wasn’t getting cancer treatment or going medically bankrupt because she would have had all the whistles and bells pulled out for her sprained ankle!!

You had an X-ray- nothing is broken, a sprain is stretched ligaments. Ligaments are left to rectify themselves because they can.
Sorry they didn’t lay down the red carpet for you and give you a pointless boot that cannot be used again or do anything to aid the actual strengthening of you muscles and ligaments because it immobilises them making them not work and extend the issue. If you want crutches that you don’t need, ask on a local fb page, loads of people probably have some that can’t be returned to the hospital because they can’t use them again or go to your local tip and see if they have a bucket full of discarded ones!
Want to do some exercises before physio - Google it, NHS have loads online- ChatGPT could find them for you!
What happened to people doing stuff for themselves before expecting everything to be done for them. You sprained you effing ankle like many people do everyday, most go “ohhh, that’s a bit sore and swollen, well I did go over on my ankle, I’ll put ice on it and see how it is in a few days” before even going to the doctors!

What sort of "scan" are you expecting for a sprained ankle, exactly?

I had my post on another thread deleted for suggesting not real.

I don’t doubt that others are waiting longer. My point was that it is not true that you have to be bed-bound to be offered a joint replacement on the NHS.

Yeah. They haven’t seen my DH who is so crippled by pain he’s been off work 9 months and is housebound. Specialist referral in Feb. No appointment date still. It’s like being told you’ve got a soft landing spot and finding out the landing spot was made of concrete after all.

It isn’t perfect. Funds are often displaced or there is not enough to go around an increasing population.

Aren’t you lucky that you could go to get an xray and advice in urgent care within a day.

There is plenty you can do for yourself at home with a sprain. Your GP can help.

Had you been in Ireland, you would be waited a lot longer, in the big standard A&E behind very sick patients, estimated waiting time, 24 hours. You would have paid €100 at reception before sitting your bum down.

When I fell down breaking 3 ribs. I was grateful for the x-ray, advice and strong pain killers.
I followed up with my GP. Another 70 euro for public health care.

If you want the gold standard treatment you take out health insurance.

Most people who can afford private insurance in Ireland has cover. I don’t. It’s a few thousands a year for a family policy.

I can’t speak for others but this is literally my experience - maybe I have been extremely lucky. I was diagnosed with OA just over 12 months ago. I was initially given physio and monitored which helped a little but not much. I went back 12 months later (which was last week) and I’ve been offered a full hip replacement within 3 months. I am mid-forties.

My point was that the OP is completely wrong stating that joint replacements are only being offered once a patient is bed-bound. I am far from bed bound.

Unfortunately it isn't always the case. FIL hip replacement wait was more than a year and that was more than 20 yrs ago.

A&E doctors don't handle referrals OP.

You need to see your GP and ask for this or for their advice on follow up treatment.

My child has a complete rupture of a ligament, the x-ray showed no bone damage as expected but did indicate ligament damage as it showed a joint effusion, excess fluid and blood in the joint space which triggered an MRI scan. They’ve had 9 months of one to one physio weekly and two weekly 1 hour small group sessions in the hospital gym with a physio for the last 6 months. They will need an operation once the joint and surrounding area has recovered sufficiently through rehabilitation, all through the NHS. My point being x-rays do indicate if there is a serious problem with a ligament and trigger a follow up scan if needed.

I had a totally different experience to you @younknow

I fell down the stairs, hurt my foot, called the ambulance, when I was in A&E the foot was x-rayed, ice pack given, given a boot and crutches with instructions on how to walk with crutches, given advice of how to look after the foot and they told me that I would get an appointment for a MRI scan and a referral to physio within 4 weeks.

I got an MRI, met with the consultant in the physio department who told me that I had a small broken bone, extensive tissue damage and hairline fractures all over my foot. I had 6 physio sessions plus 6 group sessions. From the fall to the end of the group sessions was about 10 months in total.

All the staff were brilliant, dedicated and lovely.

My foot will never be the same. It is still weaker 2 years later. But it would have been a lot worse without the NHS.

For those of you who might ask, “Why did you call the ambulance for hurting your foot?”, the ambulance crew said that I absolutely did the right thing. If you had seen my foot, you would have probably said the same.

What do you actually want? Self treatment for a sprain is standard and a pharmacist can suggest a suitable support. You can ask your gp to refer to physio (or you may be able to self refer) but usually ice, rest and gentle movements to mobilise(draw letters in the air with your toes) is the treatment. Your taxes funded a free xray and consultation on this occasion.

Problem is as with much of the public sector is mismanagement and waste. Too many "suits" wandering around with clipboards doing bugger all. Too much beurocracy.
Too much focus on political correctness. Expectations that female staff have to tolerate changing in rooms with a burly 6 foot 5 "woman" staring menacingly at them.
Trying to get a GP appointment is harder than plaiting custard.
Too many people getting treatment that they have no entitlement too, and being allowed to leave the country without paying the bill.
What government will ever have the balls to sweep away all the nonsense and get a proper service into action, ie: actually treating patients?

Whether OP is real or not, I do worry about how children are being brought up and whether society will be full of people just like OP.

When kids are told to question everything professionals say. When they are told to stay home because they have gave a cold, made such a fuss over a big bruise, made to believe that they know as much as people who have trained for years to become experts ,this is the adults they become.

Having worked until recently in A&E for a substantial time, 20 years. We never scan for a suspected sprain, X ray yes, maybe re x ray if symptoms getting worse. But we would provide crutches and I agree referring to chat GPT is not great. But really I cannot imagine other countries doing more unless they are insurance based healthcare providers that make
money out of unnecessary investigations as frequently happens in the US.

OMG she has a sprain. Yes a sprain hurts. Yes it swells. No it doesn’t require immobilisation all day. It requires support, a figure of 8 stretch bandage or elastic slip on sleeve from a chemist. Paracetamol / Ibuprofen for the pain and keep moving. Movement helps the swelling dissipate so limp on it and know the pain will lessen.

Ice and elevate the leg when home. And massage it.

Really for minor injuries people must educate themselves and manage it once the investigations have been done. The information is out there so source it and learn to cope.

I have hyper flexibility and have had soooo many ankle sprains over the years.

.

@younknow

Ankles were discussed on the Radio4 programme What's Up Docs? They waffle for a bit so you can skip to 5 minutes in. link

I've been unwell for about two years. My original GP thought it was a condition and ran some blood tests which came back negative. I saw a different GP who blamed it on menopause and said put up with it. I went back to the original GP who still thought it was the original condition and referred me to a specialist.

I've waited nearly 18 months for a consultant appointment. In the mean time, GP wouldn't entertain testing for anything else until I'd seen consultant.

Consultant doesn't think it is the condition but took some bloods and is sending me for a scan. She said she'll probably refer me back to the GP after that.

So two years later, I'm still no further forwards as to why I'm unwell all the time.

What treatment do you think you should have got for your sprained ankle, OP?

To the best of my knowledge, the treatment is rest, ice, compression and elevation, all of which are easily managed at home.

‘We’ aren’t. One employee said this to you on one occasion.

Why are some waiting 2 years then