What’s the point in the NHS?

I completely agree that the NHS is struggling right now. But it's naive to think that you'd be better off directly paying for services unless you're banking on being fit and well indefinitely. About 20% of the average person's tax goes towards the NHS and the NHS as a whole spends about £300 per person per month.

This is broad brush maths, but there are fun calculators out there where you can work out if you're a net beneficiary or contributor based on how much tax you're paying. Look up "where does my tax go calculator".

It's shit when you're paying tax but feel you also need to top up privately. The NHS does need radical change but I don't know what that will look like.

I got hands on physio, naproxen and a couple of steroid injections and then hydrodilation for my frozen shoulder. All NHS

I am glad for you both. However that is not the point of the nhs, all ailments deserve to be treated not only life threatening. The level of care at the moment is alarming

Urgent care is just that I am afraid. If it’s not fractured, you will simply be asked to rest and ice it (RICE). There is nothing they can do and they would not scan it in urgent care.

if you truly cannot weight bare, they probably should of provided some crutches.

in most areas now it’s self refferal to a muscular sketetal team for a physio assessment. But you cannot do that until the swelling is down, so they won’t see you straight away.

Did they not give you any advise on resting it etc for now? That is literally all that can be done, and then it’s back to GP if it’s not healed in a few months time.

you can of course see a private physio too.

Mine was until he had an operation that had a conservative cost of around £300k. He’ll be in deficit for the rest of his life now.

So has my DH, but he is the exception rather than the rule!!!

You don’t know your sprain is exactly the same as your mum’s. If they refused to scan you I’d feel differently but you had an x ray! And just because you didn’t get the exact treatment as your mum doesn’t mean there is no point in the NHS.

Haven't read the whole thread but - why would you need a scan? You had an xray - it wasn't broken. What difference would a scan have made to any treatment plan??

My daughter had food poisoning in Mexico and was hospitalised for 24 hours. Abdomen scan, antibiotics, paracetamol and saline drip. Total bill $15,000 !! Thank fook for the NHS. She was insured thank gawd.

There are many things I’d improve in the NHS before I started messing around with the funding model. The cost would be extortionate and the money would be far better spent on improving patient care.

@Reluctantlyonhols my point was that the service I received was quick, personal and efficient.
This is a small unit in a semi rural town.
Without this I would have had to travel 40 plus minutes to a larger town.
They knew where I lived and suggested I went home and came back, instead of waiting.
I was happy with that, and don't resent staff in a small unit having a lunch hour.
What an odd thing to say...

Quite. Everyone talking about how wonderful the continental models are are completely ignoring that in those counties people usually pay more tax - and their citizens government uses that to spend more - sometimes a LOT more on their healthcare system.

Then in addition most people will still need to top up with monthly private healthcare premiums PLUS co-pays at point of service.

If the UK had been funding the NHS to the same levels as France as been funding their system for the last 30-40 years then the NHS would be so different.

So you want a different system and pay more in taxes and premiums to get it but you (not you Quiet Comet the poster you replied to) don’t want to fund the NHS to the same amount to get a better system?

Yes, I agree. Most who don't have insurance will probably either suffer from many untreated conditions, and sadly quite a few will probably die. 😕

I had three physio appointments. The guy I saw was brilliant. It was hard work but I went from not being able to get my hand any further than my hip to being able to do my bra up behind my back in six weeks. The Naproxen was vital.

ETA Sorry, I quoted the wrong post.

... And it's "ludicrous" btw

Why shouldn't the staff there get paid a decent wage?!? They work long hours, have to put up with all sorts
Would you be happy busting a gut and not getting paid enough to live on?

I'm on the fence with the NHS. It's been wonderful and life saving for me, literally from the day I was born extremely prematurely at three months old and weaned off heroin... the NICU was world class and exemplary. I literally wouldn't be here without it.

On other occasions, I've been fortunate to have emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, and an EMCS, and my ante and post natal care has been fantastic.

But... my health was ruined permanently after a concussion a decade ago, when my GP polydrugged me and prescribed an off label antipsychotic for severe insomnia and anxiety after the head injury. I've got a neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia as a result, and it lowered my opinion of the NHS considerably as a result.

Yes, absolutely, it's brilliant for many things. But if, and when it goes wrong, it seems some of us have the misfortune to suffer dreadful things. 😢💔

My friend was diagnosed with "health anxiety " when having diarrhea 26 times a day and asking for GP appointment 3rd time the same week. She was later diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Well I have asthma as does my cousin who moved to Texas a few years ago. We have pretty similar trestment but my costs me the price of a prepayment prescription (£120 ish) and she has to pay about £1300) she pays a bit less tax than I do when you take into account her insurance but over all costs more.
Its a bit like vets where the excess fucks you over.

Nearly all those countries spend more on healthcare than the UK.

Lets stop a moment and think why its struggling? Maybe its all the doctors/nurses ect going on strike demanding xxx payrise, wheres the money coming from to pay such a wage? There is a cost of living crisis and the nhs is spitting their dummys out insisting on a ludicus payrise.

As someone with a current broken ankle and numerous other problems with it (this has now been going on for 2 years) if you needed a treatment plan they would have given it you. I have been under trauma and orthopaedics for a long time they don’t leave you with nothing if you need it you will get the referrals but it sounds like you don’t.

Did you actually get physio or a list of exercises? I got a list of exercise which I did do but they didn’t help. Maybe they did a bit as I recovered in a year and they say it can be 2-3 years Certainly no hands on physio. Had to pay privately for that. I think the hands on stuff helped more than the exercise. I wish I’d been six weeks.

Well then, I guess you should start figuring out how to change the system, or move abroad then.

Or are you happy to sit on your arse and complain but do nothing?

@QuietComet no, of you had read my words, you would have seen I am not prepared to pay more for the NHS. I am prepared to pay more for a social inurance co-pay system like those in Continental Europe, where healthcare works.