What’s the point in the NHS?

NHS is great when it is properly funded and staffed. Unfortunately, it’s been cannibalised by successive governments to patch up budget shortfalls elsewhere.

And why should you? I want my taxes to pay for a fully comprehensive healthcare system. If I have a mental health crisis I don’t want to have the stress of paying thousands if I want to be treated. And yet here we are, with mental health services that don’t actually exist.

We just want a fully comprehensive reasonably priced service like they get in Europe. What so hard to understand? It’s not the NHS or America. Other options do exist.

Yes you often just end up with NHS and then BUPA pay you a certain amount for each night in NHS, this happened to DH a couple of times, you can only really use private for pre planned things

No one wants to pay tax ? Taxation is at a 70 year high. Who exactly do you think should be paying more tax ? We have marginal tax rates of 65% ( 75% if have a student loan) before we even consider the 100k childcare cliff edge. There is no more juice to squeeze.

My sibling fell over. They stretched the ligaments in their knee. They had a consultation with their GP and were prescribed a knee brace, a cooling pack to reduce swelling and anti inflamatories. When the swelling went down within a few days, they had twice weekly physio. This treatment cost them nothing. My sibling lives in France. I tell them about my experiences with the NHS and they are horrified.

You sprained your ankle.
If you'd needed a surgical boot you would have been provided one
If specialist physio was needed you would have been referred

So ai and Amazon would've provided all scans and examinations as well as the doctors years of training, knowledge and experience

Go and elevate your foot and be grateful that's the worst ailment you have to worry about.

And maybe look at your local NHS trust and see the index of services they provide whilst you're sitting there instead of writing goady posts on here.

Not sure why given the dire state of the French system.

The French medical system faces severe challenges, including a shortage of healthcare professionals, underfunded hospitals, and growing out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Key Problems in the French Healthcare System

• Medical Deserts: Roughly 8 million people live in under-served rural and suburban regions where access to general practitioners and specialists is severely limited.
• Hospital and Staffing Crises: Public hospitals run massive financial deficits, leading to chronic worker burnout, strikes, and severe staff shortages.
• Financial Barriers and Forgone Care: Up to a quarter of surveyed patients report forgoing necessary care-such as dental or specialist visits
• due to high co-payments and the requirement to advance payments upfront.
• Administrative and IT Inefficiencies: Outdated hospital IT systems focus more on billing than patient care, and a lack of integrated digital record sharing between providers leads to communication gaps.
• Reimbursement Disputes: Recent state budget adjustments and disputes over national health insurance coverage have sparked doctor strikes over rising patient out-of-pocket costs and administrative controls

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64216269

Yes to this. My dd dislocated her knee and tore ligaments. She is having specialist physio from her A&E visit and it was very easy to access. A quick search will show you torn ligaments are graded and you don’t need physio for the first grade.

I’d like it if the NHS was clear about what they were and weren’t prepared to fund. If they just gave up on providing physio (I filled in my self refer 5 weeks ago and have heard nothing!), dentistry, mental health services, hip replacements, etc then we’d all know where we stand, we’d all know we’d be expected to go private and could plan accordingly. Also why is it fair that in some places your taxes get you nhs dentistry and in others it doesn’t?

I have just seen an 81 yr old american man on SM lugging heavy suitcases to help fund his wife's cancer treatment. He now has a GFM. Shudder to think this may be our future with no NHS.

See your GP, they can do the additional imaging or the referrals if things don't settle. Thats the point of the GP. The point of a&e/UC is to ensure no fracture which they have ensured. DH broke a foot bone 4 weeks ago was also hobbling/did it abroad. Hobbled through the flight. got no xray when he went to urgent care cos they didnt think he needed one..is now much better. No complaints.

Can we please stop with the free nonsense?

How do you know he broke it, if he had no X ray?

Assuming OP is one of the dwindling band of people who actually work for a living, she is already paying for it

We all get crap healthcare and then clap because it's free

If it were me, I'd have to pay the equivalent of 50 to see a GP or pay about 100 for an injury clinic where I'd get better advice probably. An x ray would be more, maybe another 100, I'm not sure.. so I'd have to make the decision to pay for the x ray or not. Then I'd have to pay GP again for a check up or if I had to ring to get repeat pain prescriptions. If I needed a consultant it would be over 200 for a first consultation, and possibly wait a few weeks or more. Any additional appointments in hospital or clinic would be billed and could run into 1000s for scans etc. Or i could go on a public waiting list and wait a few months to have it free, but live with an injury, so another difficult decision. As it happens i pay for private insurance which would cover some expenses like X rays but I pay 100s annually for this luxury which still wouldn't cover the consultant fee or GP costs. You are unbelievably lucky to live somewhere that just gives you all this, I appreciate it may not be the best service but you'd think differently if you were constantly worrying about medical costs.

It’s amazing insurance compared to the USA, France…. I count my blessings for the NHS most weeks.

Wow. Hope you are feeling better and now recovering.

I had cancer - the NHS treated me - consequently im not dead. Years later & i have continuing treatment & monitoring. Consistent compassionate cutting edge care.
I broke my elbow recently - no cast/bandage as not needed - 1 physio appt to explain exercises & 1 follow up appt & x-ray to check healing. Standard expected care.
Relatives have had heart treatment & eye treatment/surgery recently. All good care & treatment.
You didnt had a great experience. That isnt universal. There are issues, but it is serving a purpose. When someone says 'you have cancer' I can tell you from experience you're very glad it is there.

I think France has vastly better healthcare to us

The NHS does seem to have become just this though - a service for emergencies.

I think there’s a bit of an expectation gap, as services have decreased and what’s available in terms of healthcare has increased.

People want a more holistic, end-to-end health service, but they’re only actually getting help in absolute emergencies (basically they’ll stop you dying).

That leaves a lot of people feeling very underwhelmed with the NHS

It’s becoming very normal to pay privately - and for the first time in my life, I’m thinking do I need private health insurance to ensure prompt treatment and proper healthcare. I would still use the NHS for what it’s good at (cancer etc) - but is it going to keep me in the best shape till old age? I don’t think so, sadly

I probably is ok if you have cancer or something like that but if you need a hip replacement or cataracts done then really the only way is to pay and go private or you will be waiting years.

No it doesn’t.

The French medical system faces severe challenges, including a shortage of healthcare professionals, underfunded hospitals, and growing out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Key Problems in the French Healthcare System
Medical Deserts: Roughly 8 million people live in under-served rural and suburban regions where access to general practitioners and specialists is severely limited.
Hospital and Staffing Crises: Public hospitals run massive financial deficits, leading to chronic worker burnout, strikes, and severe staff shortages.
Financial Barriers and Forgone Care: Up to a quarter of surveyed patients report forgoing necessary care-such as dental or specialist visits
due to high co-payments and the requirement to advance payments upfront.
Administrative and IT Inefficiencies: Outdated hospital IT systems focus more on billing than patient care, and a lack of integrated digital record sharing between providers leads to communication gaps.
Reimbursement Disputes: Recent state budget adjustments and disputes over national health insurance coverage have sparked doctor strikes over rising patient out-of-pocket costs and administrative controls
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64216269

You can pay to go private and forca sprained ankle you’ll get exactly the same as on the NHS but they’ll spend more time telling you the same as on the NHS and (sucks teeth) it’ll cost you!

I sprained one ankle at least half a dozen times and I don’t remember ever seeing a health professional of any kind about it.

The NHS kept me and my unborn child alive long enough when I developed severe preeclampsia so I could have her safely. It gave me surgery to remove a 17cm fibroid that was causing me incontinence to the extent that I couldn’t go out or into work, and it gave my dad a dignified and pain free death.

Sorry about your ankle though.