What’s the point in the NHS?

Omg, this is pathetic.

OP, you've twisted your ankle.

The world doesn't revolve round you.

Yes, it's much better if refugees die, isn't it, rather than we treat them?

Give it a rest, you racist wally.

I think it’s a post code lottery. My father went to the GP with a hip which was in agony. The GP told him at 85 it was acceptable to have hip pain. My Dad went private and the consultant wrote to the GP in disgust. He had never had NHS treatment and his hip had completely worn away.
My husband had a RTA. His knee was swollen and he could not weight bear. Told to look at online exercises. A year later he got an MRI, which showed a fractured knee.
i went in April with weight loss and abdominal pains. Three different scans said I needed urgent referrals. Finally seeing someone next week under the 2 week pathway.
Also paid for painful varicose vein surgery last year, as the NHS doesn’t want to know.

I’m not sure I would have gone to A&E with a swollen ankle. It seems very dramatic.

OP's problem is it is a fairly minor, non life threatening thing, though painful so it is not afforded any NHS attention, like joint replacements and cataracts aren't. I think if you do want these sort of things attended to in a timely manner you do need to consider private care.

Just go private op.

the nhs does some things well, and some things not so well

i’ve got life changing injuries made significantly worse by the nhs.

just go private you won’t get any support out of the nhs.

bit rage baity post. going to minor injuries for a turned ankle is pretty ott.

RICE it and you will be grand

You’re judging the whole of the NHS based on your one situation?

The NHS literally saves lives day in, day out.

Yes, the nurse sounded unsympathetic and rude, but they are just one of a thousand who aren’t.

They gave you advice, offered you crutches and physio- what more did you want? Your sprain isn’t a medical emergency or the start of a serious disease or condition that will need treatment- that is what the NHS is designed for.

And the money is wasted. Labour spent years pouring more and more money into the NHS and nothing improved. The NHS spends over £3 billion a year on compensation for clinical negligence (and then likely is still paying the salary and generous pension of the negligent medical staff). Think what that could fund.

The point is my daughter resident doctor in palliative care making sure two young children came to the ward and shared ice lollies with their dad so they have one good memory of a terrible time.

The nhs gives excellent treatment to serious health problems, but doesn't have much capacity for minor issues, especially if they can be treated at home.

Personally, I'm ok with that.

@younknow to be fair, I'm not the NHS's biggest supporter but I'm surprised your mum got the care she did over a badly sprained ankle. I have badly torn ligaments twice, once in 1976 and once in 2010. You strap it, rest it, do some strengthening exercises and give it time to heal. Three months is about right. In 2010 I didn't even bother to get it XRayed.

I think what’s missing now is the element of ‘care’ in NHS treatment, and it’s worth so much. My parents are elderly and their GP practice used to be brilliant - a regular doctor who knew them, easy appointment booking, referral where needed and access to follow-up if not. The practice has changed over the last few years though - they struggle to book appointments (long phone queues, being told to complete online triage things), the doctors are different every time and don’t know their history/circumstances so spend the consultation reading from the computer rather than talking with them, and it gives them huge anxiety that care is lacking and things are being missed. The care might be the same on paper but it doesn’t feel like it. I had a similar experience when I got my coil changed last time - 8 years ago it was done by my lovely GP who I had seen for other things, they knew my medical history, all quick and easy. It felt like very good care. This time, told the GP surgery don’t do it any more, I had to call a number, took many attempts and voicemails left to make contact, got phoned back by someone who knew nothing about my history but read a huge list of intrusive questions about my sexuality, sexual history etc from a computer, got booked in to have it changed a few months later, it was in a shabby building off the high street with a very brusque male doctor (there was an equally brusque female nurse there too) and I found the experience pretty unsettling as well as painful and am now dreading the next time, whereas the first time was fine and I felt cared for. I can’t see how the most recent experience was cost-saving either - took a lot more time from various staff.
Reassurance/follow-up might be deemed unnecessary in medical terms but as humans it makes such a difference to our perception of care, anxiety levels and perceived speed of recovery. I hope you heal well and recover soon.

I feel the opposite and have no idea what the point of private healthcare is in this country. They don’t treat emergencies, don’t provide dental or MH or maternity services… We have it through DH’s work but have never used it because it doesn’t seem to cover anything!

The NHS is deeply flawed but ultimately means people who can’t afford health insurance mostly still get the support they need. Too many people abuse it and we’re overpopulated so there can be a substantial wait for that help but if you’re dying, they’ll step in pretty quick sharp in most cases.

The US system is awful. People will turn down help they desperately need because they’re not insured or their policy doesn’t cover it. They also ship you out of hospital the second you wake up after surgery.

Three years ago my 16 year old son collapsed at home i called 999 there was an ambulance within minutes
They diagnosed him aa being in DKA he was blue lighted to A and E straight through to resus and in intensive care within an hour
The NHS has many faults but in a,life threatening situation i couldnt fault them.

You went to A&E. It wasn’t broken therefore you don’t need emergency treatment

Now go to your GP to arrange physio

A&E staff are stretched enough, they don’t have time to be making physio referrals

This is true. The GP’s surgery I went to as a child always seemed to know who everyone was. I think they had 4 GP’s and each of them would know you and your history, as well as your parents. It was a family practice. They also did home visits, I distinctly recall being visited at home when I had tonsillitis.

I have experienced other healthcare systems. The NHS isn't the worst but it is really not very good.

What a bizarre post...... You don't understand the point of the NHS because when you twisted your ankle - for which the only really treatment is to rest it, you were told to rest it? What did you want them to do?

@Kg5685jgj Do you have personal experience of the French system or just believe what you read? I have personal experience in a different region to my sibling. I also have french friends and family and listen to what they say. Yes, there are issues in some regions, but that is being addressed. It is nowhere near the catastrophe that is in England.

Here I can ring my GP at 19.00 and they will answer personally and fit me in either same day or next morning. In the UK, I have to wait until 08.00, take 20 minutes to fill out an online form, wait until mid morning for an email, at which point I may or may not get a telephone call. I have been waiting already four months in the UK for an intervention which, if I'm lucky, might happen in December. Were I based full time in France, it would have already been dealt with and I would be on the road to recovery. Instead, I am stuck in limbo whilst things slowly deteriorate.

I'm not knocking the NHS clinical staff, but the NHS as a system is not fit for purpose.

@Pippa12you aren’t being unreasonable. There’s a culture of never being able to criticise the NHS but as you say seeing how things have changed over the years is quite shocking.

As for emergencies… a personal trainer I know was hit by a car and broke his collar bone in 4 places. That was on the Monday. Was taken to UCLH a supposedly top hospital. He was told he wouldn’t be able to be seen by the shoulder surgeon until Thursday. He asked about pain relief and they said paracetamol. He could hardly move to get home and asked if could take an ambulance and they laughed and said it’s not a taxi service. Anyway he through his work knew a sports medicine doctor and sent him a copy of his x Ray. The doctor said this type of injury could result in a lung puncture and needs an emergency operation and he needs to return to the hospital immediately. He went back to UCLH and had the surgery the next day. The sports doctor also said you don’t need to be a specialist shoulder surgeon to understand collar bone injuries like this are a lung puncture risk.

In 2018 I also was turned away twice before being admitted with a dangerous tropical infection after getting more ill over 3 months and multiple GP trips. Was told I had anxiety which was terrifying as I realised I had this infection. A private tropical medicine doctor called the hospital and they then admitted me (and believed me). I could hardly walk, had breathing difficult and was losing my vision in one eye by the time I saw the private doctor. Catalogue of errors in my treatment including losing my sample and treating me for the wrong condition initially. I was discharged and then it felt like my skin was crawling, I then started non stop vomiting and couldn’t even keep down water. I went yellow. Went back to the hospital. They could then see id had this infection on my notes and said - again - my symptoms were actually just anxiety from the infection. A few days later I was admitted with a toxic liver injury, the treatment had caused it (I had several rounds of the wrong treatment to start). As a liver in-patient someone gave me a drip with medication not suitable for liver disease, cue more vomiting and asking me who had given it to me. Three of the supposedly best hospitals in London involved in that charade. A private liver consultant guessed my billirubin number just looking at my colour but A&E of course thought it was anxiety 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. I still really struggle seeing doctors now and assume they won’t believe me

When your 5 month old has a seizure at home and the paramedics come, the seizure doesn’t stop and you go to a&e and the seizure doesn’t stop, so they transfer you to the hospital that has picu and you stay there for a week.

when you’re in labour and at the end the babies head is in the wrong position and you are rushed to theatre and have an emergency c section

when you have a burst appendix and you get antibiotics, CT scan and surgery

Of course it would be £thousands. This is 2026. Welcome 🙄

unsync

I had experience of the French system and it was better than NHS