As an expat living here for 10+ years here's my two cents

[Rainbowhairdontcare]

This count is too divided. It's the flash of the classes and the poor vs the rich. And then the ones who are doing better and want to aspirationaly see as "middle class".

You have to see beyond just two parties and see the policies. I think the NHS is not as great as you think, privatisation is not the end of the world.

What's really stalling this country via the lack of social mobility. Wages are too low for how expensive life is. Rent is and childcare can be crippling.

But above it all, you should move beyond the the "the heartless rich Tories" and the "benefit scrounging working classes". The country is all of you (and mine I guess as I've naturalized).

Is it 19 minutes?

I think a combination of preventive medicine (like an annual physical), plus the short appointments if you have a specific ailment, would work best.

But that ain't going to happen unless there's a lot more money available.

I've been here a lot longer and think you're oversimplifying things. Social mobility, however, is a major issue as is backwards thinking and clinging to the past.

I wish so badly that a political party would take the bull by the horns and introduce a health care system like France or Australia. I loathe this fanatical adoration of the NHS which quite frankly could be far superior if people were charged to use it.

In the same way as other countries, those that couldn't afford it would have free healthcare. Everyone else could pay and have insurance to make up the difficult.

DSD is 19 with an extremely rare form of cancer. Each week she has chemo, she has to phone in advance to see if there's a bed. Often there isn't and the chemo is delayed. Her surgeries have been cancelled because of a lack of beds. Her CT scans have disappeared into a black hole.

DD is 18, has had tonsillitis 5 times in 9 months, including hospitalisation, but they won't take her tonsils out.

I've had to fight tooth and nail and go partially private for steroid injections before finally getting a lumbar discectomy (which the NHS funded but was done privately, with far superior care and hospital stay).

The NHS is not fit for purpose and needs radical reform. Let's hope the Tories crack on and deal with it.

OP the Mexican system only works if you have money.
For those relying on state healthcare it is really pretty dire. Much worse than the NHS.

That said the private part works really well for those at the top.

The reason the NHS is not 'fit for purpose' because the tories have been chipping away at it for the last decade, cutting services and stripping it back to the bare bones. Of course its buckling.

How are all the other UK industries that have been privatised doing?

Blinkme this what I mean by fanatical. May e it simply doesn't work in present times and it's not down to the Tories. I got here in a labour government and it wasnt any better. In fact my treatment has improved overtime but that did be down to trust

Why do you call yourself an expat rather than an immigrant ?

There is private healthcare in the UK

Because I'm here only temporarily. I'll be back home once kids are off to college.

Cruddles yes there is private healthcare but it's not available everywhere

Why do you call yourself an expat rather than an immigrant ?

Id like to know this yoo

But you’ve been here ten years and have naturalised. And that’s temporary?

Sorry if that came across poorly. It’s just always interesting to me who is called or deems themselves an immigrant as opposed to an expat.

10 years isn’t temporary?

Expat or immigrant has nothing to do with temporary or permanent when people choose to use these words. We all know that certain people from certain countries are described as expats and others who are from other circumstances or countries are immigrants.

It's semantics in the end. Call me an immigrant if you like, makes no difference.

My experience of the Dutch insurance backed health system was very good.

Two NHS examples:

Suicidal teen: advice is to take them to A&E where they are admitted overnight to await a CAMHS review the next day because CAMHS only work 9-5. GP's cannot refer such cases directly to CAMHS for an emergency same day or next day assessment; it has to involve half a dozenn A&E staff, several hours in A&E, then a bed on a paed ward for up to 48 hours. All for a CAMHS review and action plan that probably recommends therapy in a month or more. Surely CAMHS shoukd be able to triage such cases straight away and save money.

Rheumatology clinic: three annual courses of zolendronate to increase bone density. After third session immediate discharge and the only way to see if bone density has improved is with a dexa scan. To access the dexa scan GP has to refer back in. GP apt, GP writes letter, hospital sends apt with consultant who orders dexa scan. Consultant rwviews dexa scan and recommends plan. How much simpler if desa scan were arranged after third dose, and then apt with consultant takes place.

Hypothyroid for 28 years. Same dose of levothyroxine for 28 years. Annual blood test. Then 56 day prescribing. GP has to process 6 prescriptions instead of one; patient wastes 2.5 hours visiting pharmacist. GP has told me thwy can't prescribe for a year because they need to keep my condition under review. If I only have one blood test per year which is automatically ordered and I only see the phlebotomist, how pray are they reviewing the condition?

It is badly managed and wastes HCP and patient time. It is an absolute farce. It needs root and branch reform and we need a system like that in France, Germany, Belgium, Australia.

Why should patients be grateful for suboptimal services which are free only at the point of delivery.

Go Boris - beat the behemoth.

French health care although good has a gp and dentist shortage in rural areas. If you need an eye test you have to be referred by your gp and it can take months to get an appointment. Also their emergency depts do have long waiting times because of the gp shortage.
The French state cover 70% of your medical care at their approved rate, so if a surgeon charges more you still only get 70% of the lower figure.
You then buy a mutuelle to top up cover, this also covers hospital beds, French state healthcare doesn’t consider your bed to be part of your healthcare. My mutuelle is €62. Per month and provides medium cover. You are not asked any health questions but it’s definitely more expensive the older you get.

We all know that certain people from certain countries are described as expats and others who are from other circumstances or countries are immigrants.

That’s precisely what I find interesting. People from other European countries ( other than countries like Poland) & from USA, Australia etc are deemed expats and call themselves expats. While people from perhaps less economically developed countries / not Western countries are called immigrants e.g. India, Nigeria, South Africa etc. Just interesting aha.

French do you find you pay less taxes than in the UK? Or about the same?

We're from NZ, we tend to call ourselves expats, mainly because like the OP, we don't intend for this to be permanent. However, we are also very firm that we are privileged to be immigrants to this country, despite DH being British born, and us all having British Citizenship and passports.

There was a discussion at school about immigrants. My DD was very uncomfortable at the negative tone and comments about immigrants and pointed out that she was an immigrant. Things then got really hostile, because far too many of her fellow students equate 'immigrant' with 'illegal'. We're very, very legal. I'm just wondering how and where these kids would have got that idea. . .