This is why A&E is overwhelmed

[PackedintheUK]

And it's nothing to do with over anxious patients seeking "unnecessary" medical care.

I have a very sore very swollen ankle as a result of an insect bite. I've asked advice at the pharmacy and been told it looks nasty, see your GP, you probably need antibiotics.

So I've tried. I've been calling GP surgery all morning and finally got through to have receptionist incredulously say "you want to see a doctor for a gnat bite?" and then be told the next appointment is 16 Nov.

Me: but pharmacist said I need seeing urgently.
Receptionist: All the emergency appointments are gone for today. You'll have to call back tomorrow.
Me: but I've been calling all morning, won't the same thing happen tomorrow?
Receptionist: Well I can't do anything about that, if you're that worried go to A&E

So,I'm not sure that I am "that" worried, but I have been told by someone better qualified than me that I should be seen. We lost a colleague to sepis this year, a fit young woman and it happened incredibly quickly, plus I have a friend currently in hospital on intravenous antibiotics from a very similar looking bite he got at the same park.

I also don't actually feel that well.My body aches and feels heavy and I'm a bit queasy, which could be coincidence or my imagination.

Probably/hopefully it is nothing that won't heal itself in a few days but it feels irresponsible not to take the advice I've been given. Also to go to A&E

So A&E for something that could (probably) have been dealt with in a matter of seconds in a GP (telephone/video?) appointment?

There's no walk in or minor injuries here.

Yes, about double - so not really that huge. I misread the post above as 9x as much. I would certainly like vouchers parents could spend at any school state of private and same for healthcare which you could top up as well as much less state provision and much lower taxes. However both the Tories and Labour are very high spend at present and we have the highest tax burden for 70 years so there really no choice at election time so I am not holding my breath for change.

Let us hope I don't get ill -needed a doctor for 7 minutes in 15 years so if that can hold out until I die all will be well.

I think myself we should take charitable status from private schools and give any savings to state education, which has been starved of funds in recent years.

I also think that any policy which undermines provision of basic healthcare in this country would be really inhumane.

When I call up our GP automatically says we haven’t got appointments, before you’ve even said anything else... so on the rare occasions it’s been for the kids, they miraculously have an appointment. So it’s okay for me to be dying at home but because I’ve called for the kids and now they know it’s for kids they have appointments. Obviously I know kids are more important but how can you make assumptions based on someone answering the phones...

@herecomesthsun

I think myself we should take charitable status from private schools and give any savings to state education, which has been starved of funds in recent years.

I also think that any policy which undermines provision of basic healthcare in this country would be really inhumane.

What savings? Have you done a full cost v benefit analysis to back up your opinion? How about the cost to the state of some private pupils returning to state schools when either the parents can't afford higher fees or the private schools close down because they become unviable.

No I haven't personally done a "full cost analysis" etc.

A quick google suggests it would save about £1.7 billion (Keir Starmer has done a full cost analysis it would seem).

Taking charitable status would not abolish private schools (which has been one position on the Left); but it could potentially redirect resources more fairly.

Of course, anyone involved with private schools thinks it's a terrible idea. But I guess they would, wouldn't they?

The NHS does waste money a poster on this thread tells of the enormous amount of cytotoxic drugs prescribed to her husband when he only takes one tablet. They are issued in packs of 4 I believe. Many thousands of pounds worth.

No one is allowed to criticise the NHS or GP’s and their practices.
Many people have a good experience of the NGS but many do not. The amount of childbirth injuries in mothers for example.

@Malibuismysecrethome Of course individuals make mistakes. I work in the private sector. There is waste there as well. My last private sector company closed because someone ran away with a lot of money they embezzled.
Maternity services needs more money. It is chronically underfunded.

julieca as usual the answer to women being left with life changing injuries after childbirth is they are “chronically underfunded”. Please change the record it isn’t underfunded just badly mismanaged. People are suing for millions and the NHS pays out because of bad care. They find this money.

@herecomesthsun

No I haven't personally done a "full cost analysis" etc.

A quick google suggests it would save about £1.7 billion (Keir Starmer has done a full cost analysis it would seem).

Taking charitable status would not abolish private schools (which has been one position on the Left); but it could potentially redirect resources more fairly.

Of course, anyone involved with private schools thinks it's a terrible idea. But I guess they would, wouldn't they?

I'm not involved in private schools at all. Every action has consequences, which is something that politicians/civil servants are very poor at considering, hence the sheer number of "unforeseen" consequences that cause decisions to be changed/overturned within a couple of years of being introduced.

I'd bet money on there being no proper evaluation/consideration of how many private school pupils would transfer to the state school system under Starmer's proposals, and every one who transfers adds thousands of pounds of costs to the state school costs.

@Malibuismysecrethome yeah ignore the reality if you want. There is not enough staff, there are not enough midwives. Women do not have enough monitoring in labour as a result. Women should have private rooms for postnatal care. This all costs money.

I was sent to A&E by gp when I was a teen for an insect bite on my ankle which had become infected. The hospital put me on a drip immediately and told me that any longer and I would've lost my foot because the swelling was so bad and had basically cut off my blood supply.
I don't mean to scare but please take infected bites seriously. I'm paranoid now!

I’m not ignoring the reality but I think may be you are.

No I am a heavy user of the NHS. I know what it is like and what it has been like in the past as well.

@Malibuismysecrethome

julieca as usual the answer to women being left with life changing injuries after childbirth is they are “chronically underfunded”. Please change the record it isn’t underfunded just badly mismanaged. People are suing for millions and the NHS pays out because of bad care. They find this money.

They don't just magically 'find this money' down the back of sofa. This is money that has to be accounted for as part of a Trust's ability to operate.

Cases involving claims against NHS Trusts for negligence are dealt with by NHS Resolution, set up by the Government to deal with claims against NHS Trusts.

NHS Resolution acts in a similar way to how an insurance company would act for an individual. Every year, each NHS Trust pays a premium to NHS Resolution so that they have cover in the event of a claim being made against them. Trusts that have a poor CQC rating will pay a higher premium.

Money paid out in compensation to victims of negligence comes from those premiums paid by the Trusts to NHS Resolution. Each NHS Trust is required to have cover in place to pay any claims, just in the same way that a car owner is required by law to obtain appropriate insurance cover.

There are similar organisations representing GPs, dentists, etc.

Yes but essentially it is NHS money and not insurers or reinsurers.

Yes but it will still be less money than funding the NHS properly.

@Malibuismysecrethome

Yes but essentially it is NHS money and not insurers or reinsurers.

Yes exactly. But it's NHS money that is allocated and paid to NHS Resolution annually NOT as you were implying loose money swilling around the system that could be spent on frontline care if only people could be arsed.

chequerboard out of interest I wonder how much is paid out annually by NHS Resolution

@Malibuismysecrethome

chequerboard out of interest I wonder how much is paid out annually by NHS Resolution

The attached is a screenshot from NHS Resolution's latest annual report.

Income from members, so the payments made into the scheme by Trusts is £1,951.3M plus another £487.5M top from the Dept of Health & Social Care to make a total of £2,438.8M for clinical schemes.

Payouts from clinical schemes including claimant & NHS legal costs totals £2,324.2M.

Not exactly small change.