Things the NHS doesn't do

[Silverclocks]

In the last couple of months I've spent the following on necessary (?) treatment and I'm not even ill!

• ear syringing £65. I was in lot of pain, drops weren't helping, but GP surgery told me it's not done on NHS, although I now understand it can be where there's a medical need, they obviously didn't want me to know that.

• Dental hygienist £95. Apparently essential to protect the health of my gums, but not available on NHS. I'm supposed to go 4 times pa....

• Eye test/check up £70

• £50 podiatrist. Infected ingrown toenail. GP prescribed antibiotics, but told me it would keep recurring without being seen to, but the NHS doesn't do podiatry. So they're prepared to prescribe anti biotics every few months forever, but not treat the cause.

• £50 x 4 Osteopath to treat a slipped disk. All fixed now. I might have been able to get it treated on the NHS eventually, but the first step was a telephone consultation with a physio and and the wait for that was 6-8 weeks. I was in agony and unable to work.

Thankfully I was able to have all these things done, but it must simply be out of the question for so many people. It makes me want to cry.

I’m the same, l put a thread on yesterday about this.

Things I pay for:
Physio
Mental health
Eye tests/glasses ( usually about £500 as complex prescription)
Endless dental appointments as l have teeth like chalk.
It’s never ending. I don’t really think there’s much of an NHS for minor issues. Although paying for a physio with frozen shoukder isn’t really minor.

Last month l spent £400 on medical stuff. I don’t have much money.

Exactly, something like frozen shoulder affects your entire life and stops you doing the things you should be doing to keep fit and healthy and away from the NHS!

I forgot, I also had some private counselling following a bereavement. Sadly, I didn't count that as it feels like a luxury I "should" have to pay for.

Wart removal. DH has a tiny one, that despite daily ver the counter and prescription treatment will not die.
He was quoted £200 locally to remove it with no guarantee of sucess

Yep I had to pay 50 for one ear syringed as I lost my hearing in that ear due to wax not shifting with anything else.

My DH's uncle is deaf and needs regular ear syringing and he still has to pay.

We have ear syringing and podiatry on the NHS, but obviously theres a waiting list.

@Mydogisagentleman

Wart removal. DH has a tiny one, that despite daily ver the counter and prescription treatment will not die. He was quoted £200 locally to remove it with no guarantee of sucess

Do you think this should be available on the nhs given that treatment might not work? How is this tiny wart affecting his day to day life??

@Horcruxe

We have ear syringing and podiatry on the NHS, but obviously theres a waiting list.

I have it written down from the surgery, in both cases, that it's not available. For podiatry I was told only for diabetics, for syringing I was told not at all. It might vary by are or they might have lied, but in both cases I was told carltegorically there was no way to have it on the NHS.

Yeah, in the past year I've had to pay for a hygienist for gum issues, dental treatment, a chiropractor for a back injury, eye tests. I also need some physio for diastasis recti but the NHS physio didn't think so, so it looks like I'll pay for that myself.

My DD needs braces but has now been told it's not severe enough for the NHS to cover, so I have to pay for that privately too at a cost of £3k+.

All tots up. I need 4 prescriptions a month too but fortunately, I discovered the pre-payment plan which saves me a good £30 a month.

@Mydogisagentleman

Wart removal. DH has a tiny one, that despite daily ver the counter and prescription treatment will not die. He was quoted £200 locally to remove it with no guarantee of sucess

Ah now sometimes, I do think private practioners give unnecessary treatment.

I had a few warts on my hands. Did my research and the upshot seemed to be to leave them alone and they'd eventually go. Once they clear naturally, you have some immunity.

I filed mine down with an emery board to make them less noticeable and less likely to catch on things. They went away eventually and I haven't had another in 30 years.

Ear syringing was removed as an NHS service a couple of years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54296737

Podiatry and chiropody are dependent on the individual patient I think. A couple of years ago I needed a chiropodist and could have had it on the NHS but it would have been over 12 months so I just paid for it.

I'm confused about the eye test, I thought everyone was entitled to a free one every 2 years, I've always had them for free at Specsavers.

Eye tests are free for those with glaucoma in the family. Well is for me anyway.

Plan ahead.

I left the NHS over 12 years ago because it was terrible and only inevitably going to get worse.

Which it has.

So many smug idiots argued with me at the time there was no such thing as a staffing shortage.

Yeah, right.

I've just had a 6 month wait for NHS podiatry with a suspected stress fracture. I'm "lucky" enough to be diabetic as that's the only way I would have qualified on the NHS. However I will say that they've been amazing and I had xrays within days as they pushed for urgent ones.

I am a bit cross with myself though for not going privately as all I've done in that 6 months is make it worse...............

I get free eye tests since I was 40 because my DF had glaucoma, but I pay for dentistry and podiatry.

Agree with PP that it is often the case that the NHS will prescribe antibiotics repeatedly without tackling the cause of the problem, which always seems shortsighted to me.

Apparently, 24 hour, ambulatory EEGs for children.

My daughter needs one, but they only offer short, 20 minute tests on the NHS. She’s had 3 so far and, unsurprisingly, they haven’t picked up any seizure activity. You’d have to be pretty lucky to have one in that short, 20 minute window.

They don’t offer the 24h, ambulatory EEGs on the NHS, so we can either pay for one privately or keep having the 20 minute ones until we hit the jackpot.

Flashing lights set her seizures off so we suggested using flashing lights so we were more likely to pick something up - they don’t do that

@rookiemere

I'm confused about the eye test, I thought everyone was entitled to a free one every 2 years, I've always had them for free at Specsavers.

You can have a sight test. Eye checks are not free

My DH syringes my ears with a kit form the pharmacy . Eye tests are free if you're a screen user at work . Honestly wart removal is a cosmetic proceeding and the NHS has more to do with its limited resources .

@BoodleBug51

I've just had a 6 month wait for NHS podiatry with a suspected stress fracture. I'm "lucky" enough to be diabetic as that's the only way I would have qualified on the NHS. However I will say that they've been amazing and I had xrays within days as they pushed for urgent ones.

I am a bit cross with myself though for not going privately as all I've done in that 6 months is make it worse...............

This is the crazy thing, so presumably now it's worse, it's more costly for the NHS to treat?

Employers have to pay for sight tests, not eye health checks.

They are free in Scotland

Varicose vein treatment.

I have one in my thigh that I get infected thrombophlebitis in at least 3 times a year. But it’s seen as a cosmetic issue.

@Auntieobem don't rub it in

@Horcruxe

We have ear syringing and podiatry on the NHS, but obviously theres a waiting list.

Not in my area. Paid £60 recently for ear syringing , couldn't hear.

Child mental health provision. Of course they say it's there (Gov) but even the GP will tell you it's not there now. £1600 fees from private care on credit card. Might send an invoice to my MP.