NHS expectations

[Countess61]

Just thinking about the underfunding of the NHS and wondered what the original founders thought would happen. My feeling is that they just wanted to help people who had identifiable problems. Maybe "identifiable" has now become something very different, do you think?

Who do you think needs excluding from treatment?

the vast array of medications and the exorbitant costs to purchase them is a big issue.
people rightfully expect more care than 100 years ago thanks to very expensive technologies and equipment.
then comes the fact that people are living longer while being sicker and needing more staff and care.
hospitals and staffing have not kept up with population growth.
litigation...

You are right - how would you choose that?
But - how do we stop treating everybody for everything?

Maybe, and I know this is very controversial, but maybe there should be a system whereby there is a payment at GP level (obviously not applicable for those with either ongoing medical or financial problems - no, I am not sure how that would work). But also payment at A+E level (same as above). Everything "above" those levels is within NHS budget.

There's always the suggestion on MHS threads about fining for non attendance which is always a grey area .

If someone cannot attend because they ate ill
They are not capable for whatever reason of remembering an appointment
Their spouse is ill

Do you have a blanket "Missed Appointment= Charge" across the board unless you can prove you were in hospital /out of the country/in Police custody .

Personally I wouldn't want to see charging for missed NHS appointments .

NHS threads <sigh> not MHS

i don't think pharmaceutical should cost as much as they do.
and same with medical equipment.

the more people that work in health care the more money people earn and spend so really staffing in the bigger scheme is usually cost neutral.

they should build more smaller hospitals (which will have nicer friendlier atmospheres and with happy employees be more efficient).
lots of teaching as well as i'm sure there are some people who at the end of their life may not want aggressive treatment.

If you start charging for GP there will be people who are too tight to pay and this will end up in disaster especially if it's a contagious illness so community infections will rise or if it's something that if ignored progresses in a way that will end up costing so much in the long run.

I think GPs already play a fine role at gatekeeping unnecessary treatments and sending patients away several times until they finally refer. Your op makes it seem like the NHS treats for everything and it really really doesn't. Just look at NHS dentistry, physiotherapy or dermatology. GPs are always so reluctant to order further tests or referrals. Several cases of patients being sent away only to discover they have terminal cancer much later on.

NHS needs more funding and the answer is to raise taxes. But political parties will avoid doing this because higher taxes will impact them and their mates more as higher earners and it will make them unpopular with the electorates. They are waiting for the NHS to crumble until people finally resign and accept it's time for privatisation.

A lot of so-called ‘missed appointments’ are nothing of the kind. They are phone calls that don’t happen or ‘fail’ through no fault of the patient; or ‘Push Doctor’ online appointments where the GP doesn’t turn up for the consultation.

I am very wary of ‘did not attend’ statistics as a result. The dramatic headlines I suspect are misleading.

We should be able to treat everybody… and yes it’s not really free- there needs to be more tax paid from those high up the tree.
France has GP fee €25 but we also have high NI contributions AND health insurance (roughly €15-50/month). NHS is fabulous but needs more money - govt choose to underfund. x

So far since having my LB, I've had:

3 appointments arranged by the NHS, which were then cancelled and they didn't bother to tell me.

2 appointments that were duplicated, wasting both our time & the doctors

2 appointments that had the doctor turning up 30mins late

2 appointments where we arrived and the doctor didn't know what we were booked in for

1 missed MRI scan due to staff mix up

I'm pretty sure they could save some money by actually getting their act together on administration and communication between departments.

People want highly sophisticated medicine, with frequent appointments and efficient medication all provided by experts. For free. Add in the same expectations for social care and it is no wonder both systems are imploding, it is completely unsustainable. I totally agree a basic level of care should be universally available, but have no idea after that how the powers that be would decide who pays for anything further.

Well from my exoeriences over the past two years they don't seem to be treating anyone regardless of how sick they are so seems they are already implementing your plan

posted too soon.

I know people will now come on to say how wonderful they are and Im glad that is your experience but with one relative waiting almost 3 years for an 'urgent' operation and another close family member in hospital right now and in serious pain because they frankly can't be arsed to treat them (the excuses we have heard you could not make up! - I won't go into detail as outing) I have utterly lost faith in the NHS

When the NHS was founded in 1948, the UK was a completely different demographic. It was, and remains, a fantastic principle - healthcare free at the point of delivery for everybody.

But it's turned into an un-managable behemoth.

When people regard something as free, they value and respect it less. Like education - so highly valued in places where it is costly or more scarce, whereas here kids don't give a shit cos it's free.

The NHS has turned into a crap-shoot for its users (us). Some get excellent care and a good service, while others receive a shocking service and very poor (or no) care.

It's all a bit of a mess and the levels of wastage and inefficiency is mind-boggling.

Successive governments go blah blah blah and something's going to have to give at some point.

Start charging a nominal fee for meals. Hospital catering in my hospital where I work patients think its a hotel/restaurant. They absolutely take the piss with their expectations

So much money wasted equipment bought that's never used whole departments like brand new dentistry surgeries unused, managers that have no clue etc etc

I think when the NHS was first founded people weren’t really expected to live as long as they do now.

Things that are trivial now had the potential to be very deadly back then.

I don’t really know what the solution is but the NHS as it is currently is unsustainable.