What should the NHS not fund?

[Username721]

Saw a thread on IVF for lesbians and some people felt that IVF should not be for anyone on the NHS. So it got me thinking.

Is there anything you feel should be exclusively private treatment? The ones often debated are things like weight loss surgery, cosmetic procedures, treatment for avoidable illness such as smoking-induced ones, liver failure through alcohol abuse, drug rehabilitation…

Thoughts?

Thing is, is that these are two very separate waiting lists. One does not affect the other because its very separate departments and specialists and surgeons.

I don't think it's quite that simple, though, as although they are two separate cost codes, the funding still has to come from the same limited pot.

Plus, IF we were to find that a lot of people were currently attracted to training and qualifying in surgeries primarily based on an inflated need caused by a lot of patients for whom the procedure was no longer to be funded by the NHS, meaning that there would be a lot less 'call' (and thus earning potential) for their profession, then people may well choose to specialise in something else that is NHS-funded from early on in their planned medical career.

Hard disagree. Full funding for hearing aids is a disability right - it enables Deaf people to communicate and participate in society. You might as well refuse to fund wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs.

Have a wonderful night!

I wouldn’t fund the salaries of the procurement managers who, despite being responsible for gigantic budgets, and essentially being the only customer of the U.K. pharmaceuticals industry, couldn’t negotiate their way out of a wet paper bag.

THAT is the scandal. The U.K. nhs, if it got its act together could grind big Pharma prices right down. Their buying power, if coordinated, is immense. Instead they allow fragmented buying, done Trust by Trust, and then let some fool who wouldn’t last 5 minutes in a proper commercial environment, negotiate with the shark-eyed big Pharma reps. Absolute madness.

Some of the answers here are gross. Only valuing physical health and ignoring mental health.

Everything people need (not want; NEED), in order to maintain their physical AND MENTAL health should be available on the NHS.

If it isn’t, the NHS has failed.

I don't know how I feel about IVF. Maybe it shouldn't be funded by the NHS if the person already has a child/children.

It isn’t. It’s also not funded if their partner has children. A woman could be infertile and need IVF to conceive but get no funding because her partner who is fertile has an adult child, even if she’d never met them.

It isn’t. It’s also not funded if their partner has children. A woman could be infertile and need IVF to conceive but get no funding because her partner who is fertile has an adult child, even if she’d never met them.

Well that'll teach me not to do my research. I didn't know that, I obviously think that's unfair and makes no sense whatsoever.

Of course it has failed and many people are going without their care needs mental or physical being fully met

Hence the need to consider which services should be prioritised over others

Personally I think the NHS is close to breaking point. I think Ivf shouldn't be on the NHS. The NHS needs to go back to covering the basics, emergency and treating severe illnesses/disabilities. I don't think cosmetic surgery should be funded.

I wouldn’t fund the salaries of the procurement managers who, despite being responsible for gigantic budgets, and essentially being the only customer of the U.K. pharmaceuticals industry, couldn’t negotiate their way out of a wet paper bag.

This is very true. Some of the 'cost-saving' initiatives have the (you'd have thought obvious) exact opposite effect.

The people whose main job is harassing HCP managers with demands to know, every single time that expensive, essential specialist supplies have to be ordered, that a time-consuming, evidenced, extensive market audit has been taken to find the best value for money option for the supplies - which only one company in the entire world manufactures, as those same people are told every time - should be the first to go.

What if you can't afford to?

Anything weight loss/obesity related

Including vulnerable folk with terrible MH leading to EDs, suffering from anorexia and often close to death?

I’m a lesbian and currently pregnant via IUI which my partner and I fully funded with a private clinic 5 hrs away! We have even paid for reservation samples for future treatment which we will also pay ourselves for.. I think the fertility treatment thing is a whole issue in itself because the NHS itself doesn’t just say they WILL or WILL NOT fund same sex fertility treatment… its a pick and choose and some PCPs WILL fund it while others wont! It’s like postcode lottery and I don’t think it should be selective like that.. It either should say it allows it or it doesn’t and that’s for all.. (and I’m not saying that as I was denied myself as I never even asked about it for myself but follow a lot of same sex TTC YouTubers that talk about this it being doing to your area if it’s funded or not).

I have had a few Chronic health conditions since I was a child and spend most of my teens admitted to hospital so can say as someone that has used the NHS often in the past.. I don’t think they should pay for a lot of things! I don’t really agree with our NHS simply because there are treatments that can put one of my conditions into remission however the NHS has deemed it too expensive for them to pay for so I will have to stay stick! I asked if I can pay for it myself and they said the system doesn’t work like that and I would have to go to my local MP to basically fight the case there!

It leaves no other choice but to go private and pay for that consultation and then see if they will allow me to get that medication and then pay for it then but if they are highly specialised medications it can be hard to source!

Meanwhile during this pregnancy I have been sick, tried to go to my pharmacy to buy whatever I felt I needed and they refused every time telling me I must get it prescribed by my GP! I have had arguments about putting the cost on the NHS for no reason when I can fund it myself all because they won’t just let me buy it and they claim it’s because of “liability”! Low and behold the GP prescribed the same thing I was trying to buy! Last time I decided not to even go to the GP and just ordered it on Amazon as whats the point! Just to later claim the NHS is struggling financially!

I have had treatments that would be cheaper done at home than in hospital but refused home healthcare for no reason really costing the NHS more when I said I’d rather not go hospital, take up an appt, hospital bed or similar someone else can use!

Now I only mention personal things that could have been self funded but the NHS refused.. I refuse to be admitted when I’m sick now (which is a potentially life threatening illness) so my it’s costs the NHS £0 now! And I just battle and suffer it out! However I have heard of so many treatments I don’t think should be find should be done.

I think for some treatments there should be a lead up before approval. Weight loss being one.. many will say they have tried EVERYTHING to loose weight, diets, gym.. you name it they done it.. But no proof! You use to be able to get free gym passes over a certain bmi (not anymore). If that was in place again it should record activity done to report back. Diets recorded with regular weigh in and goals to reach in time limits and similar to back their claims (I personally know a few people to go through this process and besides being asked what they tried in the past, sometimes they are not even made to loose the recommended weight before surgery and when they put weight back on after, they are still eligible to go again!

I feel more they should be stricter about the protocols leading UP TO approval of certain surgeries instead of it either being funded or not.

Due to my own experience I don’t even think the NHS should be a thing… It does work as it currently is and should it be kept, it needs a radical change! The system is seriously flawed all over!

Yeah fuck them. Liver cirrhosis, cancer, heart attack just let them die.
We will still treat people, injured in skiing or riding accidents, or those taking coke of course.

Gender treatments should not be funded. Operations are performed by a large team, not just a surgeon. A team of staff could otherwise be looking after someone with a brain tumour or an aneurysm or other deadly condition.

Drug and alcohol cases should be rounded up and locked up until they sober up, instead of filling up our A & E Departments.

Did not attend appointments should be charged for.

Expensive operations, with little chance of success should not be happening.

@ReeseWitherfork the only problem with limited clinical value is where do you draw that line? Currently hip and knee replacements are on that list-I have patients on the waiting list sobbing that they can’t go on and that they want to kill themselves because they can’t cope with the pain they are in. I’d not say that was limited clinical value…

@Tropicaliyes You sound like you are talking bollocks,
Nobody has treatment in hospital and a bed if you could be at home.

Unless you have suffered the unimaginable heartbreak, grief and mental turmoil that infertility causes I cannot imagine how anybody could want another human to be deprived IVF on the nhs due to medical factors out of their control.

Infertility is not a choice.

Christ this thread really is a place for stupid people to splurge their stupid opinions.

If removing IVF funding turns out in favour of proper healthcare for women (Endo, menopause, etc) I'm all for it.

Also, gender reassignment: redirect that funding to long term psychological support for those people. Women wanting breast reductions to handle chronic back pain are often rejected, but having boy feels is apparently a great reason to have an elective mastectomy.

Also obesity and smoking support, unless the former is down to an underlying medical issue.

Tattoo removals should also be self funded.

Hip and knee replacements have to be done by the NHS. If we are going to stop that we may as well send a leaflet out about how to easily commit suicide.

Those who are saying IVF and fertility treatments should be stopped have clearly never experienced the absolute black hole it takes you into. I was 28 when I started IVF which I paid for. I don't drink, don't smoke, don't take any medication, have no health issues and never waste GP's time. Infertility is a disease, one they cannot pin point why something isn't working. I hope your daughter/son/ sisters etc never have to experience the utter pain of infertility and wonder if they did you'd think differently.

I don't think the NHS should be put in the position of being judge and jury over what is 'self inflicted' or not. What an ugly, judgemental system that would be.