To worry about not being able to see a paediatrician on the NHS?

[RevoltingPeasant]

Okay, so talk some sense into me, please.

I grew up in the US with private health insurance (obv). My sisters and I saw a paediatrician until we were in our late teens - in fact our 'family doctor' (GP) would not take patients under 16. I think this is normal in other countries as well - my German friend says the same.

We also got check ups really regularly, at least once a year but often more, and especially when we were babies. In fact, my younger sister's extremely aggressive abdominal cancer was first spotted when she was still pre-verbal, just during a routine check up. A few more weeks and it probably would have been untreatable - we are super lucky she lived.

DP and I are planning a family now, so I'm looking into these things, and have been told by friends that it's not normal to take DCs to a paed in this country (except in serious cases in hospital) and that check ups aren't regular if there aren't obvious symptoms. I find this worrying in a general sense, and also because with my family history, there is an increased chance that any baby of mine will develop that form of cancer.

Am I just being extremely precious?? Suffering from culture shock? Or this is genuinely a real gap in the NHS? It just seems.... negligent to me, not to give children routine preventative medicine, especially when they are too young to verbalise properly.

We didn't have monthly check-ups when we were in the US and we had good health insurance

some things better, some things worse. Such as is most things when comparing two cultures. As someone else said emergency care is a lot more straight forward and like the US if you want to pay for better care you can.

GPs treat from the cradle to the grave and will see lots and lots of children every day. They become very experienced in the routine and the regular and will see tons of kids with minor illnesses, injuries and infections.

This also means that they tend to be well aware when something out of the ordinary pops up - they may not be able to fully diagnose a very unusual condition or illness as that may need blood tests, scans and observations doing, but they are best placed to refer onwards to a paediatrician so that those things can be done.

I would be mighty relieved NOT to see a paediatrician as a parent, tbh, as it would mean I had a fit, healthy, normally developing child!

I know Riven my lovely, I know

I was chuffed to bits last week when the orthoptist decided to discharge DD2 as her surgery was so successful. It takes the number of professionals we see down from 13 to 12. Whoo hoo!

there have to be some upsides!

YANBU
I live in Germany - e.g. kids (~yearly) checkups with paediatrician, dental checkup every 6 months (with a dentist), smear/breast exam every 6 months (with a gynocologist), after 35 general check up with GP, ...

I pay ~9% of my income, but this also covers my kids (regardless of how many I have), and if my DH didn't work it would also cover him. We're also covered during maternity leave, during which I don't pay anything.

And Germans complain about the health system as much as the British complain about the NHS.

I don't see the problem. You are not forced into using the NHS if you don't want to.

You want to pay for insurance like they do in the US and have access to a paediatrician? Then do it. The service is available, nothing's stopping you.

Pay what they pay in the US, and fill your boots.

i'm going to be controversial. in my experience, uk gps are NOT experienced in dealing with small children esp babies or neonates. we went private after an incredibly bad and traumatic experience. GPs play the odds and hope it turns out ok in my experience. it doesn't always work out though.

also, good luck getting an appointment with a GP when your child is sick. in my surgery, all the appointments are gone by 845 even if you have the plague, they won't see you if you call up at 9am.

personally, i think the nhs is shit. but that's not a popular opinion. i watched my great aunt die from dehydration after a stroke because no one could be bothered to give her fluids and no one took responsibility, i had a miserable time giving birth, they've arsed up the care of my children. i could go on, but why bother?

i'm sorry, but the system is broken. get private medical insurance.

I'm another who grew up in the US and only ever saw our family doctor at the clinic - the same doctor who delivered me in the hospital down the road. I only went to the doctor if something was wrong - like when I broke my foot and then my wrist, or when I had to have a physical exam to go into grade school and then into high school. Immunisations were given at school by the public health nurse.

I never saw a paediatrician nor any specialist doctor in the US and as far as I'm aware, none of my siblings did, nor their kids. Not all had or have insurance, or very good insurance so they tend to go to the doctor only when they have to go.

Most of the kids I knew who needed specialist treatment went to the Shriner Hospital or St Judes - charity hospitals, because most families wouldn't have been able to afford specialist cancer or orthopaedic treatment, for example.

I grew up in a small town in a very working class, rural area, so perhaps my experience isn't like that of those from more middle and upper class families and communities.

I've had to call on the services of the NHS a few times in recent years, and apart from a few wee glitches, the service has been top notch, professional and efficient. I'm certainly very grateful for it (and grateful I now live in Scotland, where it's not being torn to bits.)

Sadly, just heard an in-law of my sister's in Indiana was poorly, but had no insurance and put off seeing a doctor because of the cost. Eventually he was in so much pain he went into the Emergency Room. They found advanced lung cancer that had already spread to the brain. He was dead within a few weeks, at 57. :(

some very good posts by Sofia and gasman further up,

as another point I wonder whether private health insurance will cover a routine check quite possibly not OP you might find you have to cover that yourself - worth considering

Micro - do yu not have a walk in centre where you are. We have 2 so if the kids are bad you can take them there. They even pay for a taxi if you dont drive and there is no public transport?

I haven't read the whole thread but just wanted to add my experience, it might, along with the other posts, help to put your mind at rest.

I had a few concerns about DS between 1 and 2 years old. With each one I took him to the GP or mentioned to the HV. I must say that each and every time we were referred to a paediatrician (or relevant professional) if necessary. Even when the GP or HV believed his 'symptoms' to be within expectations (sorry, can't think of right word this late!), they trusted my instinct that all was not right with him. I have to say that he now has the leading paediatrician in the region overseeing his development and healthcare and a team of other professionals (SALT, physiotherapy, podiatry etc) looking after him on a regular basis. I should also point out that without knowing him you wouldn't actually think that he needed this additional help, his needs are minor compared to a lot of children we see in clinic. However the professionals we have seen recognised that they could help him and that is why they see him.

I have gone off on a tangent I think , however I just wanted to maybe put your mind at rest that there are specialists available to see if you, your GP, HV believes that your child would benefit from seeing one. I really don't believe we could have had better care if we were paying (directly) for it. (Although I do realise experiences differ throughout the country, we live in the north where services are perhaps not as stretched as elsewhere).

We lived in the US for a bit and had to take our children to an annual check (no choice as it was a school requirement). The paed weighed and measured them, checked their reflexes and gave them a vaccination. Apart from the vaccination it seemed an utter waste of time, which I mainly recall because the paed was just so delighted that they were thin (in fact ds is quite underweight, but that didn't seem to be an issue in any way). I'm not anti preventative care at all, in fact I have a masters in public health, but there isn't very much evidence that checking healthy people is a good use of resources, and given that it is a nice little earner I am a little suspicious of it's role in the US healthcare system, which is very predisposed to unnecessary tests and procedures due to both it's funding structure and medico-legal issues.

Oh and where we lived (New York) our taxes were higher than in the UK (London) and then we had to pay for the health insurance scheme chosen by dh's work, plus large co-pays when dh had to see a doctor (after us spending significant stressful time trying to figure out who we were allowed to see), who prescribed him medicines that were extremely expensive (branded with a small amount in a pack that had obviously been left by a pharmaceutical agent, behaviour which is illegal in the UK), and which turned out to be inappropriate (for a middle ear infection which he didn't have). Oh, and then the insurance company refused to pay.

The experience made me even more grateful for the NHS.

I sympathise with your feelings. Before having my DD here, I have lived in the States and Canada; in both places I recieved surgical and follow-up treatment for serious illness. You are right that the attitude toward preventive medicine is very different, as is the approach to child health. I am very uncomfortable with it.
No advice, but I wanted to say that I understand your feelings. Don't worry about people telling you that you are being precious, etc...you are the one sitting here with actual experience of the two systems, trust your instincts.

There is a huge range in quality of care in the US, which is of course wrong. Similarly, the lower life expectancy reflects wider social inequality - it is not a sign that the health care is of lower quality, but that (among many other factors) health care is not universally available.

My best experience was in Canada, where I found health care to be free and generally available but also thorough and with a strong emphasis on preventive care and screening.

I am a little suspicious of it's role in the US healthcare system, which is very predisposed to unnecessary tests and procedures due to both it's funding structure

That sums up how I feel about having to pay directly for health care, opposed to paying for health care through my taxes

Why are we encouraged to see a dentist every 6 months which just covers our teeth and mouth but only a Doctor, which covers our whole body and mind, if something is wrong?

Anyone?

Personally I think the nhs is great, yes it has it's faults but I for one love the system we have.

Where else in the world can you get the treatment you need (generally) without your income/level of insurance being the first thing they are concerned with?

When I think of the treatment ds has had already on the nhs no way I would have been able to afford that without it causing panic at an already stressful time.

Whenever ds has needed to see a peads specialist he has whether that be within minutes of arriving in a and e or a scheduled appointment for something.

Gallowees - preventative measures to keep teeth clean, gums healthy to prevent teeth rot, gum disease and oral problems. Dental problems left untreated can lead to death...

www.foxreno.com/health/18573060/detail.html

Hi there! I'm an American living in the UK, my children are 4 and 5, and I LOVE the nhs, and all the care I received. My DC2 was born here, at home, an option I never would have had in the US. A midwife came every other day for 10 days after she was born (wouldn't get that in the US), and then a HV came once a week for 6 weeks. My son needed a tonsillectomy at aged 3; there was very little wait time, and the surgery and after care was top notch. Our GP knows and loves our children, remembers their names and takes time with them when they're ill, and I feel comfortable with him, as well.

Please remember that the US health industry is FOR profit...birth and babies are a business to them. I am actually glad I never gave birth in the US...I'm much happier with what we've received here.

OK, well private healthcare isn't illegal in this country. If you'd like it, buy it. And if you're worried about paying twice - bear in mind that we pay less in the UK, per capita, for the NHS than US citizens pay for Medicare / Medicaid which the majority of them can't access. Strange, not much known, but true.

GalloweesG - because our teeth will erode, it's basic chemistry. And fall out, if it's not caught and we get gum disease. That said, I've frequently gone years between appointments

If we had another medical condition which needed a close eye like that, we'd go back every six months for that as well. Just as we go for smears every few years.

Haven't read entire thread but can understand a little of what you are saying. However the HV/G.P. services are good but definitely speak to whomever is looking after you throughout your pregnancy and flag up the childhood cancer in your family. This should ensure your LO is immediately referred to paediatric services to keep a closer eye on him/her.

I also think that simply being pregnanat can make you a little anxious anyway, so try not to worry.

What I would like tyo point out to many of you who seem to think the NHS is free is - IT ISN'T! We all pay for it through NI contributions. We just don't have a monthly invoice sent to us. I often think that some folks put up with less than perfect service from some docs etc because they believe they are getting it for nothing. We pay for it.

Good luck OP with your pregnancy and hope your LO has a long life filled with love and happiness and very little need of the NHS :)