to get slightly annoyed when people refer to the nhs as free?

[rootietootie]

Its not bloody free, well maybe at point of service, but everyone who works pays for it.

What annoys me more than the 'but it's free so don't complain' mantra is the 'I pay your f*ing wages so you will take the abuse I throw at you' attitude that I have seen many times at my GP, A&E and my antenatal clinic.

Last time I used A&E I'd been told to by a midwife as I fell while heavily pregnant. I took a book and sat it out, aware that I was probably not a high priority (no bleeding or anything). I was horrified at the people who swore, shouted and generally treated the staff like crap. I've used that A&E a few times in the 26 years I've lived here and some of the patients have been complete arse holes. I wonder how much of my tax has to go on the security guards these wankers force the hospital to hire.

Similarly, I often wonder at what people think should be covered. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen someone walk into A&E with 'a cough/bad cold' because 'i'm not registered with a GP'. It's a complete waste of time and money.

Aaaaaaaaaargh!

Sorry, rant over.

I agree we are lucky to have the NHS however 'it's free' doesn't wash with me as a reason not to complain if something goes wrong. In fact I think it is important we do complain. This allows investigation and hopefully improvement if necessary. It's in all our interests that the NHS becomes as efficient as possible and that bad practice is wiped out. Sometimes it takes a complaint for a problem to be recognised.

However being free at point of access does seem to encourage abuse of the system by certain people which is very wrong and some people do complain about stupid and unreasonable things. For instance not getting antibiotics for a virus. This should not stop people complaining when there is a genuine problem.

Hecubasdaughter

People in insurance based systems complain just as much when they don't get what they think they should, they pay for it after all.

I'm regularly baffled by the level of expectations some women have on a German parenting forum on how often they should get ultrasounds, or how mean the doctor is for charging for extra ones (because apparently, since he has the machine already, it doesn't cost him anything) etc, and a generally much higher tendency to go doctor-hopping.

The flipside of this is doctors and midwives actively selling treatments (homeopathy and other woo), "refer" to woomeisters who sell treatments (as in "diagnose" things in children which need to be treated by an osteopath), and also diagnostic tests (toxoplasmosis screening, glucose tolerance for people without risk factors, extra ultrasounds etc etc) to patients.

Patients then complain that these aren't covered by the Health Insurance, even though HCPs have recommended them to that, and are less likely to query why they're not being covered and look into the evidence/

Yes Delta I concur, when you are in a car accident, through no fault of your own, and the NHS ambulance is called, do make sure you stop the call and send them to some other "council" scrounger for treatment. I'm not proud I'll take an NHS ambulance anyday.

Then call your insurance company helpline, where hopefully they'll be ableto put you in touch with a specialist who hopefully can send a private ambulance to get you pending a review of you policy cover. Hopefully.

And if when those wonderous private medical folk arrive, why, the chances are they'll have been trained by the NHS, worked for the NHS or be temping whilst working for the NHS. And, to top off your disgust even more, you might even be sent to a private room in an NHS hospital.

And if yoy have any side effects or complications as a result of private care....they won't be covered by your healthcare and the NHS will have to foot thr bill.

But obviously being slim and healthy means nothing will happen to you, ever.

Of course you have a right to complain (if you have experienced bad service), in fact I think the NHS welcome complaints/comments.

How else to faults/problems come to light and services get improved?

LOL at 'council' health service

Didn't know illness was a respecter of class.