to think we should appreciate NHS more.

[familyj]

Now I have had some bad experiences with NHS. A sibling dying of undiagnosed cancer for a start. However, the alternative is so much worse.
I have family in Ireland who have to pay for most of their treatment. 1000 euros last week for consultants fees and scans to treat her cancer. They are not wealthy. However, there is such limited support.

I am a massive supporter of the NHS, but the time has come where we will be paying for private healthcare for something dh and I are not prepared to wait for. What are the waiting lists like in Ireland? Is the service more like the NHS or what you would expect from private here. I don't know why, but I have been quite surprised at how much better private care is.

I appreciate the NHS a lot. Without it none of my close family would be here (actually neither would I as my mum would have died in childbirth). It certainly has its faults but they are outweighed by its benefits.

Yes we should. I think you need to live without the nhs to really appreciate it. Said in France and friend in US will support that. I really 'got' the nhs when I was ill in both pg and ended up with emcs for both babies. I have two lovely children. When CD's heart stopped when I was in labour with her and a crash emcs was the only way to save her, no one asked me if I could afford it.

I'd rather have it than not have it IYSWIM, wish I could afford private though.

Obviously it was DD's heart that stopped, not CD's!

Now living in a country where there is no NHS I really do appreciate what we had in the UK. In Scotland we even got our prescriptions free, where as here, I am $68 every fortnight for my son's eczema cream alone. It is virtually impossible to get a family doctor here too, as the pay is rubbish and it is more beneficial to specialise in e.g. paediatrics for doctors here. You are actually better to go down and be seen at the Urgent Care facilities than wait for an appointment :(

My experiences with the NHS have been brilliant ( so far). Moved to England last July, my DS had an irregular growth (for want of a better word) on his face. It grew in the space of weeks. We were referred almost immediately to a beautiful dermatology clinic where it was removed. The follow up care was excellent too. If we were in Ireland we would have to have gone privately or we would still be on a list somewhere.

We paid 1,908 euro per year of private health insurance in Ireland.

My DS is now being seen by CAHM's here and again I cant believe the level of service we/he are receiving.

I think many people do not appreciate it enough. I have been working in it today and have been moaned at by several people who think they should be entitled to absolutely everything they want whether it is appropriate or not.

We, as users, need to revise our expectations to be realistic, those of us who work in it need to keep trying to make it more efficient and Cameron and co need to stop trying to fecking privatise it

This is a subject close to my heart at the moment.
I am disabled, I have brittle asthma.
I can go from no one knowing I'm ill, yto oxygen dependent.

Just over a week ago, I crashed in the night, called 999 and was blue lighted to hospital, straight into resuss with adrenalin used in the ambulance. I spent two days in high depency, and 4 further days in hospital.
This cost me nothing, nothing at all, and since I can't work due to it, I don't pay taxes.

However, I had a bad asthma attack on one of the wards, I had to ask for oxygen, no doctor came, I was terrified and begging for help.
It took a friend (an mnetter as it happens) turning up and demanding I was seen to get me the treatment I needed.
She did, she was fabulous, as was the doctor, but I truly believe I was in danger on that ward. They didn't seem to know, or understand asthma, and there just weren't enough staff.
I needed constant monitoring.

Of course, I can't argue with not having to pay, I wouldnl't be alive if I had to pay, but at the same time, some of the treatment, or lack of, is worrying.
Trying to take an asthmatic's oxygen away is not good practice, and neither is yelling at them so they will tell you their address.

type 'save the nhs' into a search engine - you're not alone

YANBU I have found that if you have a 'real' problem (life threatening) they are fantastic, not so great if it's smaller or niggly.

I had pre ecclampsia and then HELLP and the care I recieved was excellent, from my EMCS to recovery. DD is in the neonatal unit which is excellent. Wouldn't want to be without the good ol' NHS.

All the treatment we have had has been second to none. yes, we might have long waits sometimes (for non urget attention / appointments), but the clinical care has always been excellent. And IME of having been in and out of hospital with DS over the last 10 years, things are getting steadily better, too. Fewer agency burses and more who are settled into the routine and expertise of the ward, better management of appointments, more efficient procedures around being discharged so that you don't occupy a bed all day waiting for papers, overhaul of the whole X-ray provision, Consultants up to date with latest developments.

I can see why private care might be more convenient for non-serious things you want doing more quickly or at your convenience, but all the Drs I know say they would not go into a private hospital for anything serious.

Sadly the passing of the Health Bill (getting royal assent today or tomorrow) means the NHS is under real threat. The government has spent tens of thousands of pounds trying to stop any of us seeing the risk register civil servants compile for any big legislation - even though the Information Commissioner and the appeals panel have said they must publish it. A draft version has been leaked today - sadly too late for Parliament to take these risks into account when handling the Bill.

My sister has a chronic life-threatening condition and the NHS have been bloody marvellous. The level of support she gets is awesome - not just medical but emotional and help in completing her disability forms.

When I had a very high-risk pregnancy, I got endless 1-2-1 consultations with my consultant who people pay £££ to see in the private wing of the same hospital.

We have been so very, very lucky but the infrastructure is being torn down and the next generation will be looking on us with envy in exactly the same way as we look on the baby boomers when it comes to house prices, pensions and education.

Enjoy the last moments - it won't be here when your children grow up

I really do feel like rioting in the streets against that bill.

How dare they?

Quite, blu. A cynic might think lots of wealthy Tory donors stand to make lots of lovely money out of privatizing the NHS. I have no idea whether McKinsey's, who won the contract to run NHS London, have ever given money to the Tories, but I wouldn't be surprised. Or possibly it's inbuilt Tory aversion to public services - especially a public service that is cherished by the electorate.

No member of the public voted for this. It wasn't in any manifesto at the election. It wasn't in the coalition agreement either. But it's been rammed through Parliament, in the teeth of opposition from all the health professions and everyone and anyone who knows the first thing about the health service.

RIP, NHS.

yes yes yes we should be more appreciative of the NHS & the people in it.
We should be fighting to preserve it, Fecking Cameron should be parading it around the world as something to be proud of not selling it off.

My ds2 would not be here without the NHS & 9 yrs on he is still reliant on their care, therapy, support & services..world class!
I simply could nto afford the private care costs or even the huge insurance cover it would take to get him the same care anywhere else.
The richest can lay next to the poorest & receive equal care without question... what better system can there be.

I wrote and thanked my local hospital today. Dd2 was rushed in last week, serious asthma, in high dependency for some of the time. She also has Asperger Syndrome. The care was unsurpassed, not only treating the asthma but ensuring a routine was put into place as quickly as possible, informing her which staff would be working with her and when, and coming and notifying her when they left shift. Couldn't have asked for more.

Totally agree - I can't thank the NHS enough for the care they've provided myself and DD's the past few years.
I have 5DD's all born prematurely and requiring a lot of medical care in NICU etc.
DD2 got pneumonia at only a few weeks old, and was really poorly - spent a few days in PICU and a while in hospital.
DD's 3,4+5 (triplets) obviously spent a long time in hospital when born. When home DD3 got nasty cold which suddenly got worst and GP told us to go to hospital - within 2 minutes of getting there, DD had stopped breathing and took them over 3 hours to resuscitate. Was then on a ventilator (life support) for 3 weeks, and in PICU for 4 weeks with severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia - the treatment and care they provided was just amazing - DD had a 1-2-1 nurse 24/7, and all the medicines and treatments they could get into her - they were just amazing. DD would not be here without them. IMO, people who say that the NHS are crap, obviously haven't needed it enough - or had children (etc) who needed it enough.
Yes, getting a GP appt may be a PITA - but when you need life-saving treatment, with medicines costing £££££, the care is second to none, and the cost of treatment doesn't even get a second thought. Even the after care, and out-of-hospital care from the PICU was and is amazing - our accommodation, support, and the comfort from the nurses.

Well, we'd better be quick about it.

I already do appreciate free health care, massively, I feel very blessed thank you very much

Sorry I reacted towards your thread title OP I am sorry about your sibling

re Ireland waiting lists - I think that it's a worse rated health care system (or may be it was the other way around ).

Either way waiting lists are HUGE (I've waited for 9 months for a 24 hour heart monitor for example), it's a very two tier system, if you use the public system (for which there are charges for ie ?100 entrance for a&e) and there are people dying on trollies within this (i was in a&e for 5 days and spend part of it on a trolly that was sticking out of the door of a&e as it was the only space left (inside door not the entrance thankfully!) then went into a ward - a ward costs ?75 a night (capped at ?750)

then there's the private system, which is very expensive but very good, health insurance is going up massivly and the lower schemes don't cover much

those that work and are in the tax net do pay money towards the health service by still pay for the gp (for kids too) and just about everything else.

There is a medical card - those on job seekers get one, and those under a certain (very low) income get one. Also those with 'long term illness' get one too - though you'd be amazed as what doesn't get classed as an illness in this.

You pay for children as you would an adult

I'm english living in ireland and really miss the NHS - especially such as last week when I paid ?55 to get a repeat persciption then ?15 for the actual drugs

Moln I just can't believe that someone with cancer doesn't get any support.
No worries blapbird

YANBU.

They make mistakes because the NHS is just a system being worked by people who didn't design it. And as we all know, you've no idea how well something is going to work until you are in it.

But most people who work for the NHS do a good job and want the best for the patients.

I've had some crap advice and been treated like shit by hospital staff.

But without people who work for the NHS, my daughter wouldn't be here.

When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer, he was treated at BUPA as private health care was part of his employment package. However, it was limited and when it ran out, his care transferred to the NHS.

He said that his care under the NHS has been just as good, and on some occasions better, than it was privately.