UK and America are two countries separated by a common language, UK and US Q&A cont'd

[mathanxiety]

Started another one in case anyone wants to do it again...

Eye tests are every year for children, every year for people with a prescription and every 3 years for people without one.

My DCs had a vision test every year in school. A city health department nurse did a rudimentary test. One particular nurse was notorious for her false positives. If you got referred you had to take your child to have a proper exam and show proof.

Iirc, in Ireland a county dentist used to do screening checks in National Schools under the School Dental Programme which I think is still running. I know my mother goes to the doctor annually in Ireland. I don't know if that's usual or just because she's 80ish.

Screen doors sometimes have an interchangeable glass panel and screen panel and are also called storm doors. In summer you would use the screen and swop in the glass panel for winter, so they provide a little weather protection. Sometimes they are like screen windows, with glass and screen panels you can raise or lower.

Around here most houses are open plan. In bigger homes there would be an area inside the front door that might be called the foyer but it would lead into other room areas with no doors to stop you.

I never close my windows when going out and rarely lock my door when home during the day - I sometimes even forget to at night. It drives my mother nuts when she visits, and she in turn bothers the DCs who always wonder why Nana is fussing about the doors..

There is a school dental programme, but, it's really just to make sure no children are falling through the cracks...dental check ups are every 6 months and children (and certain adults) are entitled to free dental care anyway, so really the school check is just a back up to make sure children have a dentist and are seeing them.

*Whispers

Annual medicals are not of much value as this scientific article discusses.

Of course if its part of how you make money you might not want to tell people this.

I am in UK and my GP takes my blood pressure when I go in to see her if she hasn't taken it for a couple of years even though it has never been high. It's a bit hit and miss though.

I don't do the annual physical actually. I really should I suppose, but I had all kinds of checks when I was pregnant with DD so I feel like I'm good for a bit yet. :)

Speaking of accents, I'm watching North and South again because I'm obsessed and I love their accents! The Northern ones, I mean. Those vowels! Have any of you seen it, and are they accurate?

The NHS does sound like a good thing but some things are foreign to us, like I remember someone on here saying she didn't want to go to the bathroom because she'd lose her spot in line if they called her name or number or whatever. Is that normal?

Yes, sort of...that's because a really high number of people make appointments that they don't turn up to, so if someone comes out and calls you and you're nowhere in sight, they'll move on to the next person.

But I'd expect that with any sort of appointment system?

If I have an appointment and also need the toilet, I check in at reception, go quickly and then sit in the waiting room.

You're only waiting at the most ten minutes usually for a GP.

Or if it was A&E (ER) or a hospital appointment...you'd just tell the receptionist that you were going to the toilet and will be back in a minute in case they happen to come for you at that moment.

Whispers

Annual medicals are not of much value as this scientific article discusses. Of course if its part of how you make money you might not want to tell people this

The company I worked for until recently offered us an annual medical - very minor, just BP, weight, and some blood tests.

They made no money off it and in fact it cost them money in the short term. But it saved them money in the long run because a) it did help people get preventative treatment and b) it encouraged people to lose weight.

The NHS does sound like a good thing but some things are foreign to us, like I remember someone on here saying she didn't want to go to the bathroom because she'd lose her spot in line if they called her name or number or whatever. Is that normal?

Only in very certain circumstances. For example at casualty or a drop in blood test place. Not for things like scans or GP appointments.

From the previous thread, but I don't think it's been answered

" CheerfulYank Sat 30-Aug-14 01:20:09

I have a question!

In Pride and Prejudice when Mrs Bennet says Mr Darcy gets "10,000 pounds a year", what does that mean? Does he have to run Pemberley with that, or is it just money for him to do whatever with?"

That is his income from Pemberley (and any other land or investments he may have). As with profit from any business he'd probably choose to invest some of it back into the estate - land drainage, improving housing for tenant farmers, that sort of thing, but essentially he can spend it on whatever he likes.

NHS routine health checks - eyes every 2 years; teeth between every 6 months and every 2 years, depending on how good your teeth are; cervical screening from the age of 25 to 65 (every 3 years if you're under 50, every 5 years if you're over 50); mammograms every 3 years from age 50 to 70 (this age band is gradually being increased); bowel cancer screening every 2 years while you are in your 60s (when you reach 70 you can carry on but they stop sending you reminders, but this is being increased to 75; in some areas these tests are done by post); general medical each time you register with a new GP [roughly equivalent to a 'family doctor'] (so usually each time you move house); cholesterol checks are recommended once you're over 40, but you don't get sent reminders about them - you can get these done by a pharmacist rather than making an appointment with a doc; some areas offer a routine medical when you reach 40 and every 5 or 10 years after that but it's not a universal thing. Any other testing would depend on your specific risk factors, family history etc.

There is a hilarious Mr Bean skit about a hospital waiting room involving losing places in line, CheerfulYank.

One annoying but ultimately efficient aspect of American healthcare is that if you make an appointment and then fail to show up without canceling in advance is you get billed for the appointment. As a result of this, many doctors' offices and hospital departments give you an automated reminder the say before which also serves as your final chance to press a button on your phone to cancel and reschedule.

Most doctors I have gone to -- pediatrician, ob/gyn and family doctor (the equivalent of GP) operate a cattle call appointment system. When I had my gallbladder out otoh the surgeon had a set time for each patient. exFIL was a neurosurgeon and had individual time slots for prospective patients in his practice. He once drove one of the SILs to an ob appointment as her car was out of action and was really ticked off at the long waiting time and stunned when he was told that was also the norm for pediatricians. I always wondered if the tendency to waste the time of patients/parents in this way was related to the fact that most patients and parents of patients in ob/gyn and pediatrician offices are women who are assumed to have time to waste during the day whereas with surgical patients a doctor will see equal numbers of men and women.

If I have ever really needed to go to the loo while waiting I have always told the receptionist where I'm off to that I will be back asap.

All the hospital appointments I've ever had have had a set time. Not often kept to, but a time is given.

I've got a question. I get that a purse (US) = handbag (UK). But what is a pocketbook? And what do women keep their money as here women keep money in purses and men wallets.

I'm a woman and I have a wallet. I haven't had a purse since I was about 11

Well I've had my Cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure checked in Sainsburys for free. Thats paid by the NHS - and as not performed by a doctor is pretty cheap.

Pocketbook is another word for handbag in the US, but considered by many to be a bit old-fashioned now. Wallet is used by both men and women in the US. Most women call their handbag a purse in the US, but handbag is also used as is bag.

I have a wallet in my handbag.

Am I alone in the uk in keeping my money in a purse? It's a proper grown up one.

I used to keep my wallet in my purse in the states. Now in the UK I keep it in my handbag. (although if we're going to be pedantic, my wallet is actually in my backpack at this moment!)

And yes, I've actually had people correct me when I've meant my handbag and said purse.

Well look at that.
I've looked it up and it seems I have a wallet. Here it is: m.cathkidston.com/kingswood-rose-folded-zip-wallet-with-leather/purses--and--wallets/cath-kidston/fcp-product/1013543

I'm not going to call it a wallet though. That's what men have in my opinion.

math

I've found ob-gyns and any kind of pregnancy related scan or test usually involved horrendous waiting times, usually of an hour at least, both in the hospital and in the doctors' office. Just as bad as the NHS imo - and even more galling that you pay for it! In the UK when you have private care, the expectation is that you don't wait hours.

Our pediatrician, at least, is very good at keeping to appointment times.

Not heard the term 'cattle call' system before, but I assume that means first-come-first served. GPs in the UK usually have a timed appointment system for the majority of patients, but also a sit-and-wait slot for people who haven't got an appointment but want to be seen that day. The majority of hospital doctors give timed appointments but things like baby clinics for routine checks are turn-up-and-wait.