AIBU to get a bit fucked off at having to protect the NHS?

[Santaclauswhosthat]

This is a healthcare system I've paid into all my life. I don't think everyone who works in it is a hero and the vast majority of them aren't underpaid. It's ranked 16th in the world and has the worst cancer outcomes for any developed country. It's not very good. Nonetheless it's the only healthcare system open to me right now. But I can't access it. My operation had been cancelled and I can't get a consultant appointment. The GPs aren't seeing patients face to face. I've already had one tumour removed that was on the turn. I'm worried that I may have another. I have no way of finding out if this is the case. A family member has already died of covid 19 after being denied treatment for three days during which repeated calls to the ambulance service were made whereupon his mother was told she should only ring again if his lips turned blue. He is dead. Right now. The NHS didn't protect him. It isn't protecting me either. What is the point of the NHS, exactly? Most clinics are closed or running at half mast. GPs aren't seeing anyone. NHS staff get shopping hours and free food and fuck knows what else and we are all dying protecting them.

As I have already described, the time scale of finding a lump, seeing a doctor, having an ultrasound, mammogram, biopsy, diagnosis? Three weeks.

It took my aunt 7 days on the NHS for breast cancer. 14 days on the NHS for another aunt with a rare form of vulvular cancer. When I complained to my GP of a breast lump I was in front of a specialist (and offered a mammogram) within 48 hours. Similarly Dad is receiving cutting edge nanotechnology treatment for heart failure.

The NHS when it works is better than any other health service in the world. Unfortunately it suffers from a postcode lottery due to mismanagement of funds and an politicisation of it’s budget.

I wouldn't abolish it particularly even though I don't need or use it, but I would cut it back to a more essentials only service and would try to do something about the massive cost caused by those who are over weight and have diabetes etc as a result particularly as covid 19 is very savagve on those who are over weight. We could use tht as part of a new ad campaign -
"Over weight? Save the NHS and avoid the new £50 per appointment large person charge and lose weight now."

We could have Boris J (over weight) and his fiance (not fat) on the ad too - look how covid 19 affected them so differently (by the way I appreciate some thin fit younger people have died of it of course too but we all have to accept that people being over weight is costing the NHS a fortune, covid 19 or no covid 19.

Do you have any concept at all what a functioning health service looks like? I pick up the phone, make an appointment with a doctor of my choice at a time convenient to me
Well that's a start, although not totally because sadly large proportion of people are just wasting appointments expecting to see a GP for the most minor things, but ultimately, this is only a very small side of it.

One of the key elements of a well established system is one that balances out that balances out prevention with treatment.

The NHS needs more funding but also a nation that start looking after itself. Funny how the one fact about the pressure on the nhs is our own doing, obesity, yet 13 pages down qnd not one bit of focus on that.

Let's keep contributing to a failing nhs and blame the professionals and government. So much easier and self rewarding!

When my son came out of major surgery they messed his medication up on the ward - he was literally holding onto his bed frame in agony the second night (first night he was ok on ICU). They wouldn't give him anything for the pain. Next morning, oh, sorry, there was a miscommunication with ICU and he should have had far more pain relief and we can give it to him now.... 😔😔. His post-op blood transfusion was delayed to such a point that he was losing consciousness.... I could go on....this as after the op. and two years of delay that nearly saw him in a wheelchair permanently.... I could go on.... 🙁I have been looking into private healthcare even though we can ill afford it as I really don't trust the NHS at all....🙁🙁

When the Director of our MH Service told me MH came under different funding streams to the NHS she looked askance when I pointed out that wasn't detailed on my tax statement and further that the CCG received central funds and then commissioned services from the NHS pot
Clever you! Except not totally true, most mental services are not funded by the local CCGs, but nevermind!

I've been failed by the NHS before at numerous levels BUT I dont blame the NHS as a whole.

I acknowledge that in some circumstances it's due to very bad GP's (fortunately very very far and few in between and that issue was then taken up legally against the particular GP and not the NHS), but also acknowledge at a wider level a lot of issues are due to funding, lack of staff and lack of resources.
I had to fight for my best friend to have life saving surgery as they simply didnt have the necessary consultants and specialists to do it. But I dont blame the nhs or the individual staff who had their hands tied. I blame the underfunding, and austerity which have led to this. And I will going forward blame brexit which had lead to such racism that many of the specialists, nurses and health care workers we rely on are either leaving or not coming and therefore will lead to even greater shortages.

I have many family members and friends within the NHS at varying levels, and it is incredibly hard for them, even without the pandemic. Many find their hands tied and end up incredibly frustrated. The culture of over work and under pay has resulted in a rife bullying culture within the NHS and many mental health issues across the board, with mental health services hugely cut for everyone in the UK.

It's a shit show. But it's not the NHS fault if they dont have the money, resources and staff to do the job that most staff at a individual level want to do. Its heart breaking for.many staff to not be able to do what they can see needs to be done. The lack of PPE for medical staff really goes to show how under valued the NHS really is to politicians.

This is precisely the reason I chose to go down research route rather then practitioner as due to my own complex mental health and disabilities I wouldn't have been able to cope working for the NHS in it's current state. But it means I appreciate all the staff who work incredibly hard to provide us with it.

I for one would not be able to afford to live without the nhs. Prescriptions alone would bankrupt me, even with help from extended family. And that's without the regular medication reviews I had to have every 3 months including tests, blood tests, consultant lead care, and everything else which without the NHS wouldnt be affordable. And thats without considering the fact that when I chose to have my own children I will need support from the nhs as other wise I wouldnt be able to afford the medical care bills, or the consultant lead care needed due to multiple medications I am on.
But without the NHS I wouldnt be able to work producing research to influence the care and approach for others with hugely under researched and neglected disabilities.

So yes the NHS might not be "fit" for purpose. But it's unfair to blame individual staff and departments for this fact. We need to look at the bigger picture. Which is that we as a society keep voting in the people who are dragging the NHS to its knees because I would be very surprised if most politicians didnt have private health care policies or fast track to care within the NHS.

The NHS had always been a postcode lottery, more affluent areas receiving the best care. On a political level this makes sense, as if people with low incomes/disability/out of work cant receive the correct medical care and devastatingly pass away then it increases the countries overall GPD and makes the country over all look more affluent. (Was discussing this with a few accountant friends a few days ago).

The UK is just simply a shit place to be unless your one of the rich and affluent at the top of the socioeconomic scale.

We could use tht as part of a new ad campaign -
"Over weight? Save the NHS and avoid the new £50 per appointment large person charge and lose weight now."
This would never be accepted, it would be discrimination and people prefer to remain in denial that obesity is the main cause of financial pressure on the nhs.

I wouldn't abolish it particularly even though I don't need or use it,

seriously Xenia can I ask, do you not do routine stuff like smears, mammograms, vaccines? Would you not go to A&E if you needed to?

How can they simultaneously say they won’t take people in to hospital unless their lips are blue, and then boast about having ‘capacity’ ?? What am I missing? What are these nightingale hospitals for exactly??

The NHS needs more funding but also a nation that start looking after itself. Funny how the one fact about the pressure on the nhs is our own doing, obesity, yet 13 pages down qnd not one bit of focus on that

This.

This would never be accepted, it would be discrimination and people prefer to remain in denial that obesity is the main cause of financial pressure on the nhs.

How about all the overweight NHS staff themselves start to lead by example??

Which is that we as a society keep voting in the people who are dragging the NHS to its knees

Brown/Blair trebled NHS spending but still left it in a poor state by spunking loads of money on higher GP wages, failed initiatives, and ruinous PFI deals that will leave our children paying for fancy mall style hospitals with atriums etc for decades to come. More money isn't the answer, it's need proper reform and better management.

How much I wonder would it cost to run the NHS to a good standard

Probably less than it gets given atm

I could save the NHS tens of millions by asking they just do one thing.

GPS should ask their patients what they think they have wrong with them and then start the diagnosis from there.

Over the past few years I have visited different people in hospital at one point in a female ward we were chatting to the other patients.
Everyone of them knew what they had wrong with them but the dr wouldn’t hear of it and it took them months to get round to testing for what they thought they had when they visited months before. Small procedures or things that didn’t need hospital treatment ended up with them all in hospital.

I have witnessed so much waste.

If a patient is going to be discharged from hospital later that day.

Before the patient has left the nurses strip the bed, wipe it down and change all the bedding. Then the patient sits in/on the bed then when the patient leaves a nurse comes in and strips the bed, wipes the bed down and puts on another set of clean sheets.

I did ask one nurse why they did this.

Apparently it is something they have always done.

Whilst this might not happen in every hospital I have seen it in enough to know that this isn’t an uncommon practice.

I am sure others have noticed little things that would save pennies/pounds here and there and multiplied by the number of patients/doctors/hospitals and you are looking at a huge amount

After the NHS killed my baby (negligence was proven) and I dealt with some sadistic midwives (being told to “shut the fuck up” and “well it’s your fault your baby died”) I do not clap for the NHS.

How about all the overweight NHS staff themselves start to lead by example??
Everyone should take responsibilit5 whatever their job. Why wait for others to show a good example?

By saying that, I'm not saying that it is easy. More than half our population is overweight. It's very hard, but hard doesn't mean 'not my problem'. One thing we can do for a start is helping our children having a well balanced diet and encouraging exercise if we can't do it for ourselves.

so sorry to hear that Birdie. You sound like you've had a terrible experience.

No system is perfect, and the NHS has had to operate on a shoestring for decades, but I still think you would find it hard to find another country where treatment is given in such circumstances.

You think one of the richest countries in the world should be comparing itself to some of the poorest? I think we should be comparing ourselves to others with a similar level of wealth in terms of critiquing it. The fact the NHS has been run into the ground is something to be ashamed of.

I could save the NHS tens of millions by asking they just do one thing
Ha ha a drop in the ocean! Diabetes cost the nhs £1.5 million..... AN HOUR!

But yes, go ahead and save a couple of millions a year, that will do it!

I think we should be comparing ourselves to others with a similar level of wealth in terms of critiquing it
Let's do that indeed. Oh yes, the nhs is comparatively very good cost for money. Here we go!

I am overweight. Probably obese

I have been to the doctors about my weight.

I was shown a “food pyramid” and told not to eat cakes and doughnuts.
I have never eaten cakes and doughnuts as I think they are horrible.
I don’t eat fried food or meat or cheese and have a diet heavy in veg and salads.

I am overweight because I exist on 2-4 hours sleep per night.

Since August 2017 I have had 3 nights where I have had 8 hours + of sleep.

I have dropped 4-5lbs from the previous day after the 8 hour sleep.

Sometimes it isn’t just about food in calories out.

I swapped my coffee for decaf after reading something about the menopause and cortisol.

I now hover about 5lbs lower than what I used to weigh.
Diet hasn’t changed only change is the type of coffee I drink

YABU, but you are grieving so it’s completely understandable that you are angry, but also completely this -

Who's decision do you think all those things are? They're certainly not made by front line medics. You're mad at the wrong people

@Guylan I’ve read the post, but it doesn’t get over the fact we had space available, we didn’t max out capacity but yet we still told people to stay at home too long, which had lost a lot of lives. People have passed away at home or in hospital because they’ve waited too long. If we have beds/equipment available why not give them to people who need them. Now we are saying the peak has gone and people are to now go into hospital if needed and not to wait too long. But we can’t forget these errors have cost lives. Maybe to us it’s just a number but it’s someone’s mum/dad/brother/sister etc.

@dontdisturbmenow where I live the CCG is the lead commissioner for CAMHS - which appears to spray money away conducting assessments to determine the young person doesn't need support for twelve weeks. They work 9-5 and have subcontracted counselling to local charities. So a young person might have four assessments in four weeks to cover them for providing nothing. It would be much more effective to roll out the therapy faster.

In reply to part of OP's original message "It's ranked 16th in the world and has the worst cancer outcomes for any developed country. It's not very good."

With nearly 200 countries in the world, how is 16th "not very good"?

Cancer outcomes relative to developed world, I agree that's unsatisfactory.

I accept your frustration, especially with your current circumstances.

🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩