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.

'The GPs aren't seeing patients face to face.' My DH had a face to face appointment this week.

I would be pissed off and angry in your position too. But I think your directing your anger at the wrong people. We're not in lockdown to protect the NHS staff, we're doing it to protect the NHS as a system. Imperfect as it is, it's the only system we have. A system designed by politicians and policy makers, not the nurses/doctors/HCP's/cleaners etc. working themselves into the ground on horrendous shifts right now in order to keep it afloat.

The rhetoric 'protect the NHS' is wrong, it makes it sound like a sacred cow.

'Don't overload the NHS if you can avoid it, so they can protect us' might be closer to the mark.

Sincere condolences to the OP, we also lost a very dear family member during this period. We dont know for sure if it was cv19 but it certainly had an impact.

I am also saying to a family member that they should question why a particular operation that could well be life saving has been cancelled.

So I do think you are not being unreasonable in expressing your upset and frustration in this way.

I am sorry for all you have been through and it’s awful about your family member who has died. Re your own situation, I did read that they are planning to re start more non CoVid appointments soon.

I appreciate if I was in your position I might feel differently but it is a pandemic and decisions will not always be the right one. I know the NHS is not perfect but I would much rather we had it. I know some other European models are good and arguably better though most of them get more funding but give me the NHS over the horror of the American model any day if you are poor or even on average earnings.

As others have said I think you are taking your anger out on the wrong people. The frontline staff caring for CoVid patients are working v hard and at great risk to themselves due to inadequate PPE.

I’ve had a ‘2 week wait’ referral and had my appointment through, I was suprised as I had heard nothing was happening due to COVID but that doesn’t seem to be the case exactly.

I agree OP. Refusing ambulances and medical care and leaving people to die is an absolute disgrace, but any critisism of the system is instantly jumped upon as a critisism of nursing staff.

I'm sorry for your loss and everything you are going through but you're directing your anger at the wrong people.
Plus the government aren't really getting the correct message across by saying 'protect the NHS' it's not really the NHS that is being protected through the lockdown, it's the large amount of public who would otherwise not receive the proper care.
I'm really sorry about your cancer treatment/diagnosis being delayed, the government really need to put alot more thought into essential treatments being delayed and/or cancelled. It's been 4 weeks and they still don't seem to have anything seriously put into place for people whose treatments are being cancelled and who must be terrified of what's going to happen to them

Ps sorry further to my comment above, I am v tired and not expressing myself well. I totally understand why you are so very upset and me saying mistakes will be made is insensitive. Truly hope you can get an appointment soon. Understand must be hell waiting.

but any critisism of the system is instantly jumped upon as a critisism of nursing staff

Exactly.

It's a disgrace the ambulance service will only take a patient if their lips are blue 🤯

But the decisions are made above both the ambulance service and the NHS
Blame the decision makers, the politicians

You're going through a tough time so your feelings are understandable but we're currently going through a global pandemic the likes of which haven't been seen for over 100 years, obviously that's going to impact our health system.

The system hasn't kept up with the increase in use anyway. If we only used it for stuff we need then it would be in a much better state. But everyone say 'I pay in so I can use it as I please". Hopefully it will be reformed after this.

"
It's a disgrace the ambulance service will only take a patient if their lips are blue"

This really needs looking at at the highest level, it's criminal and I've been saying it for weeks. Yes Matt Hancock we have capacity and admissions are going down, because you are leaving people to deteriorate (or even worse, die) at home. How is this not being challenged at any government briefing?? We question whether China's figures are accurate but maybe , just maybe, they treated their patients early enough to save their lives? They didn't build 5000 bed hospitals in a week for no reason

Cancer is shit. Cancer during covid is double shit. My husband just had his 3 monthly check up for his recurring tumour via phone and told to ‘keep an eye on’ the new lump thats steadily growing. My aunt has died from covid and my uncle is in ICU with it.

I still want to protect the NHS as much as I possibly can because without it we will all be fucked. I am sorry for your loss and for your situation but your anger needs to be towards the government, not the organisation doing its bloody hardest to keep us alive

Would you prefer a health system based on the ability to pay ???

I for one am hugely grateful for the NHS

Sorry for your loss OP. If your relative was told to ring back only when their lips had turned blue, that is shockingly negligent and needs reporting and investigating. All 999 calls are recorded.

Now that Covid has peaked there is a general feeling in hospitals that operations should restart.All emergencies and trauma is still going on and 2 week waits are being added.
The problem being that theatres and /or staff and equipment (theatre anaesthetic machines all have ventilators,2 per theatre).
These have been utilised one way or another to create capacity incase we had a surge and the curve didn't happen.Alot of this capacity hasn't been used and more has been created in the Nightingale facilities.
Movement of equipment especially was at breakneck speed and sorting out all the machines and equipment back to where it came from and restocking theatres that come back to total surgical use and restocking will take a few weeks.Recoveries partitioned bays ensure patient are not put at risk from others.Wards spaceaybe compromised keeping Covid positive parltents seperate and all hospital admission s to hospital will need testing.
But the move is on,more outpatients will,where feasible ,get telephone appointments.
We just need to reassure patients that A&E is safe if used by people who are genuinely ill and not to hesitate to go.

Yabu my df has cancer hes medication has stopped as it's not safe to continue them due to current situation as hes needs to be monitored. Hes time with us will be reduced.Many people are suffering due to this.

NHS needs to start remembering who they are there for

It really didn't take long for a bit of a nasty backlash. Why say this about the NHS rather than the government who have neglected and underfunded it for years?

TBF not every single NHS worker is rushed off their feet, plenty are twiddling their thumbs in deserted departments.
Frontline yes putting life on the line, others hmm not so much.

YANBU at all OP.

@DroppedBoxxedRuth

It's a disgrace the ambulance service will only take a patient if their lips are blue

This was not true in my case (X2). Yes it has been reported that it has happened, and that needs investigating, and is an absolute disgrace, but it is not the "norm".

What nasty talk. We didn't ask to be named as heroes. We ' remember who we are there for'. Patients. That doesn't mean we can be treated like crap whether in real life or online.
There is no need to be so offensive. You may pay taxes as we all do but you don't pay the tiniest fraction of what health costs would be in a paying system. Check it out online.

. You should of course receive medical attention.

Like most public services, the NHS has been unresourced, probably for decades. We should all be angry about this.

This virus is unprecedented in my lifetime. I have a medical condition that requires weekly tests. I have cancelled them because for the next few weeks, I don't want to go near a hospital right now. They are reducing services to control infection and redeploy resources.

So sorry you are in this situation OP. My family member has worrying symptoms, had an appointment cancelled, and can't be seen either.

But when they talk about protecting the NHS, they are talking about trying to prevent it from being totally and unnecessarily overwhelmed with hundreds of thousands of people all at the same time rather than have the cases spread out over a longer period.

I understand about the cancer care being not there

Dp stage 4 cancer was supposed to have an emergency scan in February because he thought things were not right. This was delayed until March then cancelled altogether until sometime so far in the future it could be too late.