To be really worried about the NHS this winter

[AtlasPine]

Just that really. Lots of issues around GP access, backlogs of people waiting for treatments and overstretched A&E departments. Flu season coming, Covid cases rising, staffing problems linked to Brexit and the rise of private practices offering better terms and conditions to doctors.

What can we do to support the NHS?

Vaccinations (flu and Covid) and look after ourselves as much as possible I suppose. I can’t afford private health care like most here I suspect.

It's not only GP's & hospitals that are failing, it's dentists as well. A dental checkup isn't only about teeth & gums, it is also a check for oral cancer. We now have so few NHS dentists that people on lower incomes who would qualify for free NHS treatment are being failed. I qualify for free treatment, my lovely dentist sold his practice in 2018, there were 4 dentists in the Practice as well as a hygienist, 8 dental nurses, 4 receptionists & a practice manager, now there is 1 dentist 3 days a week & a locum for 2 days a week, I haven't been able to get a check up since 2018, during lockdown my teeth started crumbling, I have had to go for emergency treatment several times & there is no restorative treatment, just extractions, I have lost 2 teeth, had 4 abcesses & am currently waiting to go for another extraction this week, I have been in agony for a week. There are no other NHS dentists in the area taking on new patients, I have lost nearly all of my front lower teeth & have 4 more that are crumbling, I can't eat most meat other than soft chicken or stewed meat, I have health conditions that need me to eat lots of red meat like steak to keep my iron levels up, at the moment I am having to live on soft mushy foods because I can't chew anything else. I have complained to the Care Quality Commission, NHS England & the Practice Manager but have had no positive response, I'm at the end of my tether, I don't want to see anyone because I'm so ashamed of my appearance, it is affecting my mental health now. They are hiding behind covid saying they are only doing emergency work, when I had my last extraction the locum said I needed extensive work but when I tried to book in got told to ring back after Christmas, it just isn't good enough.

We don’t train enough doctors in the UK. We turn away hundreds of young people every year who want to study medicine. A generous proportion of them will have sufficient academic and personal capacity to cope with the demands of the profession.

@Franklin12

The NHS is always overwhelmed every single sodding winter.

Totally agree Added in the fact that they seem quite happy to reduce staff even more with wanting compulsory COVID injections. Not exactly the right way to go in a pandemic, surely you want as many qualified staff as you can get, not less. Remember these were the ones regarded as saints last year.

I thought posters might be interested in this pre-pandemic thread about the state of the NHS

New Labour were the biggest privatisers of the NHS - if Starmer really is taking the party in that direction, be very worried

@Sugarandtime regarded us as saints ? Joking surely

[quote DerTrotzkopf]@Sugarandtime regarded us as saints ? Joking surely [/quote]
The way many people were banging their pots and Pans every Thursday evening for them. Yes
Obviously not actual saints

We don’t train enough doctors but that’s the doctors fault. The BMA repeatedly vote to restrict the number of medical students and prevent the opening of new medical schools.

The NHS is overwhelmed every Winter, the question should be why is it allowed to happen every year ?

Why if the Government know's something is inevitable, as in it is a regular occurence, happens every single year, don't they do something about it ?

I am currently on placement in the NHS. It has been a real eyeopener. There is so much red tape and so little joined up thinking. Many of the problems are due to how things are managed within the system. It's too wieldy. All my fellow students are having the same issues.

@Nat6999

It's not only GP's & hospitals that are failing, it's dentists as well. A dental checkup isn't only about teeth & gums, it is also a check for oral cancer. We now have so few NHS dentists that people on lower incomes who would qualify for free NHS treatment are being failed. I qualify for free treatment, my lovely dentist sold his practice in 2018, there were 4 dentists in the Practice as well as a hygienist, 8 dental nurses, 4 receptionists & a practice manager, now there is 1 dentist 3 days a week & a locum for 2 days a week, I haven't been able to get a check up since 2018, during lockdown my teeth started crumbling, I have had to go for emergency treatment several times & there is no restorative treatment, just extractions, I have lost 2 teeth, had 4 abcesses & am currently waiting to go for another extraction this week, I have been in agony for a week. There are no other NHS dentists in the area taking on new patients, I have lost nearly all of my front lower teeth & have 4 more that are crumbling, I can't eat most meat other than soft chicken or stewed meat, I have health conditions that need me to eat lots of red meat like steak to keep my iron levels up, at the moment I am having to live on soft mushy foods because I can't chew anything else. I have complained to the Care Quality Commission, NHS England & the Practice Manager but have had no positive response, I'm at the end of my tether, I don't want to see anyone because I'm so ashamed of my appearance, it is affecting my mental health now. They are hiding behind covid saying they are only doing emergency work, when I had my last extraction the locum said I needed extensive work but when I tried to book in got told to ring back after Christmas, it just isn't good enough.

Your gripe over nah dentistry is with Labour for introducing the worst possible contract possible meaning that anyone running a dental practice is running it a huge loss if they only served nhs patients.

Absolutely stupid to basically say hey we will pay you £xx amount per patient regardless of whether they need one or two fillings or if the treatment they need is more complex.

That simply isn't sustainable.

You wouldn't set up a business and run it at a loss!

But stupid Labour put the contract in place so your suffering the consequences.

People are always go quick to blame the Tories and think Labour are better but that simply isn't true.

@Cheerychirpy

We don’t train enough doctors but that’s the doctors fault. The BMA repeatedly vote to restrict the number of medical students and prevent the opening of new medical schools.

This isn’t true , the BMA have nothing to do with medical student numbers The cap is set by government and hopefully has been increased for the last 2 years and the upcoming but clearly will take a while for the benefits to be seen www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-places-on-medical-and-dentistry-courses-for-2021

www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a748

BMA votes to restrict numbers of medical students in 2008 as they didn’t want to ‘devalue the medical profession’. 2008, and 13 years on we are short of doctors…

The BMA is a union , it may express views but does not set the numbers - this was from 2008 as well. this comes from government who in the last 2 years have voted to increase the places www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/9b6dafd7-5d24-4696-b8af-404455c359fe/letter-from-minister-donelan-to-ofs_090821.pdf

So the Tories are increasing student numbers? Good. Maybe I ought to have voted for them.

'People always blame the tories and think labour are better ?' Really .....?

I know two medical students 3rd and 4th year who are going to work overseas ASAP. For two reasons one for better quality of life two the students loans won't catch up with them

@Sugarandtime We spend most of out time on ebay ignoring patients, danced routines for tik tok clips or pushed to the front of queues during lockdown.

I agree the nhs needs reform but I dont trust the torys not to do what's best for their pockets not what's best for us.
I would be happy for it to change ti a more European option but the torys will want it like the USA to make more money.
Its something that needs to be taken away from politics and headed by former NHS staff who are interested in making it better.

@Bigassbeebuzzbuzz

I agree the nhs needs reform but I dont trust the torys not to do what's best for their pockets not what's best for us. I would be happy for it to change ti a more European option but the torys will want it like the USA to make more money. Its something that needs to be taken away from politics and headed by former NHS staff who are interested in making it better.

Well in Wales, Scotland Ireland the Tories have zero say and we're in the same dire straits

I always think if patients were shown the bill (they wouldn't have to pay obviously) they might be more appreciative of just how much each appointment, scan, x-ray costs. We are all shocked at vets bills, but hospital bills for humans are far higher, and yet we never complain about those.
The NHS was set up so very ill people could receive treatment who would not be able to afford it otherwise. Now the NHS is expected to treat every sniffle, every ingrown toenail and every wonky, "confidence-affecting" nose. No country could afford what we now expect our state-funded healthcare to provide.

Yep, anyone wanting a US style system, this is a bill for an unplanned C-section. Hope you've got plenty tucked down the back of the sofa...

@Briony123 that is not true. My gran was born in 1907 and has told me about before the NHS and when the NHS first came about. She said that GPs then would treat things that they do not treat now. It was not established for seriously ill people.
My gran said it used to be common for GPs to deal with minor things that now you would expect to go to the chemists with and that you would be given free items like cotton wool on prescription.
Also even when I was young, cosmetic procedures would be carried out that are no longer eligible for funding.

@HannibalHayeski

Yep, anyone wanting a US style system, this is a bill for an unplanned C-section. Hope you've got plenty tucked down the back of the sofa...

Son broke his leg 15 years ago was $60k back then under USA system. Aspirin was $30 per tablet.

I had a few months ago a CT SCAN £400 and an MRI scan £900. Good what the USA charge would have been

@VladmirsPoutine

The tories are rubbing their hands in delight waiting for everyone to get on board with privatisation. U.S style healthcare will be a shock to the system.

American friends and what they have to pay for each prescription and treatment is mindblowng. Like £500 for single prescriptions if no insurance

Its why lots of people die in the US of illnesses they would get treatment for in the UK. I know, my Aunt was one.