To be scared the NHS won't go back to 'normal'? Does anyone actually know if it will?

[leafyclover]

I'm not sure if this is a case of unreasonable or not or it's just my anxiety. Also, I'm not trying to start a political bunfight nor am I NHS bashing, I'm genuinely scared.

I'm on a low income. I can't afford any form of private healthcare.

After being lucky enough to be in relatively good health most of my life, I've recently developed a gynae problem related to my births years ago. I'm in a lot of discomfort every day and it's causing symptoms which are really impacting on my life and I don't know how much longer I can continue to do my job like this.

I've been to my GP who has referred my to the hospital, but she says it will be at least 8 months, possibly even a year. A YEAR!! To even speak to a consultant?? Then presumably waits for tests etc before I even start any treatment??

I'm almost more depressed about this than I am about the condition. I remember being annoyed about waiting 8 weeks 16 years ago.. It feels so incredibly unfair and scary that I am mid 30s and could be looking at years and years of my life like this until I get treatment.

Please tell me that this is temporary backlog and things will get better..

I am so down about it and scared for the future.

Still can't believe women in apparently 1st word country have to beg to be end to gyane.

I second checking if any other trust can take it or try to fund consultation. Or I heard there are Well-woman clinics and I believe these are accessible?

Covid + brexit labour shortages are a one-two punch it may never recover from.

Make no mistake, tories will say this is a natrual progression and make privatisation look as attractive as possible.

Simple fact is, if the public valued the NHS, they wouldn't keep electing Tory governments. We get what we vote for. Remember, the Tories did their very best to stop the NHS (and the welfare state, and basically anything else that benefits the masses) being set up.

I count myself very lucky in that from first referral to operation (hip replacement) it was 6 months and the operation was done in a private hospital funded by the NHS.

I am now scheduled for the other hip to be replaced in September, so 2 operations in a year!

However, a colleague of my daughter was turned away in labour and told to go to a city 1 hour away.

She gave birth in the car!!! We are in the East Midlands.

I don't see how it can recover given the huge staff shortages and lack of training places to address them.

Successive Conservative governments have systematically underfunded and run down the NHS, but what is very scary as a pp said, there isn't capacity in the private sector either.

And the private sector is fine for some things, hips/knees etc, it's not going to be able to do many of the complex procedures the NHS can

I’m lucky that the only times I’ve really had to interact with the NHS have been when my children were born in 2016 and 2020 (pre-covid). I was completely shocked at how overworked and under resourced they were when my first child was born, I had no idea it was so bad. I’ve heard so many horror stories from others as well.

One of our reasons for not having a third child was that I just didn’t want to have to experience the NHS antenatal/postnatal care for a third time and not feeling confident I would be safe.

I feel like the system has been broken for a very very long time already and I’m worried we are now past the point of no return.

The fact we aren't allowed to employ more admin at my trust is a nightmare. I work in a growing service (due to covid people would much rather have immunosuppressant medication couriered to them than have to come in and get it or have it administered, fair enough) that desperately needs admin help for invoicing but we aren't even allowed to advertise for a band 2 apprentice position. We are so busy but they won't give you more staff until you break.

Another one here not having a third child as unconfident in NHS safety.

Separately it does feel like the boomer generation are being left to their dates now.

This won't help them but I imagine people may end up taking more responsibility for their health going forward.

It is a particular shame when the NHS crisis is also ending up affecting people who have become ill or had an accident/emergency that was no fault of their own.

*fates not dates

Unfortunately it's not the NHS in isolation - social care is bankrupt. How many elderly patients end up in hospital when they could be cared for with social care input - thereby taking up desperately needed beds. How many elderly patients cannot be discharge - thereby taking up desperately needed beds - because there is nowhere for them to be discharged to, or adequate care packages cannot be sourced/funded for them.

The NHS cannot be 'fixed' without also fixing social care. And i don't see either of those happening anytime soon. I have a partner who works for social services and a family member who works for the NHS so I get it in both ears!

I don’t think it will recover, & I think anyone who can should save as much as possible for future private health care. Waiting so long to be seen will be hugely detrimental and possibly fatal for many. It’s scary.

@justasking111 is right. Don't think Labour will solve it either. Their 20 year tenure in Wales has seen health and education worse on every measure than England.
I don't trust the Tories either btw.
The only ways forward I can see are to merge health and social care, admit we need partial privatisation (which we already have in effect) and increase pay and working conditions for health and social services staff.
That would mean higher taxation, which, when it comes to the ballot box, no-one ever votes for.

I invested in Benendon, £11.90 a month & covers most common operations except heart, brain & joint replacement.

It'll never go back how it was, it was bad before Covid and Covid has been the complete undoing of it.
We''ll hopefully end up with something like some EU countries have and get back to having decent care at some point.

As of 2020, we had the first of 14.14 million ‘Boomer’ babies reaching the age of 75. The youngest of this cohort in 2020 was 54. As we know, healthcare visits (particularly acute & long term) increase as we age. Now the top, post war bulge is well into pensionable age, of course there will be extra pressure on health resources which at the same time are being squeezed.

In my region of the south east, our Trust knocked down a 700+ full service hospital & another 200+ inpatient hospital, replacing the first with a new outpatient, diagnostic & minor injuries hub (the rest of the land being sold for housing, a development of several hundred units), likewise the 200+ hospital was converted into a small outpatient hub & another 100+ dwellings. This has happened over the previous 12 years.

The other large hospital in the Trust didn’t have the available land to increase their inpatient beds by 900 to make up the total loss of beds. Just on a quick back of the envelope calculation, just on these 2 sites there now are several hundred new homes, but the net number of beds across the Trust have been halved. Replicate that out by the sheer number of brownfield sites, school field sell offs for housing (4 schools in our town alone amounting to around 800+ dwellings) and it’s blindingly obvious that the number of beds to population ratio is out of control.

I’m a lifelong Labour supporter, and to my shame these decisions were made under a Labour government.

When you add in natural factors like the rising age of the population, a rising population itself (Millenials aren’t far behind the boomer stats), a recent pandemic and attrition caused by staff burnout, it’s easy to see that before man made idiot policies (Brexit, I’m looking at you) and a reduction in health & social care spending for way over a decade, the NHS was heading for collapse!

It’s a combination of different chickens who are all finally coming home to roost.

NHS employees have for decades turned a blind eye to patients abusing the system. Anyone can roll up to hospitals/ health practises & receive totally free treatment no questions asked. So health tourism has depleted resources. I remember reading about one case when an African woman flew over when pregnant with multiple fetuses to have the birth for free on our NHS. After the birth she was invoiced ( at whatever fake UK address she had given) for the cost which was £800,000!! Of course she had returned to her native country leaving no trace & an unpaid bill. This is just one example, you don't need a degree in maths to understand what the cost is every year to provide services for these immoral individuals.

I don't think it will get better under this government - it might after a little while under a change of government. Vote for whoever is most likely to beat a Conservative candidate in your area.
In the meantime all we can do as individuals is try and stay as well as possible and hope for the best if we do need the NHS. Be nice to the staff as morale is low under the creaking system. Advocate for more funding and against privatisation. Eat well, get a bit of exercise if you can etc. And do what you reasonably can not to catch or spread covid as despite the deaths having reduced (which is obviously good news), it's still putting a strain on the system in terms of people needing treatment/staff sickness/long covid etc.

The current projections from the NHS pay review are that waiting times will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
Thats not with the burn out, staff leaving because of said pay review and inability to recruit.
So no not unreasonable.

My daughter has been referred for an operation and her OP appointment is next March, I can't see her being put on the actual waiting list until then. I really hope things improve but can't see it, I worked in the NHS for over 20 years so not bashing in any way.

Sorry but the suggestion that health tourism is to blame for the current state of the NHS is just absolute BS.

Stop reading the Daily Express 🤨

Vote wisely Id say, last 12 years have been horrendous.

I really question the intelligence of someone who believes that. Sounds like the kind of half witted tosh you read on local newspapers FB pages.

Yes it happens. But it's not the reason why the whole system is failing 🙄

What a load of racist shite.
I think I remember the case you refer to. If I'm correct, a women went into premature labour on board a plane. The flight wasn't even going to the UK but was diverted here as nearest place. Women was off loaded and gave birth in hospital, baby in special care. All left country when well enough to do so.
You keep believing the racist rags you get your information from though.

I can count on one hand the health tourism cases I’ve come across in 20 years of nursing.

I guess not good news then, but thanks for everyone's input though.

On a personal level I'm really upset tbh. I've been lucky with health up until now, and I'd heard the news obviously, but I suppose I just expected that healthcare would be there when I need it . I knew I couldn't expect to just be seen straight away, but 8 months to 1 year just to even speak to a consultant, never mind gets any tests to even get a picture of what's going on - I just feel despondent.

I'm on NMW there's no way I can afford to go private at all. I just get by month to month, there's nothing I could cut really. Is there really private healthcare for say £20 a month? I could maybe stretch to that, but does it cover something I've already been to my GP about? presumably it's on my notes now. I'm also really worried about work, because I am in a physical job, and it's getting really difficult as it's worsening my symptoms.

It's really rocked my world-view.