NHS vs Elsewhere

[Noicant]

If you have experienced both NHS care and care in other countries AIBU to ask whether your experience was better in the UK or abroad? Feel free to elaborate. This is not a thread bashing NHS staff and it’s not a political thread.

For me definitely abroad, I mainly have endocrinology problems - treatment was prompt, I saw a specialist who was able to explain my results in detail and explain dosages and how it may affect other aspects of my health. I did have to pay an excess but one I was happy with.

YANBU - treatment abroad was better
YABU- treatment in the UK was better

What’s the purpose of this?

Another NHS is shit thread. Why?

I said specifically in the OP it’s not having a go at staff and it’s not political.

I think people have perceptions of other systems which are not quite accurate. The NHS is not a sacred cow, it doesn’t always work for it’s patients, I’m not sure why that shouldn’t be discussed? On the flip side there will be people who have had terrible experiences with healthcare (expense, standards).

We have a home in France. In my experience the French system is more accessible, better run and there is a more patient focused attitude.

I have one experience of healthcare in Austria and it was incomparable to the UK in every way.

The continental models are the way to go imo.

My experience of treatment abroad

2 year old child with serious hand injury, massive blood loss, turned aways from hospital because panicky mother had picked up wrong insurance documents, driven to chemist instead, who patched her up inexpertly for free, and quite possibly saved her life - permanent damage to hand

I have had much better experiences in two other countries. BUT it was private or partly private and cost me. So no comparison. However the inefficiency of the NHS is costing them dearly. Same operation in U.K. and US - U.K. was two week hospital stay and US was day surgery.

that doesn't mean anything, I have had the same operation on each side of my body in the NHS, one was fine to be considered day surgery, the other required a lengthy hospital stay. two different reactions to identical operation

Another experience abroad that would never happen here, friend treated in back packers tent in the hospital grounds, as no white patients allowed inside

I personally think the NHS is up there among the best in the world, - of course you can list any number of better of worse treatments in any number of countries, but I still think we have one of the best

I don’t think you can compare as the majority of times when we get health care abroad it’s an insurance job
meaning ott as money making exercise

I don’t think this is necessarily a fair comparison. I’ve lived in had treatment in 2other European countries. In both, I had to pay for my appointments with consultants, although some of the treatments costs were offset when I was classed as a permanent resident, I still had to pay towards them. If I’d paid a similar amount in the uk, it would amount to going private.
The actual treatments differed anyway…not all countries treat conditions in the same way, so not really comparable.
I was lucky in that I had some money to pay. Many people I knew did not, despite being born and bred in the country. This meant they didn’t get treated.
I work for the NHS, and it’s struggling with understaffing, and under-resourcing. On balance, I would still say the actual treatment is better, even if the process can be longer.
Just my experience.

New Zealand. We do not have private insurance.

I can see a G.P within 24 hours. 15 minute consultation. I can see the same person each time - although that can take a few days rather than immediate. It costs me 30 gbp per visit. So works well if you can pay. Kids are free. I pay for extra mammograms which are about 120 quid each year. Appointments available quickly and at a convenient time.

Between us, we've had three operations, two A and E visits. The emergency treatment has been amazing.

I have a friend who has had to pay a significant amount for cancer drugs that may have been funded in the UK.

You didn't specify which 'abroad' you mean. I visited my grandma in hospital in my home country. She has dementia and is struggling to walk now. She's been in there for about 3 months in a mental heath ward when I went in (due to not having a space for her elsewhere).
The first thing that hit me as I went through the door was the smell of excrement, walls crumbling in patches. 2-3 nurses for about 30 odd (maybe more) people. Noone has the time to make sure the patients move/sit up, so my grandma was lying in bed all day, wasting away. The do 'pad rounds' when they go around changing people's pads. Until then, you sit in in. The bed is a creaky iron contraption that you can't adjust the height of, I'm very short, this was up to my knee - I can imagine the back pain the nurses must have there. Mattress about 12 cms thick, sunken old sponge, the bedsheets were yellow and patched up. You have to take your own mug/cup, nobody washes it for the patients, it was smelly when we got there.
We have seen dry bed in front of my grandma, that was her 'afternoon snack'. A slice of dry bed.
Relatives take everything in (if they can) for the patients, clothes (which get stolen by others), loo paper!, cups, food.
This is in Europe, within the EU.

Similar situation than here, the Government doesn't spend on improving healthcare, hasn't for decades.

(Luckily we had a space coming up in a private place for my grandma, she can now sit up on her own and staff look after her.)

Any, I don’t live in the UK, big world out there. I’m sorry about your gran’s treatment, that is awful.

Could be better or worse, I’m not as the first poster implied starting the NHS is shit thread. My mum got excellent cancer care for example within the NHS, literally everyone in my UK family had a significantly worse maternity experience to me. Womens health issues in my experience have been dealt with much better than the NHS.

My co-pay is extremely reasonable - it was about a tenner to see my consultant, it is definitely more expensive for me to access healthcare BUT I can actually have my problems dealt with. I personally found I am having to pay a bit but feeling well vs free but feel like shit. I’d rather pay my tenner tbh.

I have experienced health care systemsin 3 other countries including a developing country. NHS is the worst! I watched the olympic openning ceremony and was curious about NHS before moving to the UK. Soon I realised its the worst system I have ever seen. I felt it was a pot luck if you can see a gp or not. Even thinking about ringing my local surgery gives me stress. Dentists even worse. In my opinion, the problems NHS has are not only lack of funding, but also they way it is, lack of efficiency, lack of incentives for Drs etc. A lot of people think it is free, but nothing is free, the funding comes from taxes that every working person pays. People often compare it with the US, I havent lived in the US and cant comment on that, but I know all the other countries I have lived before have a much better system. I m not saying they are perfect, but at least you can get to see a Dr mucher easier with reception trying to block you.

I personally haven't had any experience outside the UK but I regularly chat to a group of friends in the USA via zoom and this topic often comes up. I've gathered from this that their system seems to mean that they can access treatment easier than in the UK but that the main complaints are with how it's paid for. I understand that for those on the lowest incomes there is a free government insurance scheme which pays for basic care but it's the people whose incomes are just above the qualifying amount who struggle and some simply can't manage to pay for insurance. These people can go to an emergency room for treatment but will then be invoiced. I'm told that medical bills are the highest reason for bankruptcy in the US.

Not sure about that TBH but I guess it may be country dependent and whether it's an emergency or elective.

If you rock up with a problem at Urgences (A&E) at a French hospital clutching insurance and/or your GHIC you will get the same level of treatment as the locals get (which is normally very good).

Abroad absolutely. Grew up with continental model.
I had my own obgyn since needed (if no issues from time you become sexually active for smears)
Dentistry is a part of basic helthcare so basics are free, access to specialists shch as dermatologist etc, within couple of weeks by myself, no need to beg gp.
My family still has these. They also had GPs and dentistry access since first lock down eased up while here everything was still shut.🤦

As few of us always say. Iknow many immigrants who fly back to their countries for healthcare. Especially women's care. The system for that here is somewhat demeaning.

I lived in Israel for a bit, where access to healthcare is far superior than the NHS.
The healthcare is partially socialised, insurance is heavily subsidised by the government so it was not a lot for basic coverage and copay is very little also, permanent residents pay less than I did as a visa holder, it is linked to the benefits system so the amount you pay is means tested.
People there complain about wait times to see specialists but it is a lot better than in the UK.
Hospitals are privatised and so have more incentive to operate efficiently, but patients don't have to pay for care in the hospital if you have the correct referrals, and if you don't have a referral you are reimbursed if you're treatment was necessary.
There is some annoying bureaucracy but the different parts of the system are very streamlined.
You actually need to pay for emergency room at the point of use but it will be reimbursed by insurance company if you require treatment, this cuts out a lot of unnecessary emergency room visits so wait times are better.

The two week stay was BEFORE the operation! Lost paperwork, arguing between surgeons over who wanted me (unusual patient), being ambulanced across London because machinery wasn't available.

@Cheesuswithallama I assume they're all paying for private care.

What a ridiculous and goady premise for a thread. How will discussing our individual experiences of different countries’ health care systems not devolve into politics? Most countries’ health care systems; private, public or a hybrid of the two are a result of the political parties in power.

I’ll bite. 4 countries, 1 developing. Access to private health care in all of them. Needs met. A couple of those countries provided health to everyone despite ability to pay. A couple only provided if you could pay. Whilst my care didn’t change I’m not oblivious to the plight of others less fortunate.

There, no politics, no bashing. Was that helpful?

A lot of people think it is free, but nothing is free, the funding comes from taxes that every working person pays. Don’t take the word so literally. What we mean by “free” in this context is that, should you need it, you don’t have to come up with the money to pay for it, because someone (maybe including you) has already paid for it.

Especially when it is emergency care, seen straight away in my case (resus)cannot fault it

Have lived in Switzerland, the US and UK. Switzerland is €500.- month per person in insurance costs and then there are additional costs. Not a perfect system but good and very expensive. US was expensive. The cover is very patchy and depends on your insurance. Extra cost hugely and ops/procedures all need to be improved I. Advance with the cheapest option usually approved not the best option. Medicine is horrendously expensive. People here do not realise how much costs are going to be if they get rid of the NHS. 2000-2010 the NHS was brilliant. Right now the NHS is suffering hugely because of over 10 years underfunding and huge pressures to privatise the NHS. Having lived in the other healthcare options I would like to say/shout “be careful, nurture the NHS as it is a precious resource that is massively undervalued and should be cherished and taken care of as once the private companies get their hands on it we will all lose out enormously”.

Both my kids and I have received outstanding care from the nhs when it really counted - obstetric, paediatric oncology and psychiatric. Interestingly my only experience of overseas care is that in Germany funded by the nhs for my daughter’s cancer care as it wasn’t available in the uk at the time. I much preferred the uk approach to children’s care - much more child centred with play therapists etc to support. The inpatient ward was bleak and overcrowded and made an awful experience far worse.