To feel angry at celebrating the NHS

[TaylorSwifting]

The NHS is falling apart and today people are all full of glee at the NHS yippee 75 years today, it’s making me so angry!!!!!!!!!
My family member has been diagnosed with cancer, 2 months down the line and has had no treatment and terrible delays for tests…..still yet to see an oncologist. 2 months!!!!!!!!! Family member only has pain management because us family have begged and fought to get it. It is an utter disgrace and I had no idea how bad things were until this awful diagnosis in our own family.
We are not alone / it hasn’t been a mistake or being lost in the system by accident! Record high cancer patient delays - this is what so many people are facing. I am in utter disbelief!
I won’t be celebrating today.

It is at the point of use - which is one of its founding tenets.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/679976/number-of-nurses-nhs-hchs-workforce-england/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/679968/number-of-doctors-nhs-hchs-workforce-england/

To those saying the staffing levels have been reduced - this is just true. Yes, we do need more as demand increases, but to say it hasn't risen isn't correct. It hasn't risen in response to demand sufficiently, and the retention is at crises point, but it is the demand that is eyewatering, not the supply.

That was...... It just is NOT true - Kind of missed the important point there!

Why does everyone compare out health system to America? Why not Germany or Spain or Denmark?

@BCCoach Because more people know about their healthcare system.

Mixed bag here - grateful to the NHS for caring for me well during numerous illnesses / ops but raging that my 20yr old DD can’t get a gynae appointment yet a 93yr old woman can get the colposcopy my DD needs and is being made a priority?!?! DD is having to pay privately as her symptoms are extremely worrying and there is family history or cancers and faulty results. But fuck her yeah, long as 93yr old Mary gets treated front of the long queue of younger women living in agony or at risk of losing their lives from untreated / undiagnosed cancers.

Sorry but what are they going to do if they find something in a 93yr old? Aggressive chemo?? Expensive and frankly dangerous operations which mean they will take up a bed in ICU IF they survive surgery?? What an absolute waste of time, money and resources on somebody who has had their life, had their children and is basically at the end of a very long happy life.

Sounds heartless but the NHS wasn’t set up to keep people living for as long as possible and denying what should happen naturally. And when you see more people under 50 being diagnosed than ever before with various cancers, it’s unfair and not right to prioritise treatment for those who are 80+ for the sake of what exactly?? NHS has got to stop this shit.

Im sorry but there needs to be Frank discussions in this country - between people and their older relatives - about what care is suitable past a certain age. My DM is 80 this year and has been resolute in if she gets cancer, that’s it. No treatment, just pain management and a DNR. Just like my DDad did before he died suddenly. I agree with her and just like I did with Dad, I won’t be prolonging her agony with pointless interventions. People need to be able to die in peace and dignity, ot on an operating table at 95 ffs.

I myself will be the same, and certainly do not want my kids to have to give up careers, move closer If they choose to leave where we live and I also refuse to be a burden on the state so… I’m hoping assisted dying will be a viable option by the time I get a bit older.

Surely if something is free at the point of use, it encourages people to overconsume it.

With respect as has been repeatedly, pointed out people clearly no absolutely bugger all about the American system.

@MalcolmTuckerIsMySpiritAnimal I would seriously question the quality of life anybody has over the age of 80, and I’m sure everybody knows somebody who is running marathons and playing cricket for England at 80. Whatever, most of them are sat rotting in their own piss.
Not for me thank you

It’s not the fault of the elderly lady that your daughter can’t access the medical care. In any European country /most other countries your daughter could get an appointment so it should be the same in the UK but it’s not the same.
If you want to prevent the elderly getting nhs medical care based on age then only the wealthy old people would be fine with their private care. That’s not fair on those who are not wealthy.

Of course you’d question it because your viewpoint is ageist and completely skewed. Most people over 80 aren’t “sat rotting in their own piss”.

The line has to be drawn somewhere. 80 is a good age. I’m not suggesting that 80 there you’ll get rounded up and taken off. But beyond a tea if you want to prolong your own life and have the capacity to express that wish, you pay for it.

The line doesn’t have to be drawn anywhere. It’s not about prolonging life, it’s about quality of life so people aren’t “sat rotting in their own piss”, they’ve leading healthy, active lives for as long as possible. Your life doesn’t suddenly lose all value on your 80th birthday.

Have you see the film Logan’s Run? Watch it.
Restricting nhs healthcare based on age is wrong as only the rich could stay well and alive.

Some of reports in here are so tragic. In my families experience the standard of care has been very patchy, seems a bit of a post code lottery. Personally , I only had one child as the maternal “care” I received was abysmal and traumatic, that was 14 years ago, I dread to think what it must be like now. No, celebrating here.

But they can’t. No matter how much cash they have a 90 something year old is not long for this world, and very few of them are ‘well’. There’s no elixir of life. Even the Queen didn’t live to 100.

No, in my experience with my mother it starts at around age 75.....

Like genuinely, so what ? how is that a bad thing?
You could say it happens now, anyway given that the genetic make up of a child is determined in the womb. Therefore, the longevity of their life depends very much on the parents financial situation in order to impart good nutrition onto the fetus.

my eldest child didn’t have any of the fancy prams etc but I ate like a king during pregnancy to ensure optimal health.

Poor woman, that’s very unusual. On the other hand, my dad played his last round of golf when he was 98 and had his last foreign holiday when he was 96. It’s a lottery.

Very few of the 90 somethings I know could be described as ‘well’. They may be living at home and just about with it, but they have regular falls, endless appointments, vision or hearing problems, are on five or six different medications, struggle to do much other than sit in chairs or shuffle about a little bit.

The 80 somethings are probably an even split, half are as described above and half are leading relatively healthy lives, perhaps on one or two tablets and able to do most things for themselves, and walk down their driveway without falling over.

He won that lottery as that is very unusual.

I’m good on him if he’s finding that holiday and his funding that round of golf, presumably he would have the funds to pay for a triple bypass, if he decide if that’s how he wanted to spend his time in his 90s on the theatre table

He didn’t need a triple bypass 🤷‍♀️

I think you’ve been somewhat skewed by your dad blossom. His experience is very very much the exception. I have known many very elderly people over the years, most middle class so with the benefit of a healthy lifestyle, early retirement and few money worries, and even then there’s no way they could’ve played golf at 98 or even 88. A very unusual exception isn’t a great example to base an opinion on.

I support access to healthcare for the elderly at the same level as non elderly people. If you don’t want to access nhs care after a certain age then it’s your choice but your choice is not to be imposed on others. Seeing someone poor die before their time because they can’t afford private care would be terrible.