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Original poster

Let's turn the ( usual) NHS negativity around with your positive experiences

250 replies

Tiredallthetimeneedsleep · 19/02/2024 07:52

Fed up with the latest negative NHS 'headline' so I thought I'd start a thread to share my positive experiences.

Had MRI booked within 2 weeks of seeing DR. Was seen on time and the staff were brilliant.

What are YOUR NHS positive stories?

OP posts:
jujubees · 19/02/2024 19:42

I'll start this by saying I work for the NHS. I work in a wonderful team that supports people who's needs are challenging especially with regards to accessing the correct services. I see the absolute best and some of the worst in my day to day job re the NHS. But the good far outweighs the bad. I'm in a privileged position in my job to be able to challenge the bad and demand better. We do lots of proactive care too.

In my personal life I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences. Yes I've had long waits in A&E, and sadly the birth of my first DC and the aftercare was pretty bad. I certainly don't wear rose coloured glasses. But I'm lucky that I have a fantastic GP surgery that through an e consult I and my family can get same day apts as needed. I've recently had a 2ww dermatology apt with prompt follow up. I'm being well supported around my menopause and HRT.
My DM has had some acute health issues recently (she lives in a completely different area to me) and her GP was very proactive and provided great care.

Yes of course things could be much better many areas, but I am thankful for what we have.

Howlongdoesittake · 19/02/2024 19:47

I really wish I could.

Carriemac · 19/02/2024 20:03

I emailed the GP surgery for a sick note when I had a family member died suddenly and under complicated circumstances abroad last year and I was supporting my elderly parents and arranging repatriation and a funeral .
Lovely young GP called me immediately to ask how I was , how I was coping and to ask who was looking after me. Was I sleeping , did I need a script for sleeping tablet and to think about some counselling for myself for the trauma . I felt very cared for by the practice

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 19/02/2024 20:06

My eye specialist is amazing. Needed some paperwork done for something and more testing. Between him and the ECLO it was days and it means I’ll start getting the help I need. Also he also gave me a diagnosis and prognosis on the first time I met him (my condition is complicated).
the ECLO there from RNIB was also fab. Fierce but fabulous

Tarquina · 19/02/2024 20:27

I'm 65 And I have never had a single good experience with hospitals, nurses or doctors within the NHS. I have been misdiagnosed four times given the wrong treatment, seen my relatives misdiagnosed - one of whom died as a result. I've been bullied, I have been slapped by a nurse I have been given the wrong advice about diet. Last summer I was tortured in A&E and have had to raise an official complaint.

I genuinely do not have one single good experience to relate.

GirlMum40 · 19/02/2024 20:31

I work for the NHS and get patients come in ALL the time saying "well I have to say my experience of the NHS has been great..." Or words to that effect... Followed by their tales of being seen quickly, and successfully treated.
I think because of all the negative press and social media threads, people now expect it to be so bad that if they get a normal service, they're quite impressed!

I see a lot of bad, but also a lot of great services. A lot of "one stop shops" where people have their diagnostic tests and get the results from the consultant and a treatment plan on the same visit.

Antenatal care is good, despite it getting more and more demand and the guidelines (quite rightly) constantly adding additional checks for everyone.

I think it's fair to say it's not coping very well at all but it's also worth mentioning good experiences so people aren't terrified of getting help because they automatically assume they'll have to wait years.

As a patient, I have no complaints. My kids have always been seen and treated quickly for anything they've had. Never waited longer than an hour in a&e with kids... Or husband for that matter...Family members and friends have had a mixture of good and bad experiences.

zeibesaffron · 19/02/2024 21:04

Ignore the negativity OP - I am not saying that we shouldn’t criticise the NHS if things don’t go well, but I have worked in it for 32 years and I can absolutely say that I have always gone to work to do my best as do my colleagues. The ongoing media onslaught absolutely affects the staff and does stop people from thinking about health or social care as a career! It is one of the best jobs in the world (I know nothing else) 😀 - so this thread is really nice - thank you.

I too have had awful experiences with the NHS however;

My positive experience is that my husband probably has a basal cell cancer and his initial appointment is on the 7th march. I could not be more grateful.

gotohellforheavenssake · 19/02/2024 21:45

I didn't die from the heart attack I had, at 35 years old, having been fobbed off with 'it's just long Covid' by every doctor I saw for a year 🥳

gotohellforheavenssake · 19/02/2024 21:48

So I'm incredibly thankful to the paramedics who spotted it, but it should never have got to that fucking stage.

Again the admiral chronically overstretched emergency services picking up the pieces of GPs complete lack of care

didyouhaveto · 19/02/2024 21:57

I have severe MH issues. I have a CPN, a psychologist, a psychiatrist who all know me very well and communicate with my GP. I have a very detailed care
plan I was involved with writing which is held by my CMHT, GP, NHS 24, local hospital, support worker, family and I have a copy in my handbag.

Through that I’ve managed to avoid being admitted more than once. They’re wonderful people. My CPN even used to get me a cup of tea and biscuits during appts to help me relax and talk to her.

kingfisher657 · 19/02/2024 21:58

I had the most incredible continuity of care midwife in my first pregnancy. She came to my house for all appointments and would usually stay an hour or longer - I was struggling mentally and she really wanted to help. I can't overstate how important a person she was to me - we were in and out of lockdown and she was one of the only people I was allowed to see. (Sadly the continuity scheme no longer exists in our area because of staffing cuts, but it was amazing while it lasted.)

I will also say that despite its recent decline the NHS is still a better service (in terms of wait times, availability of GPs, quality of care, etc) than where I grew up in Canada. Maybe this depends on which regions of the countries you're comparing, but that's been my experience.

Amybelle88 · 19/02/2024 22:01

Cured me of stage 3 pancreatic cancer whilst giving me a level of care that I wouldn't have gotten privately.

7 years ago. My team is still incredible.

iwafs · 19/02/2024 22:03

I'm sorry, but no.

It's not negativity, it's a realistic assessment of the dangerous condition of the NHS.

No positivity, no clapping, none of that stuff can solve the fact that people are being seriously impacted by lack of access to healthcare, and also by being told to go away when they do actually access it. It's dangerous and needs attention, or more people suffer and die needlessly.

Echobelly · 19/02/2024 22:04

Teenager developed a rash on their forehead after 4 days of headache, so went to AE mid morning . I was worried from what I'd heard they'd be there all day and then some, but actually seen and diagnosed with shingles in about 4 hours, which is not so bad.

Also amazing when DC was little and had a seizure/fall while staying at my mum's while we were out for my birthday - they sent a paediatric neurologist in the air ambulance, DC was rushed to Royal London where they received all sorts of scans and attention from specialists. By the time we'd got to the hospital they had already establishing nothing looked too scary and that DC didn't appear to have suffered any injury

iwafs · 19/02/2024 22:08

zeibesaffron · 19/02/2024 21:04

Ignore the negativity OP - I am not saying that we shouldn’t criticise the NHS if things don’t go well, but I have worked in it for 32 years and I can absolutely say that I have always gone to work to do my best as do my colleagues. The ongoing media onslaught absolutely affects the staff and does stop people from thinking about health or social care as a career! It is one of the best jobs in the world (I know nothing else) 😀 - so this thread is really nice - thank you.

I too have had awful experiences with the NHS however;

My positive experience is that my husband probably has a basal cell cancer and his initial appointment is on the 7th march. I could not be more grateful.

I wish your husband the best, but I do think that the fact that you feel grateful for a 7th March appointment is telling. That's two and a half weeks away. It should be next day IMO. As should most things. There shouldn't be any waiting lists at all. We think a two week wait is great because we know that it could be ten times as long, or longer.

MaloneMeadow · 19/02/2024 22:08

iwafs · 19/02/2024 22:03

I'm sorry, but no.

It's not negativity, it's a realistic assessment of the dangerous condition of the NHS.

No positivity, no clapping, none of that stuff can solve the fact that people are being seriously impacted by lack of access to healthcare, and also by being told to go away when they do actually access it. It's dangerous and needs attention, or more people suffer and die needlessly.

This. Our NHS is in such a state that I genuinely don’t feel that I can rely on it anymore for our family. We’ve taken out private health insurance, which is an extra cost that we really don’t need at the minute but for the peace of mind and knowledge that if anything happens to any of us it will be sorted properly and within a reasonable timeframe it’s worth its weight in gold

Herdinggoats · 19/02/2024 22:09

If I had a positive story about the NHS I’d share it….

MaloneMeadow · 19/02/2024 22:10

iwafs · 19/02/2024 22:08

I wish your husband the best, but I do think that the fact that you feel grateful for a 7th March appointment is telling. That's two and a half weeks away. It should be next day IMO. As should most things. There shouldn't be any waiting lists at all. We think a two week wait is great because we know that it could be ten times as long, or longer.

Show quote history

I was about to say this exact thing.. no way I’d want to be waiting weeks with a carcinoma

Winnipeggy · 19/02/2024 22:52

They saved my life after a near fatal RTA. Many operations and generally great care from that.

More recently with a heart issue they have been amazing. Have been in a and e many times and almost always seen extremely quickly. Recently had a miscarriage and had to have surgical management, the whole team was lovely to me every step. My gp is a godsend and I'm very lucky.

I know full well these are not experiences that everyone has but you asked for good ones so here you go.

FarmGirl78 · 19/02/2024 23:07

My GPs surgery has an online portal that you submit your appointment requests on (to avoid 4 million people battling it out on the phones) and this closes at 10.30am on the dot. I entered my request at 10.29, asking to see a GP about post op issues with a wound. At 10.42 the senior GP rang me back, having already referred me by phone to the hospital. The hospital had said they didn't have any official appointments left, but they'd agreed if I got there asap they'd definitely fit me in at some point. 13 minutes to triage my request, contact the hospital surgical clinic AND phone me back. Mightily impressed.

Ncflower · 19/02/2024 23:07

Quite depressing that some people aren’t grateful of even having NHS and take it for granted. So many countries don’t have a system like ours even if ours is not perfect.

Although I have (as most people) had a mix of positive and negative experiences with the NHS, I am still so grateful it exists without having to rely on private health insurance which not everyone can afford to pay for…That’s what’s happening in USA at the moment that people get sent a big bill for stuff like cancer treatment as nothing is free! (I get a lot of jobs pay for private health in US but imagine if you didn’t have one, it’s horrible to think people actually don’t want to be taken to hospital as they can’t afford it)

Merrymouse · 19/02/2024 23:16

Ncflower · 19/02/2024 23:07

Quite depressing that some people aren’t grateful of even having NHS and take it for granted. So many countries don’t have a system like ours even if ours is not perfect.

Although I have (as most people) had a mix of positive and negative experiences with the NHS, I am still so grateful it exists without having to rely on private health insurance which not everyone can afford to pay for…That’s what’s happening in USA at the moment that people get sent a big bill for stuff like cancer treatment as nothing is free! (I get a lot of jobs pay for private health in US but imagine if you didn’t have one, it’s horrible to think people actually don’t want to be taken to hospital as they can’t afford it)

No, I’m not grateful. I had to scream to get basic nursing care for my husband when he was dying of cancer. The staff did their best, but much of his treatment was not humane. Private healthcare is not supposed to be necessary in this country, but increasingly it is.

We need a functioning health care system. I’m not against the NHS but at the moment it isn’t working, and America is not the only alternative system.

EBearhug · 19/02/2024 23:28

peakygold · 19/02/2024 16:30

I'm amazed by how many people are happy with telephone appointments and e-consult. I've been put on tablets for hypertension without one qualified person actually taking my blood pressure - they are just going by my own readings. We are being short-changed.

But that's not everyone's experience.

I put in an econsult and was offered a choice of appointments to be seen in person for my ears, starting from the next working day.

My phone appointment didn't discuss anything that would have been different in person, and I've got a referral to gynae. It saved me the effort of going to the surgery to have the same conversation, and I'm still going to be seen by a consultant.

Some years back, I was given a monitor to measure my BP at home over 24 hours, because that will give them more usefil info than a one-off reading in the durgery. (Especially if the nurse has just spoken to me about possible eye investigations, which I am a bit squeamish about, so it spiked my BP quite impressively...)

Ttcafterlosses · 19/02/2024 23:31

My gp practice has a walk in and I attended feeling extremely unwell and the nurse identified I had sepsis straight away and got me an ambulance. She saved my life and supported me so well whilst waiting for the ambulance. She was amazing. Can’t thank her enough

MaloneMeadow · 19/02/2024 23:43

Ncflower · 19/02/2024 23:07

Quite depressing that some people aren’t grateful of even having NHS and take it for granted. So many countries don’t have a system like ours even if ours is not perfect.

Although I have (as most people) had a mix of positive and negative experiences with the NHS, I am still so grateful it exists without having to rely on private health insurance which not everyone can afford to pay for…That’s what’s happening in USA at the moment that people get sent a big bill for stuff like cancer treatment as nothing is free! (I get a lot of jobs pay for private health in US but imagine if you didn’t have one, it’s horrible to think people actually don’t want to be taken to hospital as they can’t afford it)

It’s not depressing. Why should anybody be grateful for a failing system providing sub-standard care? Our clinical outcomes and waiting lists are amongst the worst in Europe, despite having very high expenditure on healthcare per person. It is simply not acceptable or good enough.

It’s not a case of an NHS vs US system. There are means tested blended models in use throughout the world which function very well - have a look at Germany for example.

Why should I pay taxes for a system that I can’t even get access to due to waiting lists? If I didn’t have private health insurance I don’t know what I’d do. Millions of people are in the same position and are quite literally being forced to pay to go private (often with money they don’t really have) or suffer a life of pain and misery. How in a supposed 1st world country are people having to remortgage their homes to pay for a hip replacement? It is absolutely beyond ridiculous and we cannot go on like this as a nation. The NHS is not what it used to be and in all likelihood will never fully recover, we need an alternative.