Cat versus human a&e

[catmummy22]

My cat was a bit poorly last night so I took her to the out of hours cat hospital. I called them at 8 pm and within 1 hour, I had booked the appointment, had her checked over and was back home.
My friend’s mother also took a turn for the worse last night. They drive to a&e at the same time as I went with my cat, but had to wait to be seen until 4 am. Suspected heart issue so quite serious.

I paid 350 pounds for my cat to be seen. I have pet insurance. I really wish I could pay £350 to be seen if I needed a&e too. I rather pay that than wait a. Ight to be seen.

My AIBU is in the different health care offered to pets versus humans in this country. As a human you can’t even pay your way to be seen in an emergency. Brits seem to think as long as it’s free, it’s good, but is it time to start thinking about charging in the NHS too? I think so!

Yes. I have read many studies of healthcare in the UK before 1948, and people didn't seek medical help, but often self medicated with alcohol or bought unregulated medicine.
Women in particular were less likely to get help and support at an early stage. Gynaecological issues were often left untreated.
Anyway, at least no-one was bothering doctors with "trivial matters", eh?

Actually using vets made me believe in free healthcare!!!!

And have you not read the many vet horror stories? I see them everyday online including right here on mumsnet

For example the Animals being put through unnecessary treatments and tests so they can make money of them?

You seem to know what you're talking about, can I ask an opinion?
I once read an opinion that A&E has the triage the wrong way around and that instead of having a nurse on triage they should have the most senior doctor on duty doing it. That way most people only see one staff member, not two. The doctor has the confidence to just send loads of people home with very minimal treatment/advice. They are also better able to identify the most unwell to prioritise them. Theory is this would speed up the queue for everyone and be more efficient use of staff as most people would only see one medic instead of two. I can see some obvious problems with this approach but overall (I'm not a medic) looks sensible to me.
What do you think?

Sounds like America

I haven’t said I should get faster treatment when paying. I said NHS need to stay charging. There will be people who cannot pay, but there are lots who can pay!

I am not wrong.
You want a paying system.
This will not happen under a Labour government in the UK.
So think again.

Why don’t you just go private if you so badly want to pay?

my mum can pay, so she always goes private. So does my uncle and his wife

And they dont want nhs gone

Absolutely. An easy and logical solution.
You'd think.

I would like it to happen under Labour government. Wanting this to happen or thinking it has to happen, doesn’t make me a conservative. Anyway, don’t worry as I cannot vote in the UK as not a citizen 😊

You know you can pay for healthcare right….

It's not going to happen under Labour.
So you'll better hold out for the other lot.
Maybe they can deal with the time wasters and the shirkers which irk you so much.

I do go private when I can.

Apparently not

The vet you see is invariably kind, sympathetic, gentle with their touch and listens to you. Doctors are usually none of these things. I’d rather be seen by a vet.
I would certainly visit a private A&E if one was available, too many people die waiting to be seen in the NHS which is just a sacred cow to some people. The French system sounds good to me.

Not even that.
I used to work in an NHS children's hospital, and on weekends the theatres had a private list.
Same equipment, wards, and the same staff as NHS. No extra comforts at all. Just queue jumping. The staff got paid more, although the porters had a battle to be paid more too, but thankfully they did in the end.

My private GP is the same. I book 30
mins consultation and have a lovely chat. I want everyone to have better access, but I think people are stuck on the “I don’t want to pay” so won’t happen.

So what about all those people you would push in front of just because you can pay? There is a shortage of doctors so it’s not as if there are enough for a private A&E without affecting NHS patients.

Most people can pay £99. It’s what they pay for a hair cut or take away. You lot just don’t want to pay.

Lots of people don’t pay that for a hair cut or a take away. I don’t. I can’t afford it.
We do pay, we pay through taxes.

"you lot"
Nice.

I was going through stomach issues at the same time as our dog's - he got way better and faster treatment than me.

I think it’s not a great idea for a number of reasons.

1. Do you know the salary difference between the most senior consultant and a band 5 or 6 nurse? It would be a huge waste of resources and also quite insulting to ask someone who has spent over a decade studying and possibly several more honing their skills to spend the majority of their time just sat in a room signing in people with colds and sprains.

2 - for the same reason if you need bloods drawn or a cannula put in, you ideally want an HCA, because they do it all the time - a nurse is going to be absolutely quickest and most efficient at triage because they see the sticky end of medical care day in and day out. For hospital consultants, they likely won’t have seen some of the minor issues and ailments since they were an SHO. They really aren’t best places to triage efficiently.

3 - if the shit absolutely hits the fan and there’s an emergency or a trauma where every second counts, do you want the most senior consultant right there in resus to lead and make potentially life changing decisions, or do you want them down the hall in the urgent treatment centre, telling someone with an ingrown toenail to go to their gp?

What I would love to see are GPs full time in every A&E so that primary care patients can be weeded out and seen quickly, and more Emergency Nurse Practitioners, because they are experts in injury and again that would greatly improve flow.

But the single thing that would make the most difference is not triage on the way in, it’s discharge on the way out. That’s the root of it all, really. Social care and mental health services.

Hair cuts and takeways are routine and normal for lots of people.
A&E visits are not.

More humans to cat ratios?

There's no private A&E as a pp has suggested. Private hospitals are not for A&E cases.

Op and to be blunt seeing as you are making this comparison...if God forbid your DM is facing a long painful death ...that's it for her whereas your cat will be saved form it's misery