To wonder what's happened to the NHS?

[Chefpig]

I went for surgery this afternoon. Waited three hours in a waiting room because there were no beds available. Uncomfortable, especially with pain, but couldn't be helped.

I expressed a wish to the anaesthetist for GA after much trauma from a attempted and failed spinal anaesthetic in the past. Anaesthetist told me that a spinal would be much better for recovery and I should at least trust them and give it a go. Being brave and talked out of a GA, I gave it a go. It was horrific. I have a real issue with things being put where I can't see and it was painful, especially when the electric shocks (?) started on one of my legs. In tears, I asked for a GA. I was told it was very near to being ready and I agreed to keep going with the spinal but after the second electric shock and me in complete panic mode, I begged for a GA and the lovely, wonderful nurse who held me throughout was fierce with the anaesthetist and insisted she stop and give me a GA. That nurse was an absolute angel and held me throughout. I'm now in absolute agony with pain in my leg. Not my surgery site - that's fine!

Back on the ward in a single room, I was left for over two hours without being asked if I wanted drink and food. I eventually buzzed to ask. I had obs done on the recovery unit but not since I've been back in my room and its now five and a half hours after surgery and theres only been two brief visits to me as I buzzed to use the loo with assistance. I waited for painkillers for an hour (not nurses fault at all, she's so busy) and my own tablets haven't been taken care of despite someone earlier saying they'd let the senior nurse know about them.

My details whiteboard hasn't been filled out (dont know if that matters) and the blinds in my room have blinds missing so no doubt across the way has seen my knickers and bare boobs several times.

Staff are absolutely lovely on the ward. They're They're doing their best but I can tell they have very little to give. They need my bed more than I do for a bloody good rest! They're run ragged. AIBU to expect our NHS to invest in staff and their wellbeing so they can care for patients better?

You think we shouldn’t have had new hospitals then? The principle was fine, the execution was appalling because the NHS didn’t employ experienced contract negotiators and had shit lawyers so the private providers ran rings round them. Presumably you’d also be wailing if that government had borrowed to pay for them?

I think the issue would be who would be exempt and would that be so high many wouldn’t be paying £10

Precisely, it would be the same as exemption from prescription charges - 89% are free of charge. It would save a lot of hassle - and probably money - to make them completely free like Scotland, Wales and N Ireland.

What happened to the NHS? That would be the Tories and Andrew Lansley’s ludicrous reorganisation in 2012. Just remember that in 2010, under a Labour govt and pre Cameron and Osborne’s austerity, satisfaction with the NHS was at an all time high. Join those dots and you’ll see the very obvious answer.

I’m meant to be having some procedures and they tried to make me not have general anaesthetic. There was plenty of manipulation, pressure and gas lighting of me by the hospital. I put my foot down, went to PALS and made a formal complaint. Guidelines state very clearly anaesthetic especially in my set of circumstance. I have little sympathy for the staff in this situation due to their bare faced lies and acting like l was “going on”. Their stance most likely is due to penny pinching and laziness as general is more expensive and time consuming but that’s not my problem and l don’t care

In answer to the original question the NHS hadn’t been funded properly for years. Plus we have an ageing population who are often not in great health, compounded by poor diets and not enough exercise

Labour have to deliver now though, not rely on the last time they were in power.

I agree that we should be open to other models of funding and organisation used in Europe, but the UK spends less per capita on health than most other comparable European countries, so it certainly wouldn't reduce the cost. How much does the UK spend on health care compared to Europe? | The Health Foundation

Ive unfortunately had to use the NHS a lot the last couple years and have seen a lot both good and bad.

I had surgery in June and genuinely the staff couldn't have been more amazing and I felt so looked after, but that surgery took a year to get to on an urgent list and the appointment to even get on the list was a year before that of waiting, again on an urgent list and eventually only sped up because my MP got involved.

I went to A&E the other day for the first time in at least 10 years and was genuinely in shock at the number of people there, especially people that I felt possibly didnt need to be but I imagine were there because they couldn't see a GP. Lots of people with infections and saying they couldn't see the GP.

The staff were working hard but you had 3 nurses for around 30 people (the nurse said exactly this to someone when he asked if he could just get his antibiotics and pain relief so he could go). When I was triaged I was told I needed an ECG because my heart rate and BP were so high and I explained that I believed this was because the level of pain I was in. I was told a canula would be placed for pain meds. At this point it took another 90 minutes before I was seen and then they put in a canula, did the ECG and took bloods. I asked about pain medication and was told I was on a list. The Doctor came to see me and she asked if I had pain meds, she popped back a while later and I still hadnt had any. After close to 4 hours and 2 prompts from the Doctor I was given a small dose of oramorph which honestly barely touched the pain. But I dont know what happened but I was left in pain so bad it was raising my heart rate and BP for hours, only to be given a liquid med that could have been done hours earlier. The canula wasnt needed at all. The whole thing was just odd and it seemed no one knew what they were meant to be doing and I spoke to 4 different people until someone I hadnt even seen eventually bought pain meds to me.

The NHS wait times are insane, in women's healthcare especially, some parts of the UK have waits of 4-6 years for surgeries that are urgently needed, ive heard some as much as 10. Just to see a gynaecologist or endometriosis specialist is 1-3 year waits and the women needing these appointments are in debilitating pain and their lives are literally on hold. I have barely left my home in 3 years because of the amount of pain, only to have a surgery to tell me I have an issue but it was too complex so now im on another waitlist to see someone else, to likely go on another surgery list.

It was undefunded by the Tories for so many years it will never recover. Same as our schools and care systems.Tories are all about giving more money to individuals, especially the rich ones, and removing it from services. That’s fine if you can go private but not for the majority. We need to pay more taxes to get our public services back to where the should be. That would benefit all in society, but rich people don’t want that.

I'm always surprised that people are surprised by this.

Had too many horrible experiences with nasty, lying nurses and midwives on the NHS to want to dwell on. Especially when my mum was terminally ill in hospital.

Have met loads of absolutely lovely and amazing NHS staff, too.

'What's wrong with the NHS?' Well, it may be under-funded and badly managed but I think it would be a much better and nicer experience if all those who worked in it listened and were kind, supportive and polite. I work in hospitality, many long hours and busy days with rude, demanding guests but I'd lose my job I if spoke to them rudely, or lied to them (as I have been by NHS employees). My name would be all over TripAdvisor. But, we all know that some NHS staff get away with rudeness and lies - are often even supported by colleagues in it - and that is toxic and the reason I did not 'clap for the NHS superheroes' during COVID.

I hope you get better soon, OP.

I work for the NHS and there is a huge amount of bureaucratic waste. So many restructures, redesigns, renames... All of it involving vast amounts of man power, just imagine the time taken by thousands of people changing the organisation name in their email signature. It’s a huge waste of money.

So many enormous projects begin without any real planning and end up floundering. The dissolution of NHS England (NHSE) is a great example of this. It was started due to alleged overlap between NHSE and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), however no significant overlap has been identified over 12 months later. There are now huge numbers of staff leaving with big redundancy payments (many of whom are close to retirement) who’s jobs will have to be filled as the organisations cannot function without these people.

This isn’t the only issue in the NHS, but it’s significant.

The OP was describing GA vs spinal for a procedure that could be done with either - there’s not usually masses in it in terms of cost, especially if a patient wants sedation with the spinal (and clearly a failed/abandoned spinal costs more because you have both the cost of both that and the GA). There is usually quite a bit to be gained in terms of patient outcomes in avoiding a GA when there is an alternative and that is why we will often suggest a spinal. There is an environmental benefit in spinal over GA but most patients couldn’t care less about that. In nearly 20 years anaesthetising I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever thought about not doing a GA to save cash.

Health spending increased in real terms under the last conservative government. Sadly though a chunk of that money was eaten up in interest payments on the previous Labour government’s PPI projects. The NHS is having to pay back several times what those projects cost (and entered into in a time of economic boom).

We now have record national debt and are on the verge of IMF intervention that will make previous so-called austerity look like child’s play. We have huge amounts of immigration that despite attempted political messaging is not benefitting us but costing the country billions. Where is all this money supposed to come from? And why do you think throwing money at a failing enterprise would work?

They tried to fob me off with no pain relief at all and me having some paracetamol. I had to be firm with them and at the pre-assessment appointment then l was told general was the best option by the member of staff l saw there. Anything else wouldnt be appropriate. So my instinct is it’s to save time and money, if clinically it isn’t a good idea

And now I'm waiting, dressed and ready to go for medication to be brought up from the pharmacy. The pharmacist said on the ward visit earlier that it could be anything up until 5pm so I'm needlessly taking up a bed despite being well enough to go home and ready to go. I get that everyone is working hard, short staffed etc but its madness. My recovery would be better if I wasn't waiting around right now and eating nice food at home, drinking tea (been offered one cup this am at 8am and thats it. Literally no offers of water no nothing.

There’s always an excuse not to change anything, isn’t there?

That’s a reason not an excuse.

Just think how much better the NHS will be ( or appear to be) given the recent announcements that there will be no independent or outside scrutiny going forward - the NHS will just mark its own homework! Fabulous. It never makes mistakes so we’ll all sleep safer in our beds.

The NHS is crap.. everyone I know (and us included) receive much treatment once you go private.

Our healthcare system is not like America's you will not be asked how you are going to cover costs before/during/after treatment for a start

The failure of the NHS its down to mis management and how funding is managed and areas of lack of investment and poorly managed projects. The money wasted is criminal. Better and streamlined management is needed, better IT systems, more link up with trusts and departments. And to give up on this idea that having free at the point of service is worth it, it isn't as that not is all the NHS is good for we have accepted poor service because its supposedly free

there will be a kitchen/drinks station on the ward somewhere - if you can walk safely you could just go and help yourself?

Yes but Labour took out huge PFI loans with eye watering interests costs, great for short term voters satisfaction poor for long term budgeting - it was a very short sighted plan to keep the NHS

This had to be budgeted into Trusts expenses some paying over 10% of their funding back to loans

You think we shouldn’t have had new hospitals then? The principle was fine, the execution was appalling because the NHS didn’t employ experienced contract negotiators and had shit lawyers so the private providers ran rings round them. Presumably you’d also be wailing if that government had borrowed to pay for them?

What announcements? Public services have always marked their own homework.

Wastage in the NHS is insane. 5 years ago, I sold nearly £100k worth of light fittings to a hospital near Birmingham.

I paid the hospital a visit, and found that these light fittings were sat unused in a plant room.

The same hospital now wants to buy another £50k worth of light fittings from us, as the previous lights will probably now be scrapped.