What’s the point in the NHS?

[younknow]

I fell over at work today. My ankle was immediately black and blue and swollen, so I hobbled off to urgent care in a taxi.

I waited for four hours, I was x-rayed and told there were no breaks and a severe sprain. The doctor told me I’ve likely torn ligaments in my ankle and will be sore for three months.

I asked what sort of follow up would be given and she all but laughed at me, saying that I could get myself a support on Amazon if I wanted. I said I couldn’t even weight bear and she said I could also pick up crutches if needed. She then said I could refer to physio but “ChatGPT would give me a plan”. I asked if I’d be scanned to find out how badly damaged it is and she said there was no chance.

What is the point? Genuinely, what are we paying for when even things like this are being directed to Amazon and A.I?! I can’t believe it.

I remember 15 years ago my mum tore ligaments in her ankle and she was scanned the same day it happened, put in a boot and on crutches for six weeks, had a course of physio and consultations with an orthopaedic surgeon to discuss a plan if it didn’t improve.

What’s going on?!

"What's the point in the NHS"?

In the NHS? Such awful grammar. English not your first language?

@younknow wait did they tell you that you need a boot and crutches and they didn’t provide either? Do they not do that now? Or have I got it wrong

friend recently had surgery on her leg and was told not to bother with physio. I think that’s because they don’t provide it. I’ve found physio really important with injury.

The NHS is there if you’re about to die, luckily. They’ve saved three of my close family members who were unexpectedly and critically ill. The level of care was second to none.

If you aren’t at deaths door realistically you need to go private now. Even then, so many people go private now that you still have to wait for an appointment. I’ve found a few unscrupulous private consultants too who say they’ll phone to give your results and you think oh okay, not realising they’re going to charge you 150 for five minutes of their time.

People need jobs that offer private medical now and just pray they’re okay when they retire and can’t afford to pay for it themselves.

I have!!! DH had a pet scan in May, $124,000.00. Fortunately he didn’t have to pay.

I know the NHS is struggling but fight for it every day of your life! You do NOT want for profit healthcare!!

Spanish state healthcare is dire, I don't know why people say this (Many years in Spain)

I’ve given birth on the NHS and my children have been vaccinated on the NHS. Now my husband is receiving cancer treatment on the NHS. He has had CT, MRI and PET scans, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, appointments with consultant oncologists and surgeons. Without the NHS I would be a widow.

PS we are in our 40s. My husband has paid a lot of tax in the last few decades and will hopefully be paying it for decades to come.

I think the issue is that people in the UK still act like the NHS is a brilliant public health service. The reality is that it is well behind the public health service provided in countries such as Australia. Its only advantage now appears to be compared to the US, as emergency life saving treatment won’t bankrupt you. If you need any less urgent care done well though, you’ll have to pay for it just like in the US.

It’s refreshing to read a thread putting the NHS in positive light. Also acknowledging that other healthcare models in Europe aren’t perfect. The American healthcare system… well god help them.

Yanbu . It's shit.

But even worse are GPs. What is the point of them? All they do is delay access to any useful specialist service.

They saved my life a couple of years ago. There is definitely a point to them.

I agree they should be better funded. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to see the point of them. You might get more useful responses if you rephrase your title and your post a bit.

I’ve been having cancer treatment (chemo/immunotherapy, surgery & radiotherapy) over the last. I’ve just started another 6 months of chemo & immunotherapy. When that’s finished I start treatment for osteoporosis. I’m in my 40s. I can’t begin to tell you how many staff & departments, across two hospitals, I’ve seen in that time. I’ve visited hospital at least once, sometimes 4 times a week, most weeks.
There isn’t a single aspect of the treatment I’ve received which I could criticise. My treatment has been timely, efficient, staff are all professional & compassionate despite the challenging settings.
When I’ve needed the NHS it’s been excellent & saved my life, I can’t fault it.

That's just bullshit, yawn

What’s better in Australia? As I understand it, more than half of Australians have private healthcare? GP and dentist visits are chargeable/ not covered by Medicare? I am intrigued about other countries healthcare systems and the cost to the citizens.

Someone in government should decide what the point of the NHS is and then fund it accordingly and consistency across the UK. Part of that is acknowledging that adult social care needs reform and that an aged and ageing population is requiring ever increasing resources. It's a very difficult circle to square. My very elderly father receives excellent NHS care but the amount of money that must cost is eye watering. I live in a different part of the country and NHS care is patchy and generally rubbish.

It really depends, one time I had torn ligaments and they did f all, it took a private scan to find out I had a bone splinter in my knee and needed surgery. Another time, I had a complex fracture and couldn't get the NHS off my back, I said I was happy to go home and come back for scheduled surgery, but no, apparently I had to stay overnight and wait for an emergency operation like I was about to drop dead. The way I see it, we all need to be prepared to have to go private if it's not something they consider "serious".

What's a scan? You were x-rayed, was that not enough?
And the NHS is skint. Having a 3 year battle to find out why I feel as bad as I do and despite the various degree of crapness so far, I wouldn't want a UK without an NHS. I'd just like a properly funded one, but nobody wants to pay tax. Go figure.

Just going to put my 2 penny in, found adult DS collapsed last year, nearly unresponsive, call to 999 = Ambulance, A&E, IV Antibiotics, IV fluids, blood tests, observations, nursing care, lumbar puncture & 3 night hospital stay, total cost £0, thank you NHS, ME - irregular vaginal bleeding, saw GP 4days later got an appointment for an ultrasound & Hysteroscopy, for the following week, bloods done, all done and dusted within 2 weeks, total cost = £0 thank you NHS

Also, as someone who works for the NHS ( as many people do) it seems a lot of people are quick to jump on the bandwagon of pissing & moaning about it yet the amount of lives it saves day in and day out often goes unnoticed, i agree it’s not perfect, far from it, however to those who do spend there time pissing & moaning about it, if you ever have the unfortunate need of needing the NHS, e.g get run over by a bus, don’t forget, don’t ring 999 as bear in mind ‘ it’s not fit for purpose’ just lay there in the middle of the road, with multiple fractured bones, possible internal bleeding, and with the grim reaper tapping you on the shoulder, and continue your pissing & moaning, subsequently leaving the ambulance free ( which by the way are manned by specialist trained medics who are capable of saving your arse as. You lay the bleeding to death) to go to individuals who actually not self entitled dickheads HTH ☺️

I've had the opposite, apart from once 20 years ago.
The ones I've seen now have been very good. You know you can ask for second opinions?

xray won’t show torn ligaments. I thought torn ligaments require surgery?

Today the NHS saved my father's life. Again.

Yes, there were delays. Yes, it needed advocacy and clear communication. Yes, we were all exhausted by the process.

But he is alive and receiving treatment. He's comfortable and has agency.

No one has had to remortgage a house to get this. No one is choosing between food, heat and healthcare. No one is suggesting euthanasia because he's old and not worth the money.

The point of the NHS is that healthcare isn't only available to the wealthy.
It's far from perfect but it's important.

We do have high rates of private health insurance, but it’s generally not to cover things like proper treatment of a severe sprain at an urgent care or emergency centre. It would be for example to be able to choose your specialist and potentially have shorter wait times on elective surgery.

Not sure what the point of that post was. Having lived in both countries, that’s been my experience, but you know, yawn away.

YABU do you want the NHS to hold your hand for everything?

If you have been given a diagnosis and directions to where you can get a treatment plan, then what is the problem?

My point was that it's far more than just an emergency service that you suggested.

And I will yawn away when people post tedious bullshit