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?!

If it was better in 3 wks, then it wasn't badly sprained. When I sprained my knee it took a year to be fully recovered.

Soft tissue takes way longer to heal than broken bones. I agree three weeks is a very mild sprain. Although it does depend what you mean by fully recovered. Many people return to strenuous exercise too soon and reinjure themselves.

To all those claiming you get better attention in Europe: DH and I have had very similar knee sprains, a decade apart. DH was in European country. Paid to see GP. Was in an out in 5 mins. Diagnosis: injury to side of knee. I went to GP at home. Saw a locum. She took lots of time with me, examined me carefully, gave me advice and referred me for physio.

@Constantrunner You are SO right about soft tissue. When I broke through my tibial plateau ( different injury, different time) I was shown the x ray after a relatively short time and bone was completely healed, but I still had a long way to go. Anyway, that's a sidetrack. To refer to your point about my knee sprain, by fully recovered, I mean able to do what I did before. I certainly wasn't incapacitated for a year. I was never unable to walk, although for a while cycling was easier. After about 6 weeks I could drive. After 5 months I felt normal, was exercising as normal, almost forgot about it ...... until I tried to swim and found it impossible. Pressure against water unbearable. Tried now and then, but it was a year before it was possible.

@Neurodiversitydoctor
thinking about it I actually agree with you - I think part of the issue is that people Do run to the doctor with every tiny thing without first taking what I would describe as normal first steps. So then when you have taken those steps and Then want to be seen, you’re fobbed off as it is assumed you should just ‚let it rest‘…
for what it’s worth I am also in a physical job so not being able to be on my feet or in constant worsening hip pain means I also can’t work and therefore I start costing the tax payer more money than one GP and a few physio appointments would…

Nope. Ours doesn't.

Ours doesn’t either. They refer appropriately though which is just as good.

Tbh I really do think you’re over dramatising a sprained ankle. You were crated and reassured that it isn’t broken - that’s really all that was needed.

I've sprained my ankle multiple times over the years. It's really not a big deal OP - there's no need for crutches.

And love that you laugh at the idea that an MRI is £1500 - it's way more than that actually if you want it done privately. The US system you love so much would probably have declined to give you an MRI for precisely this reason.

Nope, as posted upthread, my DH got a full body MRI for around £1,200. Maybe different regions in the UK are more expensive than others??

Sprains vary a lot as to how bad they are. Also, a lot of the time people say they sprained their ankle, they've just given it a wrench, which is painful for a few days to a week.

Ours does but you don't get full physio service. Sometimes just a phone call.

I'll pass your astute assessment of their skills and abilities to my family member, who is a Specialist Nurse Prescriber and, after passing their first nursing degree, went on to pass the prescriber exams while working full time and raising two kids single-handedly. I will also let my mates who nurse on acute psychiatiric wards and two of whom have been assaulted by patients that they are as you say "lazy public sector workers" I'm sure you could do so much better yourself...

Here's something positive for a change, I had a health incident over the weekend, contacted my surgery this morning online, they phoned me offering a face to face appointment this morning. Saw a lovely very throrough GP who has booked me in for blood tests and scans.

That's what's very annoying about sprains. They sound less serious than broken bones, but actually can be more painful and take longer to heal. But because there isn't usually much to be done apart from "give it time" you don't get properly treated for it either. At least a broken ankle gets a cast so you feel like the doctor has done something.
I am very sympathetic to people like the original poster as it is really shit that there isn't much to be done about sprains a lot of the time. It is shit. It just isn't the NHSs fault (in this case)

That said people should still seek treatment if they have badly sprained/swollen ankles as they could be broken. I walked on a sore foot for a day before going to AandE and finding out it was broken and needed a full plaster cast. The reason I delayed was because it hurt but hurt less than the time I had badly sprained it when they said there was nothing to be done. The people questioning why she went at all are wrong IME.

Private healthcare in the UK is ironically cheaper and better because of the NHS. If you removed the NHS and went to a fully privatised US system than ironically even private services would start charging more.

In the US its also confusing because you have the insurance price (many times more than 1,200 for an MRI) and the cost of you are paying yourself and paying cash which is less and probably closed to the 1,500 figure quoted. But then that's an upfront cost not everyone can cover.

We have paid £250 for MRI of one one knee in the last year. An ankle would have cost the same. Scan.com

MRI for ankle would probably be £300-£500.

imaging needs to be taken in context of an assessment though, XR, scans etc often throw up red herrings.

Current cost is that range, cheapest in North west £320 in Oldham including interpretation of results and feedback.

I mentioned earlier my husband had a stroke last week. Today he had blisters on his back - we went to the pharmacy and they thought it might be a reaction to the drugs, so they said to see our GP. We contacted the surgery just before 12 and they gave him an appointment at 2pm. Got antibiotics and cream. He has had excellent support.

You got an x-ray and on the day appointment with a medical professional, and you know it isn't a break or anything that won't get better on itself.

For free.

If it was broken they would have dealt with it - if you were at risk of anything else, they would have dealt with it. For free.

If, god forbid, later in life - and completely unrelated, you develop diabetes, or cancer or need an operation. It will be dealt with - for free, or as close as possible within your means. (eg. prescription charges).

You're so lucky to have free at point of use healthcare that you are actually taking it for granted.

Just to say, neither diabetics nor cancer patients pay for prescriptions. They’re free for both.

I am glad he has had such good treatment. This is my experience of the NHS too.

@GFBurger I agree people take it for granted. You would have thought what has happened to dentistry with most people having to pay for a dentist or having dentistry insurance would show what the reality is like.

Peoples teeth in the UK have declined. Well off people pay for fancy dentistry and cosmetic work. Meanwhile too many of the poorest people and children have terrible teeth. This is what would happen generally to healthcare if we lost the NHS.

I do think the NHS is over used by people who could treat their problems at home. Of course it will have faults, every care aystem does, because its humans dealing with humans.

The NHS is brilliant at emergency medicine type things. It has become a catch all for all society's ills though. If we all took care of ourselves, ate better, didnt drink alcohol or smoke or uae drugs, we would have a far better funded system. I think the public need a reality check re our culture of demanding the NHS pick up the pieces.

We are a nation of people who are entitled but wont change our lifestyles. Then complain when it cant meet our often self created needs.

Obv not conditions or events beyond our control.