Would you use private HC for self/loved ones if you could afford it??

[DistinguishedSocialCommentator]

If you, or your loved ones were suffering from painy/worry/anxiety etc and awaiting an operation or a scan etc and worried sick and or could not work but an operation would get you back to your normal self - or, a scan etc would rule out/in any concerns etc - would you or your loved ones use private health care??

I guess the majority of people who could afford it or were so fed up with the waiting would even borrow a few quid and go for the checks/ops regardless of their political affiliations

In your judgement, would you consider it a very blinkered view to just say "no" to private HC even as a one off for family/you for reasons given above

Read about the "blinkered ideology" of the left. When I heard him say that, the first thing that came to mind was one of your children suffering from severe toothache and now NHS dental appts for weeks - most would pay privately.
I know of people that are not rich but have paid for scans and eye ops and a few are labour voters.

This is what a Labour guy believes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13509751/Sir-Keir-Starmer-accused-using-blinkered-left-wing-ideology-refusing-private-healthcare-Labour-voters-use-it.html

So what - you think Starmer is lying?

Yes. If someone I love needs medical help and the NHS cannot provide it I would willingly find the money. No brainer.

Oh shit, sorry I just noticed who the OP is - I won't bother posting anything else on here.

We can afford it and would private if needed. My mother recently had an operation privately that was carried out before her NHS referral had even come back with an appointment.

The NHS needs radical change and that might mean that people like me who can afford to pay, need to start paying more.

But it can't carry on is it is. Just shovelling more money in wont fix it.

I wouldn't use it to "jump the queue" for routine or minor illnesses. I would use it for serious or life threatening ones. I assume Starmer meant he has that approach, and I think he was foolish to not make the distinction.

Starmer is a lying imbecile.

If he had his elderly mother in her 80s in agony with pain and had a choice of pay £3k for simple local anaesthetic procedure/operation on her wrist within 2 weeks or wait over a year to get it done on NHS which would he do?

Even my elderly mother in her 80s who is on pension credit was easy to convince to spend her savings on getting sorted quickly privately.

If he was in my position where his child was in serious pain every day and missing 50% school and there was an 18 month wait to be given medication that would stop it, and rather than pay £200 (which he can easily afford) for a private consultation to get that medication within a couple of weeks, he would choose to watch his child suffer every day and miss out on school and everyday life for 18 months, then there a lot stronger words I would call him than a liar.

.

What domyou mean?

He SHOULD have said - if I had to then I would like many other people in the UK have had to do because of what the Tories have done to the NHS. I also realise that I am in the privileged position of being able to if I needed to but many people are not. Let's improve the NHS so that no one feels pushed in to paying twice for medical treatment.

There was a smart political point to be made but he missed it.

Why on earth would you assume that? That is not what he said.

I hope he is lying because no one is that hippie and idealistic. If the latter we are more fucked than I was expecting.

Well - he will be doing a Diane Abbott when the time comes

People shpulf be HONEST and that is what counts. His answer was a serious lol responded a lol at him. If he had not been a multi millionaire and living from hand to mouth, some may have believed him

What is more important, openness and honesty or looking goo to the media???

If he was a good leader and many are saying on the forums, in the media and privately, Starmer is as dull as you can get and Rayner is the real Labour leader

Starmer could have easily stated that he has not used the private HC system or the private dentist or his wife and kids as he included them in his response and was hoping to avoid that by ensuring the NHS was properly run via improvements and better management - that would have been closer to the truth IMO

Definitely would if I could afford it as you don't mess with health stuff but sadly I can't afford it and can't even get doctor's appointments really.

I have .

Doesn't mean I don't care passionately about the NHS and think it is tremendously important.

But a GP was worried I had symptoms of a life threatening (if untreated) condition and urged me to go private if I could. I went private to get the tests and then moved back to the NHS , saw the same (excellent) consultant and in fact the support is better in the NHS (I see a specialist nurse alongside the consultant, and whenever I need an urgent appointment they fit me in swiftly). I see a global expert for my condition, and feel very privileged.

People with my condition in the US, even wealthy people, can swiftly go bankrupt because of the need for expensive treatments and ICU care. There was someone in our group chat (it's a rare condition so we have international FB group chat) who was trying to get back to work almost as soon as they got out of ICU because they couldn't afford not to

I'm glad it is all under control!!
Years ago I went for a private consultation as GP kept on fobbing me of. The good doc, he sent me for blood tests, got back same day and made an urgent referral - went back to NHS doc, they felt bad I guess, got my appt within days as I kept on ringing fr cancellations down the 2 week route and life long treatment maged easily if you don't skip your meds.

So yes, their are these advantages for using private and going back to NHS

Some docs will take you more serious than others but I guess that life

How do you know they are "minor" unless you get test results???

Often, a rotine ct scan can pick up incidental findings that may be serious!!

Look at our King Charles, went for routine prostate surgery and they found cancer in another area.

it was a tactical answer based on what his political beliefs and followers from the left want to hear

Well, yes, because he’s the leader of the Labour Party campaigning in advance of a General Election. Of course he’s going to answer based on his political beliefs. You’re very naive if you think otherwise.

Meanwhile I note they didn't even bother asking rishi the same question because we all know he'd being going private for a broken fingernail nevermind a life saving operation

Honest people lose elections.

It's that simple.

They did. And he said he would.

Of course. Have done it before and most certainly will again in the future. No moral high ground is worth allowing yourself or your family to needlessly suffer on an NHS waiting list if you can afford not to. I’ve lost a lot of respect for Keir Starmer.

I went private in 2016 as the NHS appeared quite happy to just leave me to die . Unfortunately I have so many pre existing conditions that Bupa or similar would now cost an arm or leg so we joined Benenden Health just before covid and my daughter ( adult ) has used it for a cardiology issue and we were seen and investigated within 2 weeks whereas her NHS appointment was going to be at least 8 months . I was an NHS nurse for 30 yrs and always a big supporter but unfortunately our family experiences have made me see sense .

Yes they did and he said yes.

A very valid point - thank you!!!

IMO, honesty/sincerity/goodwill are on a different planet to that of almost any politician in the world. But, people still fall for it, me inc