NHS @ 60

[Blackfox]

As many of you probably know, The United Kingdom's National Health Service is celebrating its 60th year of existence!

 

Watched a pretty cool programme on it ITV just now.. how two people were saved from near death due to the NHS.

 

What do you lot all think about it? Great? Waste of taxpayer's money? Should we have personal medical insurance instead?

 

Go!

[Raining_again]

NHS is awesome. Without it I would be paying a scandalous amount of money for therapists (skin, podiatry, GP, rhematology) and endless amounts of prescriptions.

 

My last meds would cost £100 per prescription privately. And the new ones have to be funded, which I've waited on for 2 months! (I dread to think just how much)

 

Also I work in the NHS, so I theoretically wouldn't have a job!

[EEVILMURRAY]

Same with my meds. Except I need to sign up for a new HC2 form.

 

Seems better than the Yankyland system.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Probably one of the last great things about this country.

 

On the whole, it's a great service. It does get scrutinised probably a bit too much, but that could be done to the British mentality of negative thinking, too much nit-picking and only highlighting bad news. Its nice they've shown a great service in a good light for a change.

[Jamba]

Managing the NHS is one of the hardest jobs in the world and the reason is because people rely on it veyr heavily. Why? Because it rocks the kazbaa.

 

I must admit though, I don't know how far it should go really... we seem to spend a phenomenal amount of money on it and people seem to demand more from it which only makes the financial investment required rise and the complexity of the system increase too. I think that the foot needs to be put down somewhere but its difficult when the newest medicines are so expensive and people have been waiting for them.

 

Where do the NHS responsibilities end?

[Blackfox]

 

Where do the NHS responsibilities end?

 

Ah that's a very good point, I think the NHS must always provide essential care. I think it shouldn't be used for some things though, say un-medically needed cosmetic surgery. But there is a grey area of treatment which needs to be defined, and is a tough job doing so! Its going to get tougher, especially with novel drugs that are increasingly more expensive, also with the population increasing. And also the increase in the amount of preventative treatment. NHS faces tough challenges but hopefully ones it will overcome.

 

I think the NHS is awesome - one of the best things about this mighty country. My sister's had heart surgery twice, which would be been extremely difficult for my parents to cope financially without the NHS. When I broke my leg this year, I would have been facing a hefty bill which I wouldn't have been able to afford easily.. saved me the best part of a grand+

 

They're also (hopefully) my future employers.. and also subsidise my tuition fees by around £47,000 a year.. Yeah, NHS is great. Long may it last.

[Jamba]

It's a question of having to say that one illness/condition is more deserving of funding than the other. Personally I feel that we coming into (or are already in) an age of medicine where we are keeping people alive rather than dying. When this happens things need to be re-evaluated.

[Raining_again]

There was a lot of fuss over the MRSA ordeal with the media and whatnot. Do you actually know that once you get MRSA, in some cases you can't actually be decolonised? I think it runs it certain genetics or something.

 

Also! Did you know mrsa is mostly commonly found in the nose, mouth and auxilla? (aka armpits:P) and of course, wounds. Apparently patients being admitted are now auto swabbed there.

 

The "new mrsa" is now c-diff. I've seen a lot of patients being referred with c-diff now, seems to be getting more and more common.

 

The problem is there just aren't enough staff. I was down in Antrim Area Hospital a few months ago, and the toilets were minging.

 

Taken from experience, I know exactly how shortstaffed everyone is in the NHS

 

But i'd still rather have it than not =)

[Haden]

My mum is a nightnurse at the NHS and I reckon the NHS is a great thing. I feel proud of what she does and nurses especially I think have a really hard job dealing with people that are sometimes abusive. I also had an operation not so long ago that was covered by the NHS and it went really well so yeh im pro NHS!

[nightwolf]

I personally think the NHS is a good thing, I regularly talk to a guy from america and the amount he has to pay just for a scan to be told what's the matter with him is ridiculous.

 

Apprently he is quite jealous of the system here, you'd think with the patient paying that they'd get better health care, from the sounds of it he doesn't, sitting around waiting for two hours just to see a doctor, never mind be diagnosed.

 

Regardless the NHS has it's problems, but I'd rather have it than not, alot of the people in the NHS do the best they can and the media don't help the situation at all. Neither does the government helping by trying to close hospitals because of their standards, they should be helping them to become better hospitals and therefore save lifes instead of forcing patients and dire situations to go an extra 20 miles down the road to another hospital..

 

Free health care for the most part is pretty damn amazing and I'm quite glad that it happens to be in the country I reside in.

[Mr_Odwin]

I like the NHS and am in favour of it, but it's less free than it used to be.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to see the wife have the 20 week pregnancy scan. I had to pay £1.50 for the car park and then they tried to charge us £5 for a picture of the scan (which has been free forever and ever)! Therefore, no scan pics for family Odwin.

[EEVILMURRAY]

The parking at QMC is bloody disgraceful.

[ipaul]

I think the NHS is great Last time I had a stay....

Went in on the Sunday because I had been having massive pains on the saturday night. Got diagnosed with appendicitus, had the surgery on monday, out on tuesday and back to school in a week. I was very impressed with the service. People seem to complain far too much about it, at least every single one of us can get the treatment, unlike America where a rather large number of people (can't remember how many) can not get health insurance.

[Raining_again]

Has anyone actually got private health cover here?

 

I was looking into it at a time... It's not really a viable option for me because I have a lot of pre-existing medical conditions

[ipaul]

I wouldn't get private health cover if I had the choice. I just don't agree with it =P Unless I lived in the states and I had no choice in the matter =(

[Mr_Odwin]

I could have joined the BUPA scheme at work, but it was taxed as a benefit in kind and I've always been happy with the NHS so saw no need to.

[Haver]

Another one Odders?

 

Congratulations Old Man.

[Raining_again]

I wouldn't get private health cover if I had the choice. I just don't agree with it =P Unless I lived in the states and I had no choice in the matter =(

 

See the thing is I'll probably need treatment as I get older with all the medical problems I have, so I really need to set myself up with something. I've got a couple of conditions which really would mean that private insurance would cost me the earth.

 

@odwin: I think my dad is under bupa with his work. afaik, I don't think there is a medical insurance scheme for NHS staff (sorta defeats the purpose, ne?)

 

I had to wait 3 months for a Physio, 2 for a Rhematologist (that was an urgent referal) and god knows how long for a Dermatologist (that was years ago) but I know people waiting 6months+

[Blackfox]

There was a lot of fuss over the MRSA ordeal with the media and whatnot. Do you actually know that once you get MRSA, in some cases you can't actually be decolonised? I think it runs it certain genetics or something.

 

Also! Did you know mrsa is mostly commonly found in the nose, mouth and auxilla? (aka armpits:P) and of course, wounds. Apparently patients being admitted are now auto swabbed there.

 

The "new mrsa" is now c-diff. I've seen a lot of patients being referred with c-diff now, seems to be getting more and more common.

 

yeah, massive proportion of the public have MRSA. And all people have C. difficile in their gut. So y;know, if you're pretty ill trying to defeat other infections in your body, th e chances are they pop up to say hello. Another bullshit medis spin article. Yes, some cases are due to bad hygeine/practises, but most of them are due to what you.your relavtives have and raise their head due to immunocompromisation. Fucking media.

 

I like the NHS and am in favour of it, but it's less free than it used to be.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to see the wife have the 20 week pregnancy scan. I had to pay £1.50 for the car park and then they tried to charge us £5 for a picture of the scan (which has been free forever and ever)! Therefore, no scan pics for family Odwin.

 

Another bun in the oven!?Congrats!

 

The parking at QMC is bloody disgraceful.

 

 

QMC is awesome. They fixed me leg. Doped me up on nitrous oxide and tramadol. Best days of my life, apar from said broken leg.

[Raining_again]

yeah, massive proportion of the public have MRSA. And all people have C. difficile in their gut. So y;know, if you're pretty ill trying to defeat other infections in your body, th e chances are they pop up to say hello. Another bullshit medis spin article. Yes, some cases are due to bad hygeine/practises, but most of them are due to what you.your relavtives have and raise their head due to immunocompromisation. Fucking media.

 

I'm so glad someone agrees with me!

 

^______^

 

I hope I never go into hospital, I have a really shitty immune system ;_;

[Blackfox]

I'm so glad someone agrees with me!

 

^______^

 

I hope I never go into hospital, I have a really shitty immune system ;_;

 

FIGHT THE SYSTEM!

 

It might not be shitty, psoriasis is usually a sign of an over-active immune system. Bored of fightning everyday antigens so it decides to clobber your skin (eczema/psoriasis), joints (rheumatoid) or any other part of your body (any other immune mediated response!)

[Raining_again]

FIGHT THE SYSTEM!

 

It might not be shitty, psoriasis is usually a sign of an over-active immune system. Bored of fightning everyday antigens so it decides to clobber your skin (eczema/psoriasis), joints (rheumatoid) or any other part of your body (any other immune mediated response!)

 

I swear its the bane of my life. 60% covered in itchy sores, and arthritis! Not. Fun.

 

When I'm on immune suppressant meds (namely mtx and ciclosporin) i'm always getting the cold

 

OT: I get a few patients on the phone in work, who cry and are extremely distressed. I and many others help them out (all thanks to the NHS) and they are so unbelievably thankful. It makes my job so much more worthwhile, when you get people who actually APPRECIATE what everyone does for them.

[The fish]

The NHS is similar in awesomeness to Islam - brilliant in theory, but flawed in a really annoying manner in practice...

[Wesley]

The NHS is similar in awesomeness to Islam - brilliant in theory, but flawed in a really annoying manner in practice...

 

 

Anyway, I'm half happy with the NHS. I ahve medication that I need to be on and have no alternative, but it is not included in the free-meds list.

[Jamba]

You talking from experience fish?

 

I don't see why people say "I won't go private". It's not like the NHS would be losing out. In fact you would be one less person in the queue and due to the fact that they can afford to have the staff and regulations that are required (and also with out government interference) then you actually have much less chance of getting infections like MRSA or C diff.

 

Explain to me how that's a bad thing? You help yourself, you help others and all it costs you is money. Usually helps fund some spanking research too.