Healthcare - NHS/Private

**moggy** · 7 February 2013, 10:06

lots of awful stories about private healthcare in the press too. Seems you're stuck either way.

**MyUserName** · 7 February 2013, 10:06

NHS are fecking useless imho - they almost, quite literally, cost the lives of my wife and daughter through just being incompetent.

Although instead of dying my wife 'got away with' giving birth with only paracetomol as pain relief and being badly injured in the process to the point where as soon as they handed the baby over to me they unclipped her bed and ran out with it to get her to a surgeon. I stood there with my daughter, not really sure what to do, looking around at a room which was simply plastered with blood - one of my first memories of holding my daughter involves wondering whether my wife was about to die because there was just so much blood - it seemed liked it was everywhere.

Apparently the blood loss was not as bad as I thought as we later found out they had her blood group written down wrong so they could not have done a transfusion as it would have killed her.

Honestly, that was not the even worst part of it - they are absolutely fecking useless!

**wurzel** · 7 February 2013, 10:07

I've had several people close to me very badly let down by the NHS. One is permanently disabled due to the refusal of his GP to refer him for an MRI scan.

I've got basic BUPA cover in which I fork out for any private consultations during the diagniosis phase & I'm covered for all subsequent treatment.

Problem is, you still have to see an NHS dr to get a referral. My missus has been in agony with what turns out to be suspected gallstones. She rings drs surgery on Friday & they tell her nothing avalable until 13 Feb. If it gets any worse over the weekend, they say, go to A&E.
Simply not good enough.

**DodgyAgent** · 7 February 2013, 10:10

Originally posted by psychocandy View Post

I've got a real thing about the NHS at the moment. Recent personal experience has led me to believe that we've now got a 3rd rate healthcare system here in the UK...

All well and good being free but its awful at times. Trouble is we seem to be conditioned in this country to think of the 'good old NHS' and not to complain because of all those hard-working doctors and nurse.

Again, recent personal experience (along with those poor people in Staffs) has opened my eyes to some right lazy, useless gits who just dont care who work for the NHS.

Time to go private I think. Always wondered why private medicine is so expensive in this country though? Any recommendations?

The NHS is the symbolic totem of the left. It is the unimpeachable citadel around which the left wing rally to fight their cause. Woe betide any Tory (or any labour minister for that matter) who tries to change it or hold it to account. There are just too many anecdotes that glorify its virtues that can be used to threaten anyone seeking change.

Many lefties see the NHS as becoming the centrepiece of a socialist state whereby all manufacturing and services that feed into it become subsumed by the NHS. Even socialist workers believe that our lives should be spent building and maintaining hospitals, presumable so that when we can no longer perform such functions we have somewhere to go and die.

The so called virtue of the NHS is now unravelling because it has been protected from criticism and change.

Break it up I say.

**psychocandy** · 7 February 2013, 10:20

Must admit it is worrying the number of people who have had bad experiences with the NHS.

My wife's a nurse so knows, first hand, how incompetent and lazy some people are. You would not believe some of the stories she tells me.

**wikramasingha** · 7 February 2013, 10:32

As somebody who was first qualified in medical matters before enteting this security arena I feel I am qualified to comment.

If we wish to preserve excellency in our NHS we must all use its services and not to use privates.

If we are all using NHS they must serve our needs.

The model for this is Indian State Railways. There is no private option and as a result ISR has become the world's most great public company.

**Basil Fawlty** · 7 February 2013, 10:35

Seems to be a bit of a post code lottery with it all. My wife had an ectopic pregnancy a few years back, and it so turns out our local hospital is pretty much the best in the country for this kind of thing. The care and treatment she received was absolutely fantastic.

I was amazed at the number of 'managers' who were sat round the hospital looking at spreadsheets though - just what do these people actually do ?? I don't know if it is true or not, but I've heard that under the last government the NHS recruited 3 times as many managers as they did nurses...

**DodgyAgent** · 7 February 2013, 10:41

Originally posted by wikramasingha View Post

As somebody who was first qualified in medical matters before enteting this security arena I feel I am qualified to comment.

If we wish to preserve excellency in our NHS we must all use its services and not to use privates.

If we are all using NHS they must serve our needs.

The model for this is Indian State Railways. There is no private option and as a result ISR has become the world's most great public company.

What is the logic of this? You are saying remove competition why? Is it so that poor services can not be held up against competitor providers and therefore delivered according to standards set by the providers? How can you say ISR is one of the worlds "great" railways when half the passengers have to cling on to the outside of the train?

**wikramasingha** · 7 February 2013, 10:46

Originally posted by DodgyAgent View Post

What is the logic of this? You are saying remove competition why? Is it so that poor services can not be held up against competitor providers and therefore delivered according to standards set by the providers? How can you say ISR is one of the worlds "great" railways when half the passengers have to cling on to the outside of the train?

This is Pakistan.

Healthcare - NHS/Private