LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksNo they don't - they act as a barrier to you getting the treatment you need so we can all keep pretending there isn't a resource crisis.Originally Posted by kalniel
No they don't - they act as a barrier to you getting the treatment you need so we can all keep pretending there isn't a resource crisis.
You guys don't know how lucky you are. Go and experience third world medicine in somewhere like the USA...
I guess different people's experiences are different, but for the most part I've not needed to see a specialist so GP has been fine. If I have, it's been relatively quick and hassle free. I could be lucky however - nearest city has a large hospital with lots of specialists and in my town there's a small private hospital which the NHS seem to have no problem using if they need to.
The maximum waiting time from GP referral to a consultant-led treatment start is 18 weeks. For suspected cancer it’s 62 days, dropping to 31 for particular tumour sites, with an initial appointment promised within 14 days. These figures are reported on extensively directly to the DoH, and failure to adhere to them, or breaches of the waiting times will result in fines being levied against the Trust. Continual or systematic failure to meet targets will result in disciplinary measures against Performance Directors, which can include dismissal. I’m not surprised they are happy to use the private hospital when needs must!
The problem is, it’s a fun and easy target to bash red tape and bureaucracy in the NHS, and in fairness there are areas that need improvements in that regards, but when cuts are made, it will be, rightly, to those ‘bureaucrats’ first, and they are the ones ensuring that the targets are being met. You only need to have a look at waiting time figures, and the amount of breaches, from the DoH pre and post the 2010 election, and in correlation with the level of cuts (in real terms) imposed on the NHS, to see how getting rid of staff who monitor and influence the service, affects the users of the service.
Well what surprised me was referrals to the private hospital simply because that's where the specialist was, not because any length of time had passed.
Meh. Everyone knows US health system sucks so hardly a big surprise. Perhaps we should aspire to a good compulsory insurance based system like Germany's.
That's quite interesting. It could be that the local NHS trust has outsourced that speciality to the private hospital completely, or that when you were referred, there was a backlog in the NHS Trust so that when they received the referral, they sent you to the Private. A lot of Trusts have agreements in place with local Privates whereby they both use each other, i.e. NHS consultants hold their private clinics in the NHS hospital with the Trust taking a percentage of the fee, and the trust uses the Privates facilities for a discounted rate as and when they need.
Well yes, we are - on the other hand, I was on holiday in the US in 1999 and I neded to see a doctor. I went to a walk in Clinic on a Saturday morning, and walked out2 hours later with blood and urine test results and a set of Xraysand a report to take back to my Doctor in the UK. It turned out that there was a serious underlying cause, but armed with that report I was referred immediately to a hospital
It was outstanding service - but it did cost me $300, plus $70 for some medication. IIRC my travel insurance paid all but the first $100.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
My broadband speed - 750 Meganibbles/minute
I have a bit of a mixed feeling about the NHS. On one hand, I heard from my brother that when my dad collapsed, they were very quick to bring him to the A&E, and got him back on his feet. I wasn't in another country at the time so do not know the details, but though I am told it wasn't something very serious, I am still grateful for the service (that was a pretty long time ago though, perhaps 10+ years).
On the other hand, a couple years ago, they not only misdiagnosed my condition, but also refused to do a proper tests (despite being initially referred to by a practitioner nurse to have a blood test taken) and provide proper treatment as my condition deteriorated to the point where my fever hit about 42C. The irony is that had they taken my condition seriously from the start, I probably wouldn't have needed to be hospitalised for as long. That didn't stop them from trying to discharge me prematurely (they had to stop due to a relapse that occurred a few hours before I was due to be out). Don't get me wrong, I understand that they have limited resource and regardless of how nice the room was (it was nice), and I had no intention of staying in the hospital any longer than I needed to. And I am grateful to the fact that once I was was finally seen by a specialist (which took a while even after they admitted me as a patient), they got the diagnosis and treatment started promptly. In light of my condition then, they probably had to, but they did a good job putting me at ease a little.
But while it worked out in the end, I can't imagine that being an exemplary role model of what public health care can be.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote