Is the NHS useless?

[Cyclone]

Or it could be that we're so rich we can afford to be plastered or drugged up half the week, or so stupid we need to become chronically obese.

Then there's always society funding sex changes, boob jobs and numerous other fickle surgeries.

 

Diabetes is the single largest cost to the NHS.

[perplexed]

I'm always slightly wary of directly paid for services, in any walk of life. An example may be house surveys, which half the time are useless. If there is someone being paid to scrutinize a house, there may be temptation to 'find' things - perhaps unnecessarily - to justify the cost. A surveyor who is being paid from a general pot, yet regulated by a professional body, may perhaps be a little more objective? I know this isn't what happens, but it's just an analogy.

 

I'm not, for absolute clarity, directly referring to the OP's situation - but from situations I'm aware of through family, I know that some patients/parents will hop from one professional to the next until they get the 'right' diagnosis - because the NHS 'won't' give them the 'correct' one.

Edited October 30, 2015 by perplexed

[willman]

Diabetes is the single largest cost to the NHS.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to find that at all.

But you can't defend social migration rhetoric with properly diagnosed medical conditions,they just won't allow it.

[unbeliever]

Prescriptions have been charged for, for a very long time. Without that charge you'd have to pay even more tax.

The reason that mental health treatment is so slow is chronic underfunding.

 

How much do you imagine it would cost you to get medical cover for these things in the US? Probably a lot more than it's costing here.

 

 

I've checked. About half what I'm paying now.

Besides, the US is not the only alternative model. I'd prefer the French model.

 

 

You say you'll be able to afford the medical care you need, but I seriously doubt that you'd find yourself better off. And it's not just about you of course, many, many other people would find medical care simply inaccessible.

 

 

I wouldn't mind except that the NHS is very well funded by international standards. They could help us. They don't because they choose not to.

 

So campaign to have mental health properly funded.

 

I have always supported such things.

[Mr Bloke]

The NHS is very useful indeed. The OP is whingeing about not very much really and seems to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

Sadly, that's something neither the NHS or private healthcare are able to cure!

[unbeliever]

That may have been a fee paying therapist who also doubles for the NHS - many do. Milking the system and selecting those people who they feel can pay extra for their services.

 

You "assume" that people having negativity to your own situation aren't experiencing the same or worse.

 

As for free - if the persons receiving NHS treatment haven't paid into the NHS then the services they receive are being provided free.

Although if you cost up the number of visits made to the NHS for the mental issues at the rate your private therapists charged would that not have taken a big chunk out of your own contributions,without the additional costs of the NHS Service in general which you pay for.

My wife had back surgery some years ago - the private cost of the operation and recuperation were in excess of 4 years of her personal tax and NI contributions.That doesn't take into account everything else.

 

The NHS makes a profit out of my family, on top of taking a good chunk of my pay.

[JFKvsNixon]

I wouldn't mind except that the NHS is very well funded by international standards. They could help us. They don't because they choose not to.

 

By what standards? Here's some data on health spending:http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/nhs-in-a-nutshell/health-care-spending-compared

[sgtkate]

I have to say I have had excellent treatment lately from the NHS, but there will always be some people with certain conditions that the NHS fails. Mental health services in particular are seemingly poor under the NHS and this often forces families to seek alternatives.

 

Those of you who are sticking the knife into unbeliever, I'd like to think that ANY of us would make huge sacrifices for our families if they needed it and if you give up spending hardly anything on yourself you'd be amazed at where you can find money when you really need it. Clearly unbeliever must have made financial sacrifices to do that and didn't just have a massive pot of money lying around.

 

I know we have our differences, and as I say I value the NHS highly, but you have my sympathy as there isn't much more I can do to help you.

 

And mods can we block slordy from any thread that isn't directly related to racism as it's getting irrelevant and utterly tiresome.

 

Adding a link to a 2014 study showing that out of 11 OECD countries the NHS ranked top by some margin. The criteria was things like:

- Emergency care

- Cost per capita

- Chronic care

 

It's all in the report which is linked to from this Independent article and there's even a comparison to France unbeliever.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uks-healthcare-ranked-the-best-out-of-11-western-countries-with-us-coming-last-9542833.html

Edited October 30, 2015 by sgtkate

[unbeliever]

The NHS is very useful indeed. The OP is whingeing about not very much really and seems to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

 

 

"Not very much". Really?!

 

A family member is seriously ill and the NHS can't even be bothered to assign somebody to diagnose the problem. Never mind treating it.

I hope nobody you love finds themselves in a similar position.

 

What about all the people who need similar help and can't raise the money to fund it themselves?

But no, the NHS is too busy giving cosmetic surgery to morons.

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 10:12 ----------

 

By what standards? Here's some data on health spending:http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/nhs-in-a-nutshell/health-care-spending-compared

 

What graph are you looking at? The NHS funding is the orange bar, not the whole bar.

And it's as a percentage of GDP, not cash. The UK is richer than most and a certain percentage of GDP is a lot more money.

 

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 10:13 ----------

 

I have to say I have had excellent treatment lately from the NHS, but there will always be some people with certain conditions that the NHS fails. Mental health services in particular are seemingly poor under the NHS and this often forces families to seek alternatives.

 

Those of you who are sticking the knife into unbeliever, I'd like to think that ANY of us would make huge sacrifices for our families if they needed it and if you give up spending hardly anything on yourself you'd be amazed at where you can find money when you really need it. Clearly unbeliever must have made financial sacrifices to do that and didn't just have a massive pot of money lying around.

 

I know we have our differences, and as I say I value the NHS highly, but you have my sympathy as there isn't much more I can do to help you.

 

And mods can we block slordy from any thread that isn't directly related to racism as it's getting irrelevant and utterly tiresome.

 

Adding a link to a 2014 study showing that out of 11 OECD countries the NHS ranked top by some margin. The criteria was things like:

- Emergency care

- Cost per capita

- Chronic care

 

It's all in the report which is linked to from this Independent article and there's even a comparison to France unbeliever.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uks-healthcare-ranked-the-best-out-of-11-western-countries-with-us-coming-last-9542833.html

 

Thank you.

Edited October 30, 2015 by unbeliever

[Anna B]

Money is poured into the NHS. I've no idea whether it's enough, but I do think maybe it could be better spent.

 

Mental health is seriously under par and the care of the elderly is simply not good enough. However I think it's excellent when it comes to emergency care, and is still generally the best system in the world, though it does need some serious tweaking to get it right.