Why do guys go on about the NHS being the best in the world.....

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  • andersonsonsonandersonsonson Posts: 6,454
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    NHS is a joke imo

    Paying for designer vaginas, nose jobs, etc.

    Waiting times can be months for operations.

    Shortage of staff whilst managers get bonuses and high wages, too many levels of employment.

    It should be sold because its a complete mess
  • Chuck WaoChuck Wao Posts: 2,724
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    skp20040 wrote: »
    Well I am happy people are so happy with their services that they pay for abroad, even with our health tourism and overworked staff in the UK if you need A&E you get taken there and seen and treated and all without asking for a swipe of your credit card your immediate care is put above your credit rating and ability to pay and a Doctor decides which scans or treatment you have not your insurance company

    Does our NHS need an overhaul, yes it does but is it one of the best in the world , yes it is.

    ..comes in around 20th best - in a Time magazine survey (FWIW)
  • DangermooseDangermoose Posts: 67,907
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    Chuck Wao wrote: »
    ..comes in around 20th best - in a Time magazine survey (FWIW)

    A survey is hardly representative of the entire world's population though, is it? And how many of those who participated have experience of every single country's health services?
  • BermondseybrickBermondseybrick Posts: 1,256
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    Sure the NHS .is tired and always takes a beating and may be a bit banged up but can still be fixed but I'd still rather that than any other system in the world

    Let's go the American route where the device you get is only matched by the cash in your pocket
  • Chuck WaoChuck Wao Posts: 2,724
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    A survey is hardly representative of the entire world's population though, is it? And how many of those who participated have experience of every single country's health services?

    It just looked at amount of doctors per head , medicine availability, cure rates etc etc .....objective stuff which is measurable


    What i do know France's 3rd place is well deserved -
  • anne_666anne_666 Posts: 72,891
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    Keiō Line wrote: »
    The NHS is currently bumping along the ground at " bare minimum" . Hopefully with a tory victory some much needed reforms will be put in place. Reforms to address basic concepts like "free for all".

    When I go to America I can get seen my a doctor in about 5 mins. In the UK it is literally HOURS!!!!>:( I pay far more to the NHS than I (or rather my work) did to my Insurance company in America.

    I would like to see a two tiered system, a "free" bog standard one for those contributing below a certain threshold, and a fast track for us that effectively pay for other people treatment as well as our own.

    How does that work? He lives with you his only patient? I can see my doctor any morning of 6 days a week but 5 minutes is pushing it and why is that so important? Important enough to want to change the entire system? .
    We have virtually the same system here but a million times better than the US. Pay for anything other than NHS treatment, as they do for their health insurance.
  • cessnacessna Posts: 6,747
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    A member of my family is being treated for aggressive cancer and the care he is receiving is first class. I can't fault the NHS.

    My wife is also receiving treatment for aggressive lung cancer but they took too long dithering over most obvious symptons having subjected her to several unpleasant scans and biopsy and other tests - only to inform her months later that she has aggressive lung cancer and is only now just starting chem treatment - when its well known that EARLY attention for this complaint is her only chance of possible survival - All too late now thanks to our NHS dithering doctors !.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    Sure the NHS .is tired and always takes a beating and may be a bit banged up but can still be fixed but I'd still rather that than any other system in the world

    Let's go the American route where the device you get is only matched by the cash in your pocket

    Not entirely true. My American insurance paid for a $5000 insulin pump when I was working at a coffee shop and poor. Here, I have to pay out of pocket for the same thing, which is fine for me because I can afford it now, but not so great for other diabetics trying to get funded by the NHS.

    Clearly the NHS is superior to the American model for many reasons, and granted, my personal perspective on it is a rather narrow one, but, still, it shouldn't be regarded as a sacred cow, above criticism.
    http://www.gponline.com/uk-lags-behind-insulin-pump-therapy/article/1182125
    But the UK still trails countries such as Germany and Norway, where around 15% of type 1 diabetes patients use the devices. In the US, about 40% of patients use an insulin pump.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    Keiō Line wrote: »
    The NHS is currently bumping along the ground at " bare minimum" . Hopefully with a tory victory some much needed reforms will be put in place. Reforms to address basic concepts like "free for all".

    When I go to America I can get seen my a doctor in about 5 mins. In the UK it is literally HOURS!!!!>:( I pay far more to the NHS than I (or rather my work) did to my Insurance company in America.

    I would like to see a two tiered system, a "free" bog standard one for those contributing below a certain threshold, and a fast track for us that effectively pay for other people treatment as well as our own.

    47 million Americans without health insurance. That figure just tell you everything.
  • Danger CloseDanger Close Posts: 3,281
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    NHS is a joke imo

    Paying for designer vaginas, nose jobs, etc.

    Waiting times can be months for operations.

    Shortage of staff whilst managers get bonuses and high wages, too many levels of employment.

    It should be sold because its a complete mess

    Because privatisation has worked really well for other public services?
    The railways are a mess and extortionate. Power companies squeeze as much out of you as they can.

    It just needs proper funding and staffing instead of the government making cut after cut to its budget.
  • Sky_GuySky_Guy Posts: 6,859
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    The NHS treated me within weeks and saved my life, of course its the best thing in the world.
  • exlordlucanexlordlucan Posts: 35,375
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    tim59 wrote: »
    47 million Americans without health insurance. That figure just tell you everything.

    And of those that do have it many find that the insurance companies do their best to wriggle out of paying up.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,828
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    cessna wrote: »
    My wife is also receiving treatment for aggressive lung cancer but they took too long dithering over most obvious symptons having subjected her to several unpleasant scans and biopsy and other tests - only to inform her months later that she has aggressive lung cancer and is only now just starting chem treatment - when its well known that EARLY attention for this complaint is her only chance of possible survival - All too late now thanks to our NHS dithering doctors !.

    Sorry to hear that, mistakes do happen, it's run by humans but I hope the treatment she is now getting works.
  • andersonsonsonandersonsonson Posts: 6,454
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    tim59 wrote: »
    47 million Americans without health insurance. That figure just tell you everything.

    I think the NHS costs the average person £2000 per year in tax.

    In the last 5 years, I have used the NHS once I think. So its cost me £10,000 for 1 appointment.



    If you gave me the option to go without NHS, and have £2000 in my bank instead, I would take the money
  • Prince MonaluluPrince Monalulu Posts: 35,900
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    SJ_Mental wrote: »
    Gr8 b8 I r8 8/8

    Aye with FM's going on their usual stupid trolling/baiting journey what is the point of trying to have discussion.
  • SemieroticSemierotic Posts: 11,131
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    Keiō Line wrote: »
    We need to kill the sacred cow of "natural entitlement". A supposed Natural entitlement to take money from others to help (say) heal your broken leg. Now as it happens I am all for the NHS, I can see it is for the greater good. However that is not to say we should all be entitled to the same level of service.

    In the UK you can still fork out for private healthcare if you have the money. No-one's stopping you.

    Any argument that starts with 'the healthcare in the US is better because...' almost certainly won't lead anywhere good... unless you're comparing it to a third world country.
  • anne_666anne_666 Posts: 72,891
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Not entirely true. My American insurance paid for a $5000 insulin pump when I was working at a coffee shop and poor. Here, I have to pay out of pocket for the same thing, which is fine for me because I can afford it now, but not so great for other diabetics trying to get funded by the NHS.

    Clearly the NHS is superior to the American model for many reasons, and granted, my personal perspective on it is a rather narrow one, but, still, it shouldn't be regarded as a sacred cow, above criticism.
    http://www.gponline.com/uk-lags-behind-insulin-pump-therapy/article/1182125
    But the UK still trails countries such as Germany and Norway, where around 15% of type 1 diabetes patients use the devices. In the US, about 40% of patients use an insulin pump.

    Private Health Insurance in this country would pay for that device.


    Do patients in Norway and Germany receive this free of charge? I have no idea.
  • exlordlucanexlordlucan Posts: 35,375
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    I think the NHS costs the average person £2000 per year in tax.

    In the last 5 years, I have used the NHS once I think. So its cost me £10,000 for 1 appointment.



    If you gave me the option to go without NHS, and have £2000 in my bank instead, I would take the money

    If we all had that option on things we hardly use there would be little or nothing in the way of emergency services, public services, roads, schools etc etc..
  • Vast_GirthVast_Girth Posts: 9,793
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    I think the NHS costs the average person £2000 per year in tax.

    In the last 5 years, I have used the NHS once I think. So its cost me £10,000 for 1 appointment.



    If you gave me the option to go without NHS, and have £2000 in my bank instead, I would take the money

    You do realise that in the US fully private system they actually contribute more per head than we do. A LOT more as well.

    EDIT: just looked it up. Its about 3 times more.
  • andersonsonsonandersonsonson Posts: 6,454
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    If we all had that option on things we hardly use there would be little or nothing in the way of emergency services, public services, roads, schools etc etc..

    Fat people and smokers should pay more to the NHS than people who stay healthy.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    I think the NHS costs the average person £2000 per year in tax.

    In the last 5 years, I have used the NHS once I think. So its cost me £10,000 for 1 appointment.



    If you gave me the option to go without NHS, and have £2000 in my bank instead, I would take the money

    But you would think so differant when you needed medical treatment for the rest of your life, and are you not goingto be getting your wisdom teeth done on the NHS in hospital i remember you saying only 2 days ago.
  • epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    anne_666 wrote: »
    Private Health Insurance in this country would pay for that device.

    Th comparison should be with the non private section of US health care.

    Why should that be the comparison? The person I was quoting didn't make that distinction.

    But that's good to know about private insurers here. The last time I looked into it the only company I could find that would be willing to cover me charged extortionate premiums, had a two or three year non-claiming period, and did not cover anything related to diabetes. I'll have to do some more research, I suppose.
  • duckyluckyduckylucky Posts: 13,852
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Well where else in the world would my husband at this moment be having a knee replacement and all the treatment needed to go with that for no extra charge than his NI payments, where else would I have been given various treatments for cancer 3 times and I don't even earn enough to pay NI !

    It has it's faults - GP appointments are like gold dust but really "guys and gals" it is better than any other system I have heard about.

    In Germany
  • Bex_123Bex_123 Posts: 10,783
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    I think the NHS costs the average person £2000 per year in tax.

    In the last 5 years, I have used the NHS once I think. So its cost me £10,000 for 1 appointment.



    If you gave me the option to go without NHS, and have £2000 in my bank instead, I would take the money

    Of course you would. Right now.

    But what happens if, God forbid, next year you develop a chronic lifelong illness where you need medication, regular hospital stays, operations and on going treatment?

    Trust me, you would be very, very thankful for our healthcare system then.
    tim59 wrote: »
    are you not goingto be getting your wisdom teeth done on the NHS in hospital i remember you saying only 2 days ago.

    Exactly. You are aware the NHS subsidises your dental treatment? And if you go into hospital for your wisdom teeth it will be completely free. If you paid privately that would be around £1800. Which funnily enough is close to the £2000 you have paid in.

    Link to private hospital wisdom teeth extraction - £1895
  • exlordlucanexlordlucan Posts: 35,375
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    Fat people and smokers should pay more to the NHS than people who stay healthy.

    That's another good point re the NHS, they don't discriminate like that.

    Just think if they were to do the same with people who come up with daft ideas such as aeroplane passengers having parachutes.
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