Who hates the NHS

I’ve been in and out of hospital all my life due to disability from birth so I’ve seen a lot of changes. Things ran a lot better when it was largely in the hands of medical people, rather than the layers of management we have now. And I’ll probably bring a ton of criticism down on my head for saying this, but I really feel that nowadays there is a lot of demand for NHS treatment of things for which it was never intended. Cosmetic surgery for body dysmorphia, fertility treatment, gender reassignment surgery, to name but a couple.

In my experience, once you get to the real experts, there’s no better care than that provided by our NHS. The problem is the difficulty in getting to the right people before things get out of hand. My late husband was failed by our GP, who didn’t recognise the early signs of cancer. As a result he was misdiagnosed and valuable time was wasted - it wasn’t until he was admitted to hospital after collapsing, that his advanced lung cancer was diagnosed. He spent time in HDU and ITU, and the care he received was on another level entirely, but unfortunately it was too late for him by then. My own feeling is that we need to provide better training to those who are the gateway from primary to secondary care. To do that, and to raise the NHS to the world class service it deserves to be, I think we’re all going to have to be prepared to pay more.

I have to agree with you. I had an appointment for an MRI scan on Monday I also had one for Sunday. They were both for my legs. Didfferent consultants. I asked could they do both legs as I was going on the machine and someone could have my slot on Sunday. No they said it doesn't work like that. No one talks to each other. We can see you have 2 appointments and agreed it was one of the reasons the NHS are losing money....

Kate1949

And from a close relative who works there, less waste, expensive conferences with lunches, layers of management etc.

Yes, this. I find it irritating when there are three administrators sitting around chatting in a department doing work which could be covered by one. And when a letter cancelling an appointment arrives after the appointment or before the appointment letter has arrived.
But our local cardiac team is ultra-efficient. They have a lovely nurse who seems to run their administration single handed. She calls every time about appointments, about necessary tests, about results of tests. We get reminder texts about appointments. If my husband needs to go to the GP for a blood test she contact them so that they know what is needed. It is competent women like this who make things work well and it's a shame that the NHS doesn't seem able to find more of them.

I'd probably like it more if it incorporated alternative therapies rather than being purely run for Big Pharma mega profits. They really aren't that interested in curing anything. This is why they don't like alternatives like herbalism because you can't patent natural remedies. So there is no money to be made for Big Pharma. A lot of illness are caused by lifestyle and wrong choices in food but doctors don't actually learn anything about nutrition when going to med school. We need more functional medicine doctros in the UK which deals with all aspects of how the body works.

the NHS needs a massive overall. Too much money is wasted by
a) not being able to optout of receiving letters for the covid vaccine (contact via facebook ,the system and the telephone is not possible - I've been trying for months)
b) needing an appointment when a letter would do
c)double appointments - just incase you don't attend the first appointment
those above are the simplest to resolve.
Why do you need a nurse for a chaperone for most appointments when you are not undressing ?

bring back SEN's and nurse numbers will increase as too many are put off training as they need a degree. No degree will teach you how to interact in a sympathetic way with patients.

A member of my family saw their GP with a niggling pain and occasional weakness. They were sent to A and E immediately. Scans were done. My relative was transferred to the nearest neurological centre. They had emergency surgery within 24 hours. A life saved two weeks ago, midst strikes and huge pressures.

My husband’s diagnosis was grim but he was given very expensive treatment in the hope he could live well longer. Sadly that wasn’t to be. The doctors, nurses, ancillary staff were superb. With the exception of one junior doctor who delayed pain treatment but subsequently apologised.

I saw a consultant last week. Highly skilled, attentive, kind and full of warmth

Let’s nurture our nhs. It’s at risk

We’d soon be moaning if we all had to pay. I think the NHS is marvellous I’ve never had any complaints apart from the long waiting lists

red1

radio 4 start the week today had a report on 75 years of the nhs,it is repeated tonight at 9.30.It did not surprise me that thatcher had plans to scrap our welfare system including the nhs when she was in power.

I knew that was the plan from the outset, and could literally see it happening - in 2010 it was just beginning to be good and has declined considerably since, the aim being to make it so bad that the great unwashed would accept anything (sale) to make it better. I actually had a Facebook memory post come up recently from 2011 where I say exactly that! Be interesting to know how many Tory MP's have their fingers in the private healthcare/insurance racket ....

The worst thing about NHS hospitals is the parking! Most have sold off the parking rights to car parks to national companies who make you pay exorbitant rates. It shouldn’t be the case that it is one of the most worrying aspects of hospital appointments: whether you can find a parking space or afford to pay for it!

As with any public services there will always be room for improvement. What we all have to think about is the alternative. I for one certainly couldn't afford to pay privately.
paying my dentist is expensive enough.

I am awaiting an appt at my local hospital - 19 month wait so far, even though they advertise a 40 week wait for a first appt. I am in the complaints system but that's pretty poor too - 4 months and no satisfaction. Surrounding areas have 7 - 12 week waits for my speciality. So rather fed up with the NHS and it's not free if you pay tax and NI. I am currently seeing a private consultant, a 60 mile drive away.

Any person who says they hate the NHS must be totally doolally! But in answer to this question , the ones who hate the NHS are the Tory Government, if it wasn't for the opposition and some members of the house of Lords it would be a private health business by now... this could still happen under the current government..We must ALWAYS Support the NHS... because one day they may save YOUR life !

I love the NHS, Keunsbergs comment is just the sort of non-subtle influencing the BBC do, they back up the Tories and try to tell us its a 2nd class institution and so bolster the private sector.

deedee27

We pay less towards it than France and Germany, so we get what we pay for. The absence of a workforce plan for years has accelerated its decline. This is hand in glove with systemic underfunding and understaffing over the last 13 years. Staff are unable to work flexibly which doesn’t help.

Staff are leaving in droves post pandemic which is exacerbating the situation.

This!

All the posters talking on this thread about 'new models' or saying how much better health care can be in other countries, need to take this on board. It's not where the funding comes from that is important, it's how much funding is given to it.

And those who believe that taxation funds the NHS (or any other government spending) needs to watch this. It's American, but applies equally to the UK

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHQCjFebIf8

I have been so very grateful to the NHS for saving my life on a number of occasions and for prescribing what I know is a very costly drug for rheumatoid arthritis. This has changed my life. I consider myself very lucky indeed. However I do think that we will all have to contribute much more for our health in future. The present situation cannot survive. Many new and expensive advances are being made all the time in medicine - these have to be paid for somehow. Our present taxes just wouldn’t cover the costs. Some of our hospitals are fairly ramshackle and need updating and doctors pay has fallen dramatically in real terms over the past 10 years. It is a mess. I believe charges should be made for missed appointments- also charges should be made for food when in hospital- most people can feed themselves and buy food when at home- why not in hospital? Free transport can be arranged on the NHS for some people - this could be paid for. Often we don’t value what we get free- we all need to pay a health tax specifically for all our ailments. The present situation with a rising population just cannot be sustained.

If it was working efficiently as intended then it would be great ,but unfortunately it isn't so it's not!

We pay less towards it than France and Germany, so we get what we pay for. The absence of a workforce plan for years has accelerated its decline. This is hand in glove with systemic underfunding and understaffing over the last 13 years. Staff are unable to work flexibly which doesn’t help.

Staff are leaving in droves post pandemic which is exacerbating the situation.

Callistemon21

Hetty58

Kate1949, why not? It's a service that we pay for, after all. Why do people think that we have to be grateful

Yes, we do pay.

We're grateful to many of the caring staff but not all are kind, caring and infallible as they are human beings with faults like the rest of us.

Imo we should pay more and then we could expect a world-class service.

I couldn’t agree more.

Last week after a fall days before I phoned my surgery and I was offered an appointment with a GP for 11am. She arranged for me to see a consultant at a local hospital at 12.30 and I was back home at 2.30 having had a check up and an x-Ray. I couldn’t have been looked after any better. That’s why we have to make sure we continue to have a NHS which is there for everyone even if it does mean we pay more for it.

The population of England has grown by 3.5million in the past decade. One in 5 of the population is 65 and over and expected to grow. It is also the more diverse our nation has ever been, with 1 in 6 people in England from minority ethnic backgrounds.

In a couple of days we will be marking the NHS 75 years of service.

You ask who hates the NHS.
The government and big business buddies of course.

I love the NHS but am always amazed that one hospital cannot access your clinical notes from another hospital. Ridiculous in the 21st century.

radio 4 start the week today had a report on 75 years of the nhs,it is repeated tonight at 9.30.It did not surprise me that thatcher had plans to scrap our welfare system including the nhs when she was in power.

MayBee70

So what happened to all of the clapping then .

Exactly! I didn’t agree with the clapping, it made us all look like performing seals!

I neither love not hate the NHS. I’m hugely grateful for the NHS when it helps me or my loved ones. And I’ve been made hugely anxious by the NHS when care isn’t available. I don’t think ‘care at the point of need’ is too much to ask, they just need to rationalise the care available.

I think the title of this subject is not useful. We all know that we,pay for the NHS and it takes a large proportion of the money the Government uses, People judge the NHS on their personal experience. If they save your life or that of a loved one, you will naturally be grateful. However, others have less positive experiences and are less enthusiastic. I have had good and bad experiences but I certainly do not hate the NHS. After all our friends in the EU do pay to visit doctors and other charges at the point of consultation so maybe we should follow their example. I am neutral as I am not currently in UK.

I can definitely tell you it depends where you live in the country.
If you want excellent health care don't live in a seaside town!
Excellent health care can only be found in my experience in cities or close to them, and believe me I speak from experience.

I both love and hate it - I love the fact that it's free obviously, and that over the years I have had both excellent and dreadful experiences.

Having had 24 lots of surgery over the last 2 decades, I have sadly had many encounters, and as a nurse, I know how it ought to be, but sadly sometimes isn't!

My local hospital I literally call the 'hellhole' as most of my bad experiences are there, one of which from A&E has left me with trauma because they lied about it when I tried to find out what happened. Had they just told me the truth I could have accepted it. No issue with surgeons, anaesthetists, scanning etc but do have issues with nursing care - had it no been for me, a little old lady when on a Covid ward (none of us had it!) wouldn't have been fed or given a drink for hours - the nurses just stood by the windows, chatting and laughing. We nurses, especially the older ones make particularly bad patients! Sadly I am expecting to be back there soon with another bowel strangulation.

One thing that bugs me about the NHS is their communication - why in the C21st does it take absolutely forever to order discharge meds? You are ready to go home at 9am, but don't get out until 6pm - surely a computer could send it directly to dispensary on the doctors rounds? In around 2014, I remember signing a document that allowed all of my health records to be seen by any health facility in the UK - yet it still doesn't happen! My latest consultant has had to to write to 5 different hospitals to request my records, which is ludicrous!

So I both loathe it, but love it at the same time ... if it comes to paying for any of it I'd have no chance!