NHS

Alea,

Have you considered that there are some people who can't even afford an annual prescription season ticket?

Yes, Alea, it did touch a nerve.

Yes, it is Ana. However, I do my best and I know for a fact that that there are many people in a similar situation, so I won't tolerate comments which blame the poor for their own misfortune by suggesting they prioritise, or thinking that just because they can pay, so can everybody. If I thought I were the only one, I would put it down to experience and bad luck. It's all very well dismissing me as an individual, but there are thousands, maybe millions, of individuals like me and I find it offensive when the least fortunate/most vulnerable are ignored.

Yes, Jane, it would be a positive approach and I was hoping for an answer from you, based on your father's observations.

If you scroll back, you'll see that all seem to be agreed that more money is needed and I outlined the dilemma. The question is whether people pay as individuals (when some people just can't) or whether the money is spread by funding from taxation, which is the very crux of the matter.

I fail to spot any offence in what jane10 has said, but it clearly touched a nerve.
Paying for prescriptions is a problem for many people but before he was 65, DH used to buy an annual prepayment "season ticket". Given that he averages 12 different drugs 2 or 3 times a day, I think it paid for itself with his repeat prescriptions alone within the first 2/3 months of any year. And of course it was available for "one offs" as and when he needed them.
It is possible to go for a hybrid system of payment for some things with reductions for "season tickets" or exemption for those on benefits and I know I (and others) have commented before on the nonsense of having prescriptions for cheap as chips over the counter drugs such as paracetamol which can cost mere pence at Boots.
Sadly the reorganisation of GP contracts had exactly the opposite effect to that desired, effectively reducing GP services and passing the buck of "out of hours " treatment to A&E services already stretched to breaking point.
We lay people can see how a non-urgent out of hours service could alleviate the pressure and at our local hospital as part of a redevelopment they are moving their walk-in centre to beside A&E with combined triage which will then allocate accordingly. Seems so simple, but there are probably a million reasons (most of them £££) why this cannot be implemented everywhere.

I am talking generally. I thought this was a thread about the NHS not individuals. If we had no NHS and planned how to set up a comprehensive health system what would we do? That might be a more positive approach.

No excuse for bullying though.

Thanks for answering - what a terrible position to be in.

Savings from the forced sale of my house, but that's not going to last until I reach state pension age. Yes, I am seriously worried and often consider ending it all. So I'm not impressed with people, who don't have a clue, telling me to prioritise.

Back to topic anyone? Links and all!

(serious question, BTW, I'm genuinely perplexed, not doubting you...)

How on earth do you pay your bills and afford to eat, dd?

What offensive comment did I make about your Dad? It certainly wasn't intended to be offensive. You, yourself, wrote that the answer is money and I agree.

Jane10, You really are being offensive now. I can't afford hairdos and holidays either. Difficult as you obviously find this to understand, some of us don't have the resources to prioritise.

My rent is £825pm (the cheapest I could find) and I'm not eligible for housing benefit or any other benefits. My total income per annum is less than £10,000. Go figure!

(PS. I'm gritting my teeth here and going to walk away from the computer, because what I actually think of you most certainly would get me banned.)

Bye for now!

daphne despite your offensive comment about my Dad who frequently went far and above the call of NHS duty I will persevere with this thread. I think like many people I could afford to pay towards my healthcare. Of course this might mean foregoing certain things that I'm accustomed to doing such as hairdos or holidays but, frankly, health is more important. Its a question of priority.
We.just.take.the.NHS.for.granted! We need to think differently about it, how its run and how its funded.
Lets hear your actual ideas rather than just the status quo.

But you would still be taking a GP away from other patients. As far as I know, you can't book a private appointment with an NHS surgery, but there are private GP practices, where you can book an appointment.

An example is here:
www.cambridge-private-doctors.co.uk/index.html

20 minute appointment £85
30 minute appointment £120
60 minute appointment £240

Prescriptions and diagnostic tests, such as blood and urine tests and scans, are extra.

The doctors used to be my GPs and free.

You can also pay for health checks with organisations such as BUPA and Nuffield Health.

Does anyone know if you can pay your own GP for a private consultation. I have a number of minor annoyances that I would like treated, but do not feel they are important enough to book a NHS appointment. I you have, what did it cost ?

Flippin heck, what is my iPad on?
Try again
"Lady riders at Hawick Common Riding"

Completely off-topic, but I lve that description "aye been" Jane10 it takes me back to the Borders and the sensitive issue of ladybriderscat Hawick Common Riding!!
Which sort of brings us back to Doh Muirfield!

daphnedill, so it's ok for you to go off topic to attack me and call me a bully. If You think I was a bully, that would be against GN rules. Report me and let GN decide.

That's all very well for you, Jane10. You can obviously afford it, but I wonder if others who could afford it would also be willing to pay. What about those who can't afford to pay? At the moment, I don't earn enough to pay income tax, but am not eligible for any benefits either. I live on an extremely tight budget and, quite simply, couldn't afford to pay for my prescriptions or for GP appointments for ongoing conditions. As stated, in the past I couldn't afford bus fares for hospital/clinic appointments, so didn't go, which has had lasting effects on my long-term health. There are many other people in the same situation.

When I was working full-time, I paid my taxes (occasionally at higher rate) and my National Insurance contributions, so don't feel that there's a moral argument to get me to pay now that my health is failing.

PS. It's a shame your father couldn't come up with something which didn't cost money. It really is no surprise that the French health care system is perceived as better. The bottom line is that it costs more.

Fine. Stick to the same old same old and keep complaining. I'm just trying to say that just because a thing has 'aye been' as we say up here it doesn't mean that its the best or only way. Health needs are growing, treatments are developing and we can't expect to meet 2016 demand with a 1940s solution. We need to think differently and understand that healthcare is expensive and be prepared to pay if necessary. I've already said that those on benefits or who have long term conditions should be exempt.

I can't afford to pay to see the GP and like daphnedill I had to prioritise my meds until I qualified for free prescriptions. I would buy a three month prepayment certificate and try to stockpile meds so I could get away with a couple of months extra before I had to buy a prepayment certificate again. Stockpiling might be OK for some people but it can be pretty dangerous for people with my mh issues.

I paid into a health insurance scheme for over 30 years before I became too ill to work. Most workers still pay into it. It's call the National Insurance Scheme. Why should anyone have to pay into another private scheme unless they want to go private?

daphnedil Dad didn't say that the level of care in France was available without cost. The bottom line is that good health care is expensive and we have become too used to taking it for granted that all and any health care issue should be sorted foc by the govt. Yes we pay our taxes (well I do) but I'd prioritise my health to the extent that I would be prepared to pay a directly focused amount to an insurance policy.

Tut! Tut! How about sticking to the topic, GandTea? Your post directed at durhamjen was an attempt to intimidate her. Would you prefer the word 'bully'?

Now then...back to the topic!

daphnedill , What a load of rubbish, how you work out I was censoring anyone I fail to see. I was simply answering DJ,s question. Anyone can say what they like provided it does not break GN rules, but no one has to agree with the comments, or are you now setting the rules?

Alea, Very happy to stick to the discussion, if other people stop behaving like censors!!!

Good for you, Jane 10! There are plenty of people who would struggle to pay for a GP appointment. This has been discussed by GPs, who concluded it would actually cost more to collect the money than it was worth. The cost is likely to be more like £30 or £40.

PS. I couldn't afford to pay for GP appointments and, before I was eligible for free prescriptions, I used to prioritise the medications on my prescription anyway. I also couldn't afford the bus fares for clinic appointments when I was unemployed, so didn't go.

However, I do agree that wealthier pensioners should pay for prescriptions. An insurance system would also mean that they would continue to pay for health care. I suspect that this is what the government has in mind, so don't moan when it happens.