Humanitarian Crisis in UK

www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/nhs-theresa-mays-dowry-gift-to-donald-trump

NHS still in crisis.

metro.co.uk/2017/01/23/as-a-doctor-working-in-a-major-trauma-centre-i-can-definitely-say-the-nhs-is-in-crisis-6399459/

Combined with this.

metro.co.uk/2017/01/23/london-on-very-high-air-pollution-alert-for-first-time-6400578/

Proof that privatisation is bad for the NHS.

www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/you-get-what-you-pay-for-landmark-study-exposes-nhs-privatisation-risks

Things do vary in France as well, though we're still don't have complaints.
There's a shortage of GPs in rural areas. Ours is a family practice, the elder has just retired at 85, and his son, late 50s, wants to reduce his hours. He found a young woman to do a few sessions, but most of the patients don't want to see her. They prefer the Dr. they're used to.
He's had to put a notice up "Please don't avoid the new doctor. Do you want the Gers to become GP desert?" etc.

It will depend where in the UK you end up, I think, Antonia. I have never felt rushed at a GP appointment and I've lived in various places between Dundee and Oxford.

I've also had an NHS dentist for most of my life, and still have.

In France we do pay more for healthcare, but healthcare is what we get. Good, efficient and well trained personnel, home visits for blood tests with results in 1 or 2 days. Doctors' appointments, as far as I know, are not on any kind of time meter. Our doctor spends as long as it takes with each patient. I am usually in and out fairly quickly, say five or ten minutes, but she can easily be 30 - 40 minutes or longer with some patients. We are returning to live permanently in the UK later this year and I am dreading what we will find regarding healthcare after our experiences here.

Yes, db. My GP called me once a good deal before my appointment time on the off-chance of catching me. My comment/query was completely detached emotionally. No judgment, just a wondering.

I actually have no complaints about the NHS at the moment and have never had any serious ones. I find all the talk of crisis quite weird. I guess this is what comes of living a bit out in the sticks, having had minimal contact with hospitals, and thinking my GP is a good doc.

Did I mention before that my mum spent most of her labour for my sister, who was breach but born 'naturally', on a trolley in a corridor? That was 1958, during the baby boom years, I guess.

Not to mention time needed to nosh a croissant or two DB and perhaps a glass of

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/16/7000-nurses-could-face-axe-secret-nhs-plans/

Quite!

Mais bien sûr!
I couldn't imagine the French settling for less!

Oh I see, sorry, but ppresumably French doctors aren't as pushed for time as ours are and loo and coffee-breaks are factored in, between appointments.

Yes I know Ana they go to the toilettes and drink café too, non?
(I thought a comparison was being made between systems.)

That was about the French system, DB.

So May has indicated that doctors aren't working hard enough, that patients are at fault for going to A&E when they shouldn't . The NHS has more money than they asked for. May says that if doctors don't comply she will reduce their funding. Meanwhile cancer patients will be in terror when their operations are cancelled, children are bedded on a ward floor and with Brexit the NHS is in danger of loosing employees so desperately needed.

What a shambles.

What if you don't need twenty minutes minimum? It'd be wasteful to extend appointments that only need five or ten minutes

In answer to your question, thatbags perhaps the doctor gets a chance to go to the loo? Have a quick coffee? Perhaps see the next patient early as long as he/she has checked in (which always makes you feel better than if you have been kept waiting!)

Yes eloathan I felt so sorry for the poor chap. I remember when I was diagnosed one of the terrors was that a rogue cancer cell would make it into the rest of my body. And each day as far as I was concerned made the risk bigger.

Yes, it must, but this isn't a new thing btw.In 1998 the same happened to a friend of ours, 2 cancellations because more urgent cases had to be seen.

On the recent programme "Hospital", it was shown how a cancer patient had his vital operation cancelled twice because unexpected emergency admissions for surgery caused there to be insufficient beds on HDU for after care. Apart from the fact that such cancellations must negatively affect prognosis, the emotional turmoil must be awful.

Cancer operations now being cancelled.

Yes, the French pay more, but they accept that is the way to get the health care they want.

I don't think paying makes me appreciate the service more or less, but it is interesting to see the actual figures involved, I am certainly more aware of how much things cost.

But the French and British all pay. It's just done by a different route and the French pay more.

There's something in human nature that leads to not appreciating things that are free. On the other hand if we're paying we expect better service.

It could be a shorter time Bags but I go twice a year and always get a thorough check-up. There are no nurses or support workers attached to the practice which I think could save time and money sometimes but our GP says that seeing everyone enables her to spot things early. She certainly picked up OH's skin cancer that way. I booked yesterday to see her next week and was offered the first appointment on Tuesday so no waiting either.