Princess of Wales has left Hospital

I once spent a night in a mixed ward opposite a bed occupied by a popular professional footballer. He was a delightful young man, my assessment endorsed by the clamour of teenage girls attempting to ‘visit their brother’. The staff had to leave their duties to deal with this. The poor man was really embarrassed by the fuss.

Having witnessed this on a small scale and accepting that a Royal would be supported by protection staff, I can well imagine the uproar at the inconvenience that an admittance would cause. Extra police blocking entrances, the florists delivering flowers etc., anyone who looked vaguely suspicious being stopped - all much easier to control in a private, smaller hospital with all patients in private rooms.

Grantanow

growstuff

PS. No need to commend my high principles. I wouldn't have a choice.

Absolutely. Most of us don't have a choice. Those who think the private sector takes a load off the NHS are being fooled. The consultants working part time or full time in the private sector (having trained in the NHS) are denying the NHS trained senior staff. The private sector is parasitic on the NHS. And being profit-making it charges accordingly so that when the NHS pays for patients to get private treatment it is sending taxpayers' money to shareholders. There are a few senior politicians who have been treated in NHS hospitals over the years and their security needs were presumably met without fuss. Many of us would have a higher regard for the Royals if they took their turn with the rest of us.

When I had my cataracts done under the NHS it was in a private hospital - the surgeons doing this work were all normally employed in the local major NHS hospital but used private facilities because there was insufficient space in their normal workplace.

cc

Grantanow

growstuff

PS. No need to commend my high principles. I wouldn't have a choice.

Absolutely. Most of us don't have a choice. Those who think the private sector takes a load off the NHS are being fooled. The consultants working part time or full time in the private sector (having trained in the NHS) are denying the NHS trained senior staff. The private sector is parasitic on the NHS. And being profit-making it charges accordingly so that when the NHS pays for patients to get private treatment it is sending taxpayers' money to shareholders. There are a few senior politicians who have been treated in NHS hospitals over the years and their security needs were presumably met without fuss. Many of us would have a higher regard for the Royals if they took their turn with the rest of us.

When I had my cataracts done under the NHS it was in a private hospital - the surgeons doing this work were all normally employed in the local major NHS hospital but used private facilities because there was insufficient space in their normal workplace.

Grantanow and growstuff

That was not the point of the post at all.
You've both misinterpreted it totally.

I know several people who have had operations carried out in private hospitals over many years and under various governments totally free of charge and paid for by the NHS. It may have been more cost-effective for the NHS to use the private sector, who knows.

lemsip

in the news today; the queen's niece reveals she's sufferering an agonising and unbearable medical condition! is she hoping camilla can pull some strings.
further reading says it endometriosis

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13025181/queen-Camilla-niece-Ayesha-Shand-medical-
condition.html

daily express too.

not my queen.

If you read the article the Queen's niece wants to highlight awareness of endometriosis, for which she has a planned operation arranged. She said the Queen has been very supportive since her father's death
Nowhere does it indicate she needs the Queen to 'pull any strings'

What on earth is you'd point - are you getting commission for plugging the DM!

The private sector is parasitic on the NHS

I really dislike the use of the word parasites and parasitic to describe something which fills posters with resentment and jealousy.

People who use private healthcare are also paying taxes to fund the NHS. Doctors work their contracted hours for the NHS and what they do outside those hours is up to them.

The NHS is not supporting or hosting the private sector therefore the private sector cannot be parasitic upon it.
It might use it sometimes but that is because it is failing to provide the services people need.
Why is that? It is the fault of successive governments, not the private sector.

Why is there always arguments on here?
Best wishes to Princess Kate x

I read an award winning biography of the Queen Mother some time ago. It became clear she had been through a number of serious illnesses during her life time. The public never knew. So, I completely understand why some Royals want to keep their personal health issues to themselves and not go public.

Best wishes to Catherine.
THAT WOMAN is not my queen either.

The private sector could be eradicated by Parliament tomorrow. The only reason we have it is that Mr Bevan recognised in 1947 the only way to set up the NHS was to accept the greed of doctors at the time. He stopped their mouths with gold.

Doctors train while being paid at the taxpayers' expense in the NHS. I recognise they pay some professional and student fees but the majority of cost of the university medical schools and supervision in the NHS does not fall on them but the taxpayer.

Our NHS faces a grave emergency through underfunding. In times of emergency government has directed labour, removing the normal free choice.

I don't think your comment GSM rebuts my point that the private sector is a parasite. It provides a queue jumping mechanism for those who can afford it and deprives most of us of siphoned-off resources needed by the NHS.

Moreover, the private sector creams off treatments which if they go wrong for any reason then have to be picked up by the NHS. You may be unaware that for 2016 to 2021 some 6,600 patients (government's own figures given in a PQ answer) were transferred from private to NHS hospitals because the private sector mostly does not invest in IC units or other resources to deal with the consequences of failed treatments or operations. So the taxpayer once again subsidises the private sector shareholders.

This is a News and Politics section so I think it perfectly legitimate to focus on government policies which favour a privileged group. For what it's worth I support the monarchy for several reasons: it keeps populist or deadwood politicians out of the presidential role, it helps the tourist industry, encourages additional patriotism and provides a loyalty focus for the armed forces but I think it is over-privileged and expensive. If the Royals took their turn with medicine with rest of us I would think better of them as individuals.

semperfidelis

I read an award winning biography of the Queen Mother some time ago. It became clear she had been through a number of serious illnesses during her life time. The public never knew. So, I completely understand why some Royals want to keep their personal health issues to themselves and not go public.

Various nurses told my Mum that the Queen Mother had a colostomy bag for years. mum had bowel cancer twice (different strains) and major surgery then had to use a bag for the rest of her life.

I am totally against the eradication of Private Healthcare as I am Private Education.

Grantanow to call the private sector parasitic is frankly insulting all the staff working in that sector.

Since its inception the NHS has worked alongside and with the private sector.

The private sector is not a parasite Grantanow. Yes, people can queue jump if they pay but those people will be paying/have paid NI contributions and if they disappear from NHS queues that frees up places for NHS patients. I am well aware that most private hospitals don’t have ICUs. The transfer of patients to NHS units is part of the two-way relationship whereby NHS consultants can use space in private hospitals which is unavailable in NHS hospitals.

You’re living in cloud cuckoo land if you think parliament could eradicate the private healthcare sector tomorrow. Let’s face it, the nub of your argument is that you don’t like people to have more money than you, and have the opportunity to purchase things you can’t,, do you?

Grantanow

Pretty good life when one does not have to queue for NHS services.

Having had cancer a few years ago, and a recent pulmonary embolism, I can assure you that, as an NHS patient, when its urgent, you are very definitely treated urgently.

The word parasite or parasitic is a horrible disgusting expression particularly when referring to certain people or sections of society. My DH had both hips replaced in a private clinic paid for by the NHS. These were done recently, quickly and efficiently. Waiting for our local hospital would have meant a long long wait. It was offered and accepted by us, and as well as being extremely grateful, I couldn't care less if this was a backdoor method or not. Hoping the Princess recovers quickly and is soon restored to full health. Yes Annie, Diana broke up at lease three marriages, so pots and kettles come to mind!

I believe the Queen Mother had breast and colon cancer during her later years but the public were not told about it. Catherine has had abdominal surgery and that is all we need to know. It is a private matter.
I hope she is fully well again soon and wish anyone going through surgery a speedy recovery.

I always have mixed feelings about private health care - and education. I make no pretence that, due to hubby and I both having had good jobs - and both spending a lot of our spare time with second jobs in training accountants - we are very comfortably off. I would also add that we've never been big spenders in life, having taken most of our holidays in a touring caravan (and we've had just two 'vans in 35 years).

My first foray with private health was at the age of 25, desperate for a baby and suffering some unknown abdominal pain. The GP felt there could be a problem that was interfering with my ovaries. The waiting list for NHS investigation (1977) was three years. I paid privately to have it investigated and treated and the recovery time was such that I didn't become pregnant for another three years. Back then, I was considered elderly for a first baby.

I then had years of relying on the NHS - and wonderful they were when needed - but in our retirement and with the failing NHS we decided to take out private insurance. NOT to have a single room (I wouldn't want one, I am a convivial person), or a particular consultant, but simply to speed things up if needed. For some minor issues I have used the NHS entirely. But in October last year my dentist spotted an abnormality in my cheek and referred me to the NHS - he said the wait would be a maximum of two weeks, as per "the rules". After 4 weeks we learnt the wait would be 10 weeks - a disgrace to my mind - so I used my private health insurance and saw the consultant a week later. I was adamant that if cancer was diagnosed I would return to the NHS, which I have done, having "saved" the NHS £3,000 on biopsies, a CT and an MRI scan. I am 1/3 through my radiotherapy on the NHS - and they have been excellent. The waiting rooms are, however, jam packed with patients and appointments frequently run late.

Yes, I was lucky to be able to pay, but I can, so I did. At the time I expressed my opinion to my friends that it shouldn't have to be like this, but I wasn't going to risk my life waiting for the under-funded NHS to work as it should do.

in the news today; the queen's niece reveals she's sufferering an agonising and unbearable medical condition! is she hoping camilla can pull some strings.
further reading says it endometriosis

Not wishing to diminish in any way the excruciating pain and other consequences of this (such as infertility) , but my D3 suffered from it for years, had a procedure at UCLH and was able to go on to have 2 healthy babies in her late 30’ s and aged 40.

Lol

Before the NHS in South Wales miners paid a few bob a week towards doctors fees, my father , two uncles and my grandfather did,as did miners in Ny Bevan’s constituency Tredegar, gave Ny thought didn’t it .

Widows , single women couldn’t do this , should miners not have done this because some couldn’t?

Mojack26

Lol

What’s funny?

OldFrill

lemsip

in the news today; the queen's niece reveals she's sufferering an agonising and unbearable medical condition! is she hoping camilla can pull some strings.
further reading says it endometriosis

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13025181/queen-Camilla-niece-Ayesha-Shand-medical-
condition.html

daily express too.

not my queen.

If you read the article the Queen's niece wants to highlight awareness of endometriosis, for which she has a planned operation arranged. She said the Queen has been very supportive since her father's death
Nowhere does it indicate she needs the Queen to 'pull any strings'

What on earth is you'd point - are you getting commission for plugging the DM!

oh, aren't you silly, didn't you see that I 'plugged' th daily express too!!

You didn't link it so l let it go 🤣🤣

I’m sorry for anyone that has to have surgery.
Do we as tax payers pay for the royals to have treatment? Does anyone know? If it’s their own insurance then good for them…but I hope I haven’t paid for it.
I have a family member who is on a long waiting list for stomach pains…I’d sooner pay for him.

I think the Press referred to ‘Diana Spencer’ and ‘Sarah Ferguson’ long after they were both married.

‘Abdominal surgery’ covers a long list of possibilities, when I had my gall bladder out it was expected to be a straightforward keyhole operation, but I needed a full incision surgery, after which I developed an infection, and I was in hospital for two weeks rather than the expected 24 hours.

The press referred to Lady Di then the incorrect Princess Diana, Sarah was Fergie before and after marriage