No hospital bed

A great many people could ease the strain on the NHS by taking care of their health from day one.
Far too many abdicate responsibility for their own lives and health in numerous ways and blame everyone but themselves.
If you are NOT one of them, don't start lecturing me, as it is only people who think they can abuse their bodies then turn to the NHS for the remedy about whom I talk.
Be positive and proactive and if you can fix a problem, fix it.
If not, worrying will not solve anything but it will probably give you ulcers and mental health issues = more strain on a creaking health system.

@Buster, you are so right, I collapsed in Mallorca last year and the ambulance took me to a private hospital, there was very little English spoken, apart from the fact that my insurance did not cover my illness so had to be moved to public hospital, the cashier lady came into the ITC where I was hooked up to various drips and demanded a payment of £6k, I was then transported to the public hospital with pneumonia. I was left on a trolley in the A & E for 12 hours, no English was spoken and certainly there were no interpreters on hand, ill and confused I was in that hospital for 8 days until my daughter smuggled me out and onto a plane. On arrival back to the UK I was taken, as an emergency to the local hospital, one of the paramedics didn't think I was going to make it. After being on a saline drip for 36 hours I started to slowly improve and I can't praise the drs and nurses enough. Our system is broken and I can only hope that the pre brexit advert telling us we will need travel insurance works both ways and visitors to the UK will have to rely on insurance for admission.

BusterTank is course sometimes the treatment is very poor and your experiences are valid - my daughter had dreadful aftercare once at a hospital in Croydon, a staff nurse who was a complete jobsworth and her colleagues despised her. But the worst care I ever had was in a plush private hospital where all the night staff were agency and awful (and home grown). There are bad staff in many settings, there are accidents and mistreatment worsened by the chaos of large numbers of patients (yes, many of them there from self neglect) and cuts to staffing and resources. A civilised society cares for the waifs and the unwell, even if bad habits or bad luck. But often the NHS is utterly amazing. I belong to some international support groups for two diseases I have and the
Stories from the USA are heartbreaking, folk bankrupted by chronic health needs.

It's not that there aren't enough beds, there are not enough staff to look after patients. Not enough nurses, not enough doctors.

I do hope everyone on here complaining about ‘furriners’ have been net tax payers all their lives?

josiew58 Sorry but what I seem to gather from your post is that the health care in another country was expensive or poor and the NHS effectively saved your life. I don't understand how that means the system is broken.
And once again as I have said I have been in A&E quite a lot and seen people asked to prove they are UK residents.
As for if there is something going wrong well complain about it. If no-one knows what is happening it can't be put right.

SirChenjin I agree completely ; I too have seen the riciulous waste . When I lived in London our local, quite modern hospital was refurbished with expensive wood panelling and other completely unnecessary frivolities - and then demolished within a year or so. Adjacent to the hosptial two new wards were built that were never used; one became a very temporary walk in centre, and both were razed to the ground like the hospital building. The site is now full of expensive flats. Our neighbour retired with a stress related illness as he could not stand, after twenty odd years in administration at this same hospital, watching any more waste - one chipped cup resulted in ordering a complete new set of crockery. Multiply that all over the country. However, none of this helps over worked staff and patients who are suffering the effects of bad mangement. There are a lot of contributory factors; bad management means money is being wasted so there isn't enough, there are too many people going to A and E with trivialities that they could take to the local pharmacy, we are all living longer and costing more, and like it or not there is a huge bill every year for health tourism - the only people to whom the NHS is completely free.

Husband required big cancer removal op. Had sedation, wirked down to theatre. Had further sedation, fell asleep, woke up in his bed and bay with no surgery having been done. Two surgeons had been working, one overran with his work leaving DHs surgeon with no theatre staff. They finished at 5 pm and to start DHs surgery would have meant staff working past 5 pm when they had to then cover for emergency theatre work. DHs surgeon was livid and we were told if we know anyone who counts get in touch and tell them what happened. Contacted MP who answered message a week later, useless. Contacted national newspaper who ran with item on front page, astounded I was. The wheels certainly started turning from Chief Exec, head of surgery, nursing all at a meeting with me. Reason fir postponement- theatre staff on holiday and maternity leave and no staff brought in to cover to save money. Full written apology from all, private room and surgery scheduled for 3 days later. Ward and theatre staff had nothing but praise for my action as they had been trying to cope with situation for weeks. Newspaper followed up and MP got involved re staffing issue. It's okay being nice but it doesn't help in these situations.

Opinions are like bottoms holes , we all have one . So respect others opinions .

Totally unacceptable, nobody should lie on a trolley for hours, there is risk of pressure sores developing after an hour, also this poor person had pain enough with her arthritis and having had her hips replaced.She might have had to give up her bed, I can see that, but she should never have been left on a trolley after major surgery, its a disgrace.

Difficult- as devil’s advocate- how would I feel if it was more or my dearest who couldn’t get a bed, and any treatment, because someone was in recovery......................

That is really awful. Apart from anything else, people have no choice but to keep personal items in their cabinet. It is the last thing you need when in hospital. Hope it has now been sorted out.

My daughter had a bowel op and was on a bed in recovery for most of the day and till the following morning. She was full of praise about the care she received, though upset about the lack of a ward bed. I was allowed in to see her for a short while, though I was escorted in and out, not sure why. For my mum, on a ward staffed by home grown nursing staff, ( Mixing her notes with another patient, losing her notes outside hospital, not placing drinks within reach etc, her lack of care contributed to her death and we complained to the CQC. It didn’t bring her back, but it did cause an inspection and the nurse in charge is no longer there.