The NHS

[Trina]

Now I'm not one to be involved in politics usually, but as I've been using the NHS a lot lately I thought I would start this thread.

It's a basic question really because I'm interested. What are your views on the NHS? Especially with all the cuts lately.

Whatever I think about it, I can't help but think are we lucky? I mean, we get it for free. In other countries you have to pay for medical attention.

Now my issues...The main problem I see is the NHS being so understaffed! Recently I could of put a complaint in, however, I didn't think it was fair on my doctor as it wasn't her fault. After having the surgery, like some of you know they couldn't stop the bleeding. So they transfered me to another hospital to go to theatre. However, there were no ambulances available for upto 4 hours, so I was asked to make my own way there (with my hospital notes).!

3 months ago, I had to ring an ambulance. Long story short it was 6 hours before I was actually examined and they determined there was no active bleeding. (Never been so scared in my life, thought I was going to bleed to death!) Again, due to lack of staff.

Now today, I read in my local paper they are planning on sending emergency patients from 2 hospitals to my local one. wtf? They can't even cope with what they have!

All I seem to read about it is how the patients are affected, yet the high staff are still rolling in the money?

Thoughts?

[Kyle?]

I'd fire some managers, and hire some more nurses and doctors. From personal experience, the NHS is horrible, waiting times are a joke, facilities could be improved etc. The tories are somehow managing to make it worse. and i voted for these clowns...

[sd477667]

I can't help but think are we lucky? I mean, we get it for free.

But it is not free, it is paid for by our taxes. So free to those parasites that don't pay tax but it costs for most of us.

The main problem I see is the NHS being so understaffed!

NHS is 4th biggest employer in the world only behind Indian railway, Chinese security and WalMart or something like that so certainly isn't undermanned. 7 admin staff for every medical staff doesn't help matters, but when you've cut your thumb off doing DIY what would you rather have an Urdu translator or a Doctor?

[Est83]

I'd fire some managers, and hire some more nurses and doctors. From personal experience, the NHS is horrible, waiting times are a joke, facilities could be improved etc. The tories are somehow managing to make it worse. and i voted for these clowns...

You voted Conservative?........... would you please kindly take yourself off somewhere and shoot yourself in the face, there's a good lad!

Call it an experiement? Or a mistake you'll hopefully never make again? (the voting I mean, not the shooting... that was just a joke mate )




Did anyone really expect anything different from the Tories? Not that Labour would change anything! The Tories only have privatisation in mind, and it's been that way for more than 30 years. Bit by bit they're selling it off, and the PFI contracts only benefit the investors, to the point where hospitals have to make their own cut-backs (in addition to the austerity measures), leading to further dips in standards. All Labour did when they were in power was to add in some middle management to apply pressure in the hope of rising standards after the drop in standards after the last Tory government... and it backfired!

The bit-by-bit privatisation and private partnerships will just continue to gradually lower the standards of healthcare as it has done for the last 20/30 years. This in turn will bring more complaints and more people actually wanting private health-care... even though they can't bloody afford it!!!

Democratic insitutions like the NHS are what once made this country great. And now it's all gone to shit! Thank you Tories! And thank you to every confused working class person that voted Conservative (not you Kyle, I'm talking about back in the 80's.)

[Yorkyblue]

We are lucky in some ways.

I know a girl in the USA who broke her leg recently and has a bill of $7500 to pay even though she has insurance. f***ing joke that is.

At the same time, the shit you had to put up with is a joke as well.

Only Trina will know on here but about 4 years ago my girlfriend had a miscarriage and it was really bad. She phoned the NHS direct and they advised us to go to Wakefield walk in center at 2am (we lived a 5 min walk from Pontefract hospital). We traveled there in a friends car, bleeding everywhere. Once we arrived, they took one look at her and booked an ambulance back to Pontefract hospital. You can probably imagine how f***ked off I was.

[sd477667]

PFI - Labour
Privatisation - Labour
Massively increasing non essential staff - Labour
Massively increasing costs whilst at the same time reducing standards - Labour
Open gate immigration policy that NHS can not deal with - Labour

Passing healthcare back to medical staff rather than bureaucrats - Tories & Liberals
Trying to ensure free at point of use health service carries on despite previous government near bankrupting nation - Tories & Liberals

yeah bloody Tories what have they ever done..............

ps I work under NHS umbrella for what it's worth

[UFGN]

PFI - Labour
Privatisation - Labour
Massively increasing non essential staff - Labour
Massively increasing costs whilst at the same time reducing standards - Labour
Open gate immigration policy that NHS can not deal with - Labour

Passing healthcare back to medical staff rather than bureaucrats - Tories & Liberals
Trying to ensure free at point of use health service carries on despite previous government near bankrupting nation - Tories & Liberals

yeah bloody Tories what have they ever done..............

ps I work under NHS umbrella for what it's worth

Created the NHS - Labour

[UFGN]

Theres plentty thats crap about this country but the NHS remains something to be proud of. Ive seen the best and the worst of it. Got left waiting two hours for an ambulance once, then I was taken to hospital and recieved life-saving treatment. I called an ambulance for my mum once and had a paramedic in my house three minutes later.

Every time I walk past the Royal London Hospital it gives me goosebumps. Its stood there for over 100 years, always at the cutting edge of medicine. A world class hospital serving one of the poorest boroughs in the whole country. Thats what the NHS is all about.

[Est83]

... not defending Labour at all, they're just as bad!

But this all started under Thatcher!

That's when the reforms came, that's when the budgets were slashed, that's when standards plummeted.



* 21'000 jobs lost in the NHS since the Con-Dems took office.
* 6'000 fewer nurses, despite Camerson promising not to cut NHS funding.
* The Tories have taken over £1m in donations from companies who will benefit from privatised healthcare.
* Trust staff asked to consider redundency due to escalating costs of PFI deals.
* More than £20bn is being cut from health services overall.

Well done for voting Tories guys!

Labour opened the door for privatising the NHS, but the Tories are carrying on with it... and historically, that's what the Tories stand for!

[EvAMY-CRAIGLEEAFC]

The NHS is over-doing it with the cutbacks. Putting money b4 lifes. In Bolton there used to be 2 hospitals. At present there is 1. There is a possibility that could close according to local reports. A Town with a population of what ?. 150 thousand ?. With no hospital. Says it all. Me personally i have never had a problem with the NHS. Stays in hospital have been ok. Doctors and dentist have always seen me quickly when needed.

[Reverend Gooner]

I cannot believe they are thinking of shutting down the Lewisham A and E, it has to be one of the most needed in the capital.

[GunnGunn]

Thinking Rev? Its happening mate.

[Reverend Gooner]

Thinking Rev? Its happening mate.

Is there any chance of a u turn?

I know this may sound dramatic but I think the decision to close it is criminal. People will suffer and many will die who might have been saved in emergencies as the new "local" hospital will not be able to cope.

[Royal Gooner]

I'd fire some managers, and hire some more nurses and doctors. From personal experience, the NHS is horrible, waiting times are a joke, facilities could be improved etc. The tories are somehow managing to make it worse. and i voted for these clowns...

You voted Conservative?........... would you please kindly take yourself off somewhere and shoot yourself in the face, there's a good lad!

Oh dear. I used to be a Tory member so I'm assuming you want me to do the same?

As for the NHS, I think it's good to have the basic medical treatment avaliable free of charge but at least we can still choose to pay to have better treatment.

[StLGooner]

It's still a heck lot better than the healthcare system in the US - that's probably the most f***ked up system amongst all developed nations.

I don't pretend to know the way other systems work, but I would imagine ours has got to be shit. I used to not have to pay for healthcare, it was all company paid. Now, starting this month/year, I'm losing $200 month for it, and it still doesn't cover everything, and I still have to pay fees for doctors visits, and medication, surgery, so on and so on.

The priorities in this country are shit. They make it easier to buy semi automatic weapons than it is to afford quality health insurance. But hey, whatever makes society work right, after all, not everyone can be rich and healthy, because then society would fall apart.