At this time when the Tory government has made such stringent cuts to the NHS that they have sent morale into a vortex, increased workload to breaking point and done their best to destroy it, it is heartening to know it is still there for us.
Despite the endless pay freeze and cuts that have greatly reduced numbers of nurses and doctors it is nice to know that those overworked and underpaid doctors and nurses still care and, due to their professionalism, still manage to perform a brilliant job.
A good friend of mine had just come out of a major operation to remove both his prostate and bladder. A rather drastic treatment for untreated prostate cancer.
It gave me the spur to do something about my symptoms. As a man of 69 I had been suffering the symptoms of an enlarged prostate for some years. Time to do something about it.
What follows shows how brilliant the NHS actually is and should be a salutary lesson to all Americans as to how a good health service should operate.
At 8.00 a.m I rang the surgery to book an appointment.
At 9.00 a.m I was discussing my symptoms with my doctor.
at 10.00 a.m I was having a blood test to check my PSA levels (an indicator of prostate cancer)
The following week my results were back and I was discussing them with my doctor. Fortunately they were normal. However we discussed suitable treatments to relieve symptoms and reduce the swelling of the prostate. All side-effects were discussed and I left the surgery with medication to solve the problem. I was also given an appointment for a scan to check my prostate and whether the condition has had any effect on my bladder of kidneys.
The cost of these consultations, tests and treatments – nil.
The speed and efficiency – first class – it couldn’t have been quicker or more professional.
If I had have had cancer I know that I would have received first-class treatment for that too regardless of the cost – and it would have cost me nothing.
Having such a brilliant free service there takes away all the worry. We do not have to think about costs or insurance and we have the knowledge that it is always there when we need it.
The NHS is extremely cost effective. A comparison with the States demonstrates this:
In pounds per head, that’s £2,892 on healthcare for every person in the UK and £7,617 per person in the US.
THANK YOU WONDERFUL NHS!!!
For goodness sake, you keep harping on about NHS cuts which you know nothing about. You don’t work for the NHS – I do and have done all my working life for forty years. It might be appropriate to say that you’re talking out your backside. Every single instance of hospital service difficulties that I know of is in problem areas with too high immigration and too many people. Once they sort all that out it will be service as usual. But there’s no point hiring staff when there’s no infrastructure for them and not so much as a locker to hang their coat in. It’s all getting sorted but takes time because they need to build more back-of-house services.
Please stop talking crap.
Margaret Brooks – if that is who you are – you are a rude idiot.
My son is a Nurse Practitioner who has worked in A&E and Walk-in Centres. I think I have a very good handle on what goes on in the NHS with its 9 year wage-freeze.
I don’t need your racism on this site thanks! Go and talk your obnoxious Brexit crap somewhere else!
Mrs. Margaret Brooks is indeed who I am and don’t you forget it.
And I’m a Ward Sister, you wretched impertinent man. If there’s one thing a Ward Sister is not, that’s a rude idiot.
That’s fine, sunshine, I’ll have your name, Christosser Goodwin all out over the grid system so that your next blood test extraction for that little on-going prostate problem will be slightly more painful than need be. I guarantee you that. You’ll be sorry for that.
You’ve really no idea how we work do you? Bloody rude stupid idiot that you are, you will pay for that. Aah Ouch Nurse! Aah, Ouch! As she bends the needle just a fraction too wide and pushes just a little too deep. LOL. You’ll pay for that you wretched little man.
Correct me if I’m mistaken, but you’ve been sitting there for ages in full knowledge that somethings not all it should be up your back passage and you did nothing about it all that time? You just left it festering away? You also believe that just one quick PSA indicator level result is suffice?
Oh, oh, we’ve got a live one here, haven’t we?
Don’t be such a bloody donkey-head, get your arse back in there for a deep scan.
You want somebody’s fist up there doing close examination and a full water works scan.
Your GP is nothing of any kind of expert and that’s your FIRST call, not your LAST, you donkey. Honestly, some of you men deserve all that comes their way.
Good luck, if it’s not altogether too late.
And what 9-year wage freeze? Where do you get all this bogus rot from.
I’ve just had another rise!
Racism? Brexit? In what way are these matters related to NHS pay?
You need to see a doctor. Make that two. One for head, the other for arse.
Some nurse- what is it Nurse Ratchet!! You need to wash your mouth out – the stink is fouling up my blog!!
So glad to hear that everything was normal. And you are 100% right. Health care is just a game over here. I thought that’s why they say they’re “practicing” medicine!
Profit before care I’m afraid – we’re becoming the same if the Tories get their way Cheryl!
Yes the NHS is wonderful.
I was a nurse and think Margaret Brooks had some valid points to make, but seems she was scythed down like corn for taking the trouble. What’s rude about questioning something that they believe to be wrong?
If only people could learn to take better pro-active care of themselves. But they wait and wait until their problem worsens and only then do they bother themselves to go for help. Because the problem has been exacerbated by time delay the end result is higher costs for the NHS. Smarter people make for a more efficient NHS.
No Mary it was the rudeness and racism that was offensive. That is why I have had to delete the rudeness and responded in such a manner. I do not tolerate personal rudeness or racism on my blog. I don’t mind people making valid points.
The situation with immigrants has caused extra stress on system that the government should have put funding in for. It is true that people do need to go and get tested for problems instead of leaving things to get worse. But my contention is that the NHS is wonderful but is underfunded and the staff are underpaid. The pay-freeze was typical Tory dislike of public services. They do it every time they get in power and used austerity as the excuse.