Peter a country of about 64 million people cannot afford to pay for the health care of the global population. In demographics, the world population is the total number of humans currently living, and was estimated to have reached 7.7 billion people as of April 2019. so no matter how good your intentions we just cant afford it.
@@pjmoseley243 Thats right, and we should not be paying out for medical tourists. We have had women come here from Switzerland to have a baby in the past. Thats taking the mick. But if a visitor was injured while here I think they should be treated. Every country should have a comprehensive health care system like Cuba does. America counts its self as the greatest country in the world but leaves thousands to die of curable conditions because they can't afford the insurance. Loose your job and suddenly you are not covered by insurance. It aint so in the UK thanks to one man with vision.
Im my experience the majority of NHS healthcare employees are amongst the most caring, dedicated and hard working people you will find anywhere. If you ever have an issue with the the NHS blame politicians and management, not those on the front line.
When I first trained as a nurse most of the NHS was managed by nurses and doctors who had been promoted away from clinical care but still understood it. Then the government started insisting on managers who had studied business management and who often had no idea why health care can't be run for profit in a civilised country as the well off will always get better care. One of the biggest unspoken of scandals was the privatisation of hospital cleaning. Whereas before you'd have one domestic per ward (or per 2 wards depending on size) you now no longer had an individual personally responsible for keeping their ward clean. Domestics had taken pride in their work and were highly valued as a member of the team - we knew who to go to and that we could rely on them.. But it's apparently cheaper to have squads of cleaners in different areas every day. If there was a problem you now had to go to a manager- if you could find them- rather than someone who could sort the problem themselves. Unsurprisingly the standards of cleanliness in hospitals has dramatically decreased and the number of hospital acquired infections has skyrocketed. But at least they saved a few quid. We all need to be aware of them privatising the NHS by stealth, a wee bit here and a wee bit there. We'd miss it if it went.
@@kevinbarr2095 the absolute opposite is true. GP's are the drain. if youre ill, go to the hospital...cut out the drug pushing GP's who are on comission from BIG PHARMA
The only tiers on prescription are free for certain items and for certain groups (old, young, unemployed etc) and the £9 standard fee. The £9 is a flat fee no matter what you need, or how expensive it is.
Also, if you need several prescriptions per month, you can get a pre-pay card which covers you for all of them. I think the the break-even point is three prescriptions/month, but don't quote me on that. I think that's great because being sick sucks enough without it draining your bank account.
Exactly, the American “healthcare” system is nothing more than a for profit opportunity for drug companies, insurance companies, their shareholders, hospitals, consultants etc, the patient is merely a means to make money.
The UK healthcare system only performs better on administrative metrics. It is lower than US in overall mortality and performance based outcomes, even if the US is too expensive it's still better when it actually matters. Canadians dont understand the US healthcare system generally.
The number 999 was chosen because, in the days of "proper" phones with a dial, it was difficult to dial accidentally; also, it was easy to dial in the dark or if you're blind, say.
At school children are now taught to dial 112 which also goes through to the same operator and is also the common emergency number for the whole of Europe, Russia and India.
It's the traditional UK number, but 112 (continental Europe's normal number) and 911 (North America) will also work in the UK, see www.quora.com/Does-the-911-emergency-number-work-in-the-UK
I understand all nurses are fantastic but British are falling out of love with doctors and surgeons. This story will take away that warm fuzzy feeling 4.4million awaiting urgent surgery www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/abbieswishfund?X65Zq8
I am neither a doctor or a nurse but one of the many allied health professions who also work within it. The system isn't flawless but everyone who works in it puts their heart and soul into their job. It's nice to hear appreciation as opposed to the negative press it usually gets 👍🏻
@@heatherkim6533 I think that the biggest problem with the NHS is that there isn't enough hospitals to cater for the ever increasing population. Waiting times are bound to increase. The NHS definitely needs more money. And personally I think that students that want to train to be doctors and surgeons at university, shouldn't have to pay tuition fees, as they will be paying the debt back by saving lives. Then there might not be such a shortage of hospital staff.
August 2019 I suffered a heart attack and if it wasn't for our fantastic NHS and staff I would have been sat here today watching your video. I'm sure it's the envy of the world.
I had mine in 2012, the morning after was honestly one of the happiest times of my life. Might have been the morphine. Without the NHS though I could not have afforded the initial care, nevermind the drugs required to keep me alive after. I am beyond grateful for the care I received when I needed it the most.
When I was younger (only just learning how to sit up by myself) I had a seizure and started foaming at the mouth. My dad called 999 and I was seen pretty soon and because of that I'm still alive
@@hairyairey really friend the budget has been slashed to the bone www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/22/hospitals-struggling-to-afford-new-equipment-after-nhs-budget-cuts www.theguardian.com/society/2011/oct/17/nhs-cuts-impact-on-patients-revealed www.patients4nhs.org.uk/government-cuts/ keepournhspublic.com/budget-2018-no-more-money-for-nhs/ took me less than 20 secs to fin these articleshonestly look it up your self if you dont believe me NHS england was in the black in 2009 then the cuts from david cammorns cabinet the mays budget has forced it into the red with no extra funding given unless hospitals sell of land and equipment, the privtions of the NHS is a massive worry 2 examples of this are the selling off of the blood banks to pvt firms it no longer belongs to the NHS and now less than a week after the GE NHS services with cancer and kids treatments. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/private-firms-invited-run-nhs-21178712
Four years ago, my GP put DNR on my medical record without my knowledge.That means do not resuscitate ,in an emergency.I was sixty four at the time,I only found out through getting my medical records, recently, the GP told me she was going to remove it.So, l ask myself, what's changed in those four years that she suddenly values my life, maybe it was because my daughter was angry when she found out.Sorry, but l no longer trust doctors or the National Health Service.
@@chipzz86 There is a difference between funding that increases annually to maintain and expand existing services and the inability to forecast and then fund all manner of amazing new developments in medicine. The new scanners and low dose radiation X-Ray systems are a case in point - they are enormously expensive both to install and to run. . We also always need to remember that when Aneurin Bevan started the NHS in 1947 he was warned that it would not be possible to fund it ad infinitum because if it was successful people will live longer after retirement (without being able to contribute) and new advances will demand more equipment and more staff. His answer to this? It was to say that that will be someone else's problem. Well, so it is and it is we who now have to deal with that.
I’ve had two kidney transplants(both failed 😢), three stints in intensive care, eight years and counting on dialysis and recently a heart valve replacement. Total cost £0. Gotta love the NHS. They’re keepin me alive to see my daughters down the aisle. Special mention for all the nurses out there. The Consultants might make the decisions and the Surgeons may do the ops but it’s you nurses who get us through it. Always trying to keep us positive with a smile on your face regardless of whatever shit might be goin on in your own lives. Absolute Angels every single one of ya. Thanks so much. PAY RISE! 😡
So good to hear such rounded review of our NHS - and reminds me that even though it has its wrinkles it is amazing. And even more so at the moment. Big shout out to all of my former colleagues in the NHS who watched this!
I lived and worked in the USA for 14 years. I am now back in the UK, retired and very thankful for the NHS. For me, healthcare is a matter of morality. Nobody wants to be sick, or have an accident. Those things are misfortunes, not perks for the wealthy. When people are sick we should take care of each other. That is one of the reasons humanity has been so successful as a species. With a privatised healthcare system, like in the US, you need health insurance, which is usually provided by your employer. Don’t lose your job, because insurance is very expensive if you have to pay it yourself. Don’t change your insurer if you have a long-term problem, because you will have a “pre-existing condition” that the new insurer will refuse to cover. (They don’t want to incur a loss.) Private healthcare providers have to buy malpractice insurance, which adds to their costs. Why? Because people will litigate to try to recover the high cost of their treatment. Private doctors and hospitals treat the data they have about you as proprietary; that is not good if the staff currently treating you do not know something important in your medical history. IMHO, it is much better to have a national “health insurance “ scheme, paid for in your taxes, that funds an integrated national healthcare system. I love our world-class NHS that is “free at the point of use”. I am sure most Brits will agree. (Wealthy moaners can always go private.)
Yup, if you rock-up to A&E with your arm hanging by a piece of skin, then they will see you immediately. If you rock-up with a small rash, you'll wait 12 hours. At least.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/18/britain-will-aim-for-freedom-of-movement-deal-with-australia I stand corrected. Perhaps it will happen. I wouldn’t put money on it though, not anytime soon! Plus imagine the climate change evangelicals out in force should more people want to move over.
@@geoffpoole483 this does not sound like 'get stuffed www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1184956/brexit-news-uk-trade-deal-australia-visa-boris-johnson-no-deal-european-union
Technically we pay for the nhs as British citizens through national insurance contributions which all workers pay part of their wages. They do minor surgery in gp’s surgeries like mole removal etc.
Just to add to this, because it often causes confusion overseas, it’s not part of your package as an employee, even those out of work are fully entitled to exactly the same treatment by the NHS.
'Technically' we pay for everything. Fire service, police, schools, roads. The point is it is free at the point of care. You aren't going to get stuck with a huge bill if you get sick. Also, most working immigrants pay National Insurance through their wages, not just citizens.
No foreign workers like me (i am a dr in the NHS) pay exactly same taxes and NI as any body else and pay NHS surcharge on top of this. So we are paying extra. Id have thought atleast for me it should be free because I provide this service but its not.
@@inamz02 you don't pay extra. Depending on how long you've lived here for it's unlikely that you've contributed via taxes your entire working life so think of the NHS payment as back payment for those years you missed that I and many others had to pay for from the day we started working. If I went to America and said I should get healthcare for free and not have to pay health insurance because I worked in the field I'm pretty sure I'd get laughed on a plane back to the UK. Just because you work in a certain industry doesn't mean you get something for nothing. I work in insurance and don't expect my insurance policies for nothing 🙄
As a 65 year old I’ve got my money’s worth out of the NHS with a heart bypass and continuing health issues....we also have access to dentistry and physiotherapy via the NHS.....so I’m hanging on to it with my not so bony fingers!... Hope you stay fit and well and never have to really put it to the test....🇬🇧🌈😎
Although keep in mind that, unless you're young/old or on a proven low income, you do have to pay for even NHS dental treatment. Depending on the area you might struggle to find a dentist practice that is taking new NHS patients at all.
peter smitham Me too Peter. Similar surgery to mine was paid for by my friends Company Insurance (I had an Emergency Aortic Dissection with Pericardial Tamponade) and he had a Type B Dissection with pulmonary embolism complications. He got copies of the bills. His Surgery was £138,000.
peter smitham I’ve hardly used the NHS, I’ve paid into it most of my working life. I don’t know what you’ve paid, and I don’t care. My comfort is, you, your relatives, my family and I have been looked after. I have health issues, but I am able to work through them, I need treatment, but I put work as priority. I can feel the failing in me, but I keep going, as I appreciate you do. My only issue is with people who walk into the country and get free health treatment the people like you and me provide.
Nicky L They’re minor health issues compared to what many have. Asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve found over the years that if I stay at home and pamper to the issues then I feel worse. However, as an engineer I’m quite active, and the routine keeps me going, which in the long run makes me feel better. If I was to stay at home permanently , I’d have to take up an exercise regime. Then the question would be asked, why is someone so able bodied claiming benefits?
@@derekc6445 pretty sure I've heard that the cost of setting up a beefier system to deal with health tourism would be higher than the money were currently losing.
Enough lady, we were very happy to see thousands of our Canadian cousins when we needed them in WW2 ,. And respect and God rest the ones that did not return home.
My fiancee is Dutch and loves, loves, loves the NHS. In her country you have to pay every week into a health insurance plan which is a lot more than we pay here. Yep, she grumbles about paying it as we all do but it's waaaaay less than she was paying in the Netherlands. She tallied it up and for what the NHS offers at point of contact would have cost her thousands of Euros extra a year.
There’s only one charge for a prescription no matter what medication it is and that’s currently about £9 as you say. If you take multiple things a month like I do, get an NHS prepay certificate. You pay about £10.50 a month by direct debit and it covers unlimited prescriptions (in my case 5 a month). 👍
Having had a health emergency a couple of years ago, I love the NHS. I love that you don't have to get a mortgage out to be cared for. The aftercare service is also excellent. I hope that it will continue and be properly looked after!!
A UK Link to National Insurance www.gov.uk/national-insurance and If you have A National Insurance Number (NINO) allocated @16 Which Is One number you should Learn (Non Geographic) Can Be Between AA000001A & ZZ999999?Z In recent years you received a plastic card with the number ,but I was given a slip of scrap paper with the number! NO GOOD AS PERSONAL ID
That’s it? She made out like it was a huge sum. Like she also said, consider it a slight back payment on all the years you haven’t been paying into the system because you weren’t here. £400 ain’t cheap but it ain’t expensive, especially if you’re here for a long time.
@@Station9.75 yeah its per year dont forget, so £400 every 12 months. but when you compare that against what it would cost to go private and pay up the full costs its nothing. for example if you have a filling and some xrays in the states you could still end up paying hundreds on top of you're insurance, here yes you have to pay extra but its like £30 with a nhs dentist so even on dental work the savings would be HUGE just with check ups and the like. let alone if you have A visit for anything that requires a xray at a hospital god only knows the costs of that going private.
Fun Fact: Surgery has two meanings. Obviously the first is an invasive medical proceedure, however it also means occasion where a professional gives advice. For example MPs will hold surgery where they meet with their constituents, usually regularly. I always considered that the GP 'Surgery' comes from the second meaning as opposed to having anything to do with medical surgery. Love the channel btw - I'm an Australian living in the UK and share a lot of your opinions haha.
My village health centre is now called a Health Practice and does perform some minor operations without a general anaesthetic. I go to the Vets for things like a thorn in my foot, you get seen quicker.
When I was touring in England, Scotland, and Wales in the early 1980's, I had a crown fall off one of my teeth - on a Saturday, in Edinburgh. On the advice of our B&B landlady I went to the local hospital, where they fixed my tooth after a couple of hours wait - and then were so apologetic that they had to charge me because I wasn't a UK citizen. They charged me 2.40 pounds, much much less than I would have had to pay my dentist at home to fix it. I know the law and fees have changed since then, but the NHS was a great deal for tourists back then!
You can pre-pay for three or twelve months prescriptions via a 'prescription prepayment certificate', then each actual prescription is free. Prescriptions are also free for over-60's (and some other classes of people, I think). This must be what Alanna is referring to.
Very interesting Alanna. The reason the emergency number was originally 999 is because in the early days of dial phones it’s difficult to accidentally dial it by mistake. Before hospitals operations were done by the doctor, hence his place was called a surgery. We Brits also use the word for any place a consultant meets the public, such as a Member of Parliament who holds “surgeries” once a week.
111 is a fantastic service where they use a mixture of AI, pathway questions and trained nurses to triage your problem and provide local solutions very very fast. It is not some "opinion" based concept. So far I've been sent to hospital when I thought I had a minor problem and the staff were expecting me when I turned up with full service following. 111 is a vital part of this developing process.
The 999 number was used because you could find the 9 number in the dark, when using the old style rotary dial telephones. It was also possible to dial this number if you were blind. The number 9 was next to the metal stop on the dial, so if you could feel the stop bar, then you could find this number on the dial, without misdialling. You cannot do this with a touch dialling phone.
I once visited a Canadian hospital in Edmonton Alberta, and the place was beautiful, better than some posh hotels I’ve been to. NHS hospitals are...uhmmm not quite up to that standard, but the actual healthcare in them is normally top notch.
You can get minor surgery at the doctors surgery, OH!! and we use both doctors and GP's. Also originally, most surgeries would have taken place there, and the name stuck. Also I think if you dial 911 you still get the emergancy services, because they know it's in most peoples head and may dial it by mistake.
1) no tiers. £9 flat in England per prescription. 2) Same day emergency appointments are always available. One needs to call the GP at a certain time to book it. 3) Even if you dial 911, it'll still redirect to 999.
My local hospital is the James cook university hospital here in Middlesbrough(historical figure James cook who discovered Australia etc was from Middlesbrough) and I was recently in the cardiac department and I can’t fault the ward I was on and I’m so thankful for our NHS. The staff went up and beyond in their care of myself and other patients! ❤️
The thing with A&E is that waiting times are subject to change. They can arrange a room full of people by who needs to be seen first etc then all of a sudden they get several very serious cases come in and everyone who is capable of sitting and waiting will have to do so. It sucks if you're in that situation but I think we would all agree that if someone is in dire need they have to go first. A&E is in its worst state for many years going by the statistics but still the vast majority of people are seen in the 4 hour target time. That's pretty good considering how many people are going there.
That's the thing, A&E often gets overused with people going when what is wrong with them isn't urgent (And if they rang 111 would probably be told not to go). These people obviously often get pushed down the queue as there are more important things to be treated, It's then those people who often complain the loudest
I have been in an A&E listening to a 22 years lass who was there because she didn't want to go ASDA a mile away to pay for some plasters cause she had cut her fingers, her rationale was that why should she pay a couple of quid when it was free at the A&E, she was by no means alone in that attitude.
I had a temporary summer job in the 1970s cutting a huge area of long grass using a rusty old sickle - and stupidly sliced open my finger when sharpening the thing. Went to the local A&E for an anti-tetanus injection and it seemed to be taking forever to be seen, but then an emergency case was rushed in - a worker on a road crew had been covered in hot tar and suffered major burns. His screams and the NHS staff rushing to assist put my trifling wound to the very back of my mind. Never had a problem with waiting since that time.
David Bourton A&E is in pretty good shape actually, their practices have improved immensely in recent years, as have their triaging processes. What ails the A&E situation is that so many hospitals have had their facility closed down, so you get ludicrous situations where in some places there is barely any provision within many miles or there is very little provision given the need due to population density. Obviously rural and small tow s as affected as big cities by this under provision. Obviously the rationale is to cut expenditure, and maybe also to deter people fro. using the service. And perhaps make way for private hospitals like the one currently being built on my NHS trust site, bang next to a fairly new and very comprehensive hospital that is now having to accept emergency patients from many miles around, due to closures. The staff are fabulous in the NHS hospital but the pressure on services is immense.
People should be glad they're the person at the back of the queue waiting 8 hours in A&E, as it's the person being rushed past them to be seen immediately in Resus that you really don't want to be, but if you were you'd be triaged and seen immediately.
Exactly. I fell off my bike and sustained broken ribs, shattered collarbone and punctured lung and went straight through A&E into surgery but when I gashed my leg they bandaged and left me for 6 hours to wait for stitches. Makes sense to prioritise.
When my daughter was about 9 months old she caught swine flu and stopped drinking. That evening we took her to A&E at the Childrens' in Brum as she was getting dehydrated. The place was full of thoroughly dispirited parents with a long wait. Suddenly we were told we could skip the queue and go straight for tests... it turns out they needed to check for meningitis immediately, which luckily turned up negative. But my daughter going straight to the front of the queue was probably one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever had. I remember the pitying looks on all those dispirited faces. Not pity. Envy.
Yes, I accompanied someone who had fallen on their back ( not too bad, messed up the coccyx a bit, but otherwise ok) and a lovely gentleman who had taken a couple of his fingertips off with a bandsaw had to be rushed ahead of us - and quite right too!
Thank you for informing me that as a foreigner you have to pay for NHS when you get your visa. I didn't know that, I thought that you just get it free as part of coming to the UK, but that does seem fair.
This popped up in my recommendations and I thought "Oh boy the comments on this are going to be juicy" and now having read them I'm somehow both disappointed and not disappointed at the same time. The NHS, although far from perfect, is the best thing this country has ever done.
We usually have to wait over five hours in the waiting room in order to be seen by a nurse. Some patients are kept waiting in trolleys in corridors for hours and hours.
Danny Gatland that’s what happened to me. My foot hurt and didn’t know why, I was very surprised by how quickly I was in and out. In the past it’s took hours.
I've had a shoulder dislocate and walked into my A&E and out within an hour. But, had to call the ambulance for my husband when he went into a hypoglycemic spell and we waited in A&E for 8 hours to be seen. Either way, I'll take it... because I went for 41 years scared because I didn't have health care in the US.
@Speaking Truth this is true, about American doctors doing every test they can think of, because it is putting money in their pocket. Everything from a bandaid or paracetamol to a cancer scan or holding your baby after giving birth is lining their pocket.
A relative came to the UK for some of her Medical College from the US. One morning she was told she was going to the theatre that afternoon, she thought it mean she was going to see a play, however she found out it meant she was going to take part in an operation.
Long live the NHS! A really informative video, I never knew that foreigners paid a lump sum into the NHS when getting a Visa. I wish more people knew that, I feel it would make some people look upon foreigners more favourably.
I never say that i'm going to the surgery or that I need to see my GP. I always say I need to make a Doctor's appointment or i'm going to the Doctors or I need to see my Doctor.
Correct me if I’m wrong (I probably am 😂) but I don’t think any British person says ‘i need to go see the GP’ or ‘I’m going to the GP’s surgery’ 🤣 I’m British and I thought everyone here just says ‘Im going to the doctors’....either way, you’re awesome! 💗
There are some that use the term GP but it probably depends on the area you are in. Although, I personally use a variation of "I'm going to the doctors" as I rarely see the same doctor, so the plural is important. Then again, I rarely need to go so a 'regular' doctor isn't required for me.
My mum uses it sometimes "I went to see my GP" - maybe she lives somewhere where you tend to have a particular doctor rather than a surgery with a staff of doctors. But I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head that calls it anything other than 'the doctor's' unless they feel the need to give details.
A politician sitting down to meet with and talk to local people about their problems is called a surgery too. The place in which surgery with scalpels occurs is called a theatre.
My GP/doctor moved to Canada from Uk, as she couldn’t work part time here any more. She had said the Canadian system was great, and quite similar to UK.
I love the NHS, I am so very thankful for it. Also like birth control pills, condoms are given out for free too. No use paying a ton for a box of durex when the docs/sexual health will give you a bagful for nothing
Hi, Alanna, very interesting to hear your thoughts on, and experience of, the NHS. I have always received good treatment from the NHS. Having to wait two months for an appointment is not good though, I hope that doesn't happen again. I hope you don't need to use the service too often. Looking forward to your next video soon.
Remembered being staggered watching the Cosby Show and Dr Huxtables' patients being presented with a bill for pre natal care. As a Brit the whole idea was totally alien.
Now I know why I enjoy watching your videos, those moments of existential disconnect that you have in mid sentence, the NHS meaning conundrum was one of your best.
In the UK, operations/surgery are done in the operating theatre; often just called the theatre. So if you are in hospital waiting for your surgery you would ask your doctor or nurse “...when am I going to the theatre..”.
If you can wait 8 hours in A&E then you've gone to the wrong place. One of the biggest problems in the UK is people going by default to the wrong place, instead of going to a pharmacy, doctors, out of hours doctor etc. 999 is an interesting one. Our telephones used to work on a pulse based system, before the tone based system they do now. So each number was dialed by sending the corresponding number of pulses do the phone line; hence our old rotary dial phones. However, in high winds, phone line could touch sending fake pulses down the line, so to minimise false emergency calls 999 was chosen, as this would be hardest to replicate.
Four hours is the 'Target' waiting time but it frequently goes over that. They're flooding London with masses and masses of new apartments but not building any hodpitals
If you go i with something seriouse then you wait minutes if its something like a bad bruise,minor cut or sprained wrist/ankle you have to wait. in fact if you have any of those minor injuries you shouldn't even be there
It’s kind of normal for me that you’d pay to use your health care when you travel, or move country. So I agree that anyone coming to the uk should also pay for any treatment. It baffles me that people go abroad without travel insurance. Expecting it for free is just wrong.
Whether you get it wrong or not, if you turn up ill at a British hospital they will help you no questions asked. Also if you ask for an emergency appoint,ent you will see a doctor on the same day.
Every country needs the NHS. The costs to see a doctor is ridiculous and don't get me started on how expensive medicine is here. Ugh the US needs to get on board with the NHS. It will never happen. Never. 🤦♀️
I strongly disagree with this. Just because we have the NHS, it does not mean that we can afford it, that it is sustainable, or that all other countries would be able to afford a similar system and sustain it. Just the fact that we take in doctors, nurses and other health professionals from other countries every year and still have shortages and staff overworking should give some idea of how squeezed we are. It is not a perfect system. I suspect no systems around the world are.
@@SamOwenI Except they could afford to. For example per capita the UK government spends £2,990 a year, the US government spends £3,742. Private payments are £602 per capita per year in the UK and £3,875 in the US. So the US could provide the same level as the NHS on government spending alone. If insurance companies are paying out £3,875 capita each year that means that insurance premiums being paid are significantly more than that so they could charge an extra tax that's still a fraction of insurance cost as the gov doesn't need to make a profit and they have a decent chunk per capita above the UK to spend all while you then see a better buying power meaning treatment costs fall significantly which meaning less of the budget is spent on drugs thus allowing more improvments
@@SamOwenI I don't think taking in medical staff from other countries means we're "stretched financially" and can't afford the level of healthcare. It just means we can't satisfy the demand for staff with a domestic workforce.
@@SimonWakefieldUK there are a number of things that make this subject complicated and admittedly subjective, because I have anecdotal evidence as well as thoughts about what you (and the other commenter) have said. Let me give you some idea of my perspective: 1) I am a final year medical student in a UK medical school. Born and raised in the UK, I was very excited to work for the NHS and work as a doctor when I was applying. That excitement has gone. I have worked in several hospitals in the South of England for over 4 years. Some of the better hospitals and some of the worst. Staff morale varies. Some are very happy, some are very sad, and everything in between It is well known that levels of mental health problems and alcohol abuse among doctors are higher than the rest of the population. At my medical school alone, we have had 3 medical student or graduate suicides in the over 6.5 years I have been there. Several mental health problems. I myself had to see my GP for depression for the first time because of the course, the job and discouraging hospital and medical school staff (no history of psychiatric problems, I went into medicine as a high-achieving and motivated teenager). I am also seriously considering leaving the NHS after the obligatory year-long foundation. I have a previous housemate who has already left for Australia after F1. More than half the F2s at the hospital I'm working at the moment did not apply to specialty training positions. I could give you the name of a hospital I have worked where over 75% of the new F1s were recruited from abroad. The government are paying GP trainees and GPs incentives and yet we still have GP shortages. I could go on and on, listing stories of staff dissatisfaction, friends and colleagues leaving, one F1 told me "I would not wish this job on my worst enemy." I remember another time at another hospital where I just randomly decided to go to a different ward than I usually go, the stroke ward, for my learning, and the F1 there was carrying multiple doctors' pagers at the same time. The consultant started the ward round and then one of the pagers went. The F1 had to go deal with a situation elsewhere, and so it was just me, a paying student, and the consultant seeing stroke patients. The consultant was livid, but it was clear that this often happened and she was lucky I was even there to write in the notes. I say all those things just to give you an idea of what I'm thinking when I say the NHS is not fit for purpose. It's a mess. It's held together by people who, many of them, go the extra mile out of the kindness of their heart, love for the NHS/country/patients, or simply because it doesn't make sense to leave their career. Of course, many love it. Just telling you what I've seen. 2) measuring what we can and can't afford based on expenditure per capita and proportion of GDP is not the most ideal. For example, we have to take into account our level of borrowing. We have to take into account the output that we receive in return for our spending. I would also argue there are non-monetary measures of the value of the NHS, such as staff morale, patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, life expectancy and other things. 3) The other thing I'd say is I do not think we should close the NHS. I am glad we have the NHS. I just don't agree with the idea that it's so good, other countries are silly for not having it. Socialist systems have their serious flaws, like capitalist systems do. I also personally would strongly warn people about the disadvantages before pursuing a medical career here. It's that bad.
As the primary carer for my father before his death 6 years ago and since then for my mother I have spent a fair bit of time in A&E's, there are a lot of people who are sat there waiting who could have bought some painkillers, plasters or just gone to bed for a few days cause they can't cure the flu, this is what clogs up the system in A&E's. My Gp's run a same day appointment system with a phone back for the GP to decide if they need to see you, you can book a call the night before over the patient access system on their website, works perfectly fine and I can easily get to see a GP if needed. The NHS works fantastically well when it really is needed, I had a stroke in 2017 and thanks to the speed of the paramedics, ambulances and hospital staff I was diagnosed and received critical treatment within 43 minutes of having made the 999 call and was able to leave the hospital within 24 hours walking on my own two feet, it's astonishing that the USA just can't get the reality of the NHS, US healthcare is for profit, UK healthcare is for need.
simgorm when I had to go to A and E there was a young man there, who obviously had problems the staff were lovely to him, he lives at home but goes there every night for company of the staff and the people waiting.
I had a stroke in 2017 wouldn't send ambulance taken t0 hospital in car missed diagnosed with meningitis by a and e doctor I was lucky the after care I have received a been first class
simgorm Very few people go to A& E for colds and flu, though there are conditions that can look quite similar and a diagnosis is needed to eliminate those things. The NHS treats approximately 250.000 cases of sepsis annually, which is a lifethreatening and very serious condition that can be effectively treated with antibiotics, many of these cases will be the result of chest infections, pneumonia and Bronchitis that has been neglected or become acute. Mostly these days people call 111 and are triaged at that point. Prompt treatment not only saves lives but also prevents ling term damage. There are of course other conditions that can mimic colds or the flu, usually these too are triaged before any A&E presentation. It is the cut fingers and hangovers that seem to fill the waiting rooms for hours, but the corridors at this time of year are usually full of far more serious cases, as the shortage of acute beds is very severe.
@@lindyashford7744 Depending on your definition of "very few", I'm not sure I agree about the amount of people who turn up in A+E with low grade cold / flu like symptoms. In my experience, there are sufficient numbers of, otherwise, generally healthy people who will turn up with "a bit of a sniffle" or a "runny nose for 6/52" to cause an issue. This is especially true when added to the other inappropriate presentations that you mention. (I do agree with you that its better safe than sorry in such cases and that sepsis does need to be ruled out once the patient has presented btw.)
111 is a fantastic service. I've called them more than once. They've gotten me appointments with doctors that day, the next day, and - on one occasion - sent the paramedics. Who knew?
Hi Alana. Agreed the NHS is absolutely wonderful. The reason for the hefty "upfront" payment for visitors to the UK is that there used to be a flourishing industry known as "Health Tourism". This involved people not native to the UK visiting specifically to use the NHS for operations/treatments that they either couldn't afford in their own country or simply liked the idea of free healthcare whilst enjoying a holiday. The answer to doctor or GP is really both. All GPs have to have the MD qualification in the UK so they are automatically doctors. (MD = Doctor of Medicine). GP, General Practitioner, is the description of a doctor that has choosen not to specialise in any one field but to use their broad understanding of all medical fields to act as a triage person and first port of call. They can identify the problem, treat more simple ones or reccomend a visit to a specialist if necessary. Finally some GPs actually do perform minor surgeries in the Surgery. (My own GP does this) Keep up the good work with your videos.
Ok. It's been quite a while since I've had more than one item but I was only ever charged once with multiple items. Chemist oversight clearly as I've been told twice now. Even the Dr never said anything but I suppose they can forgiven for that being so busy.
GP is different to a doctor who works at a hospital and you'll often be signed up to both, who communicate depending on your needs. I have a GP for my epilepsy as well as minor surgeries (which they do at the surgery, it's not just an office), but for when things go off the deep end, I'll get referred to my doctor for a more in-depth review. Medication is £9 for me too, while birth-control and morning after pills can both be purchased from any chemist; Boots do both. I love hearing all the praise for the NHS, but I'll never defend the waiting times because under-staffing is a nightmare. Hopefully we'll see things improve over the course of the next five years, so we can service all Canadians who come to our rainy shores.
In A&E there is normally a triage function (experienced nurse) at the entrance - they set priorities - arm hanging off you go straight through - cut finger you wait
With regards to the NHS pre-payment thing, I’d imagine there are a lot of people in the US and other countries who’d be pretty ecstatic to pay a grand for 2 years worth of full no questions asked coverage.
But it’s not $1000. It’s $1000 plus two years worth of taxes that support the NHS. So I would want to know how much I was being charged in tax over the span of those two years for the NHS to really compare apples to apples. I strongly agree with a publicly funded health service but it’s disingenuous to say it only costs a one time payment of $1000. Just as an example, a low income middle aged person in the US qualifies for pretty darn good insurance in the US under Obamacare with a substantial subsidy. A single person with income of $17,000 would get a subsidy reducing their premium to about $55 a month with a copay of $3 under a Silver plan. And that’s for a PPO plan where you can call up a specialist and be seen as soon as the next day or schedule your MRI at your convenience whenever you want. And of course, there is Medicaid for very low income (below poverty line) which is free. The real benefit would be for people with middle class incomes who do not qualify for any subsidy.
@@susie2251 A US citizen, on average, pays DOUBLE the taxes of a UK citizen when comparing healthcare costs. A UK citizen is, of course, taxed higher than a US citizen. But a UK citizen doesn't have to pay for horrific health insurance costs - and is automatically covered for nearly all illnesses - even long-term ones. Overall, taxes included (that's how it is funded) - the NHS offers complete coverage for 50% of the cost of an incomplete minefield horror show of a health system in the USA. In the US, you pay roughly $16000 a year on healthcare .... We pay $8000 in the UK (and only if we can afford it). So our friend from Canada here, paid $9000 .... a saving of $7000 considering her decision not to move to the USA (if it was ever a choice!) Even if we factor in the long haul plane ticket - and generously call that a $1000 flight ... she's still $6000 up on what your sorry country offers. You need to vote Bernie.
@@susie2251 That depends on how much you earn. For a child or non working spouse it is 'just' the visa amount. So for a child, all vaccinations on the schedule including annual flu vaccine. No prescription charges for children so if they need antibiotics or a hospital admission you pay £0. If something serious happens meaning the child needs a prosthetic limb or a pacemaker, the charge is £0. If you earn under £166 a week you don't pay NI (the tax that pays for health and care) from £166 - 962 you pay 12%, over £962 a week you pay an extra 2%. For a child dental and eye tests are free, you get a voucher to pay for frames and lenses but there is a huge range of frames that mean your child's glasses cost £0 and you can have a new pair annually or if your prescription changes, if you break them then you get 1 replacement pair. You do have to pay for a second or third pair if you have a child who breaks them alot. Adults between 16 - 65 have to pay about £15 for an eye test, but if they are on a low income you can apply for a certificate to exempt you from that charge. You may also have to pay if you want the eye exam in your home rather than at an optician's. We don't pay for home visits from GPs, nurses, health visitors. Health visitors are specially trained nurses who visit new mothers a few times in the early weeks / months after a baby is born to offer advice and support with things like breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and any other problems / concerns. You don't have to have the visits but most first time mothers do, mothers on their 4th child use them less. She's wrong about the prescription 'tiers', in England any prescription item is £9 regardless of cost, but in Wales there is no prescription fee. Prescriptions are also free for under 16, under 18 in full time education, free for adults on a low income or who are over 65. Certain medical conditions mean you get free prescriptions, so a diabetic pays $0 for their prescription, blood monitor, test strips etc. Any medicine administered in hospital is free. And it isn't just contraceptive pills that are free, all contraceptives are free if you go to a Dr, clinic or family planning centre, so it could be the pill, coil, injection or condoms. Some things we do pay for, flu jabs are free if you are elderly, a primary school child, have certain medical conditions or are a care for someone with certain medical conditions so if someone n the family has cancer the rest will get free flu jabs. If you are perfectly healthy but want the jab anyway you pay privately, it's about £10. Oh and we do also have a network of private hospitals / drs / nurses, only about 10% of the population bothers with private care though. So it depends on what you earn and how much you use. If a couple arrive on working visas and one finds they are pregnant so doesn't want to work the £2000 paid will cover the antenatal care, flu vaccine, free dental treatment, the birth, stay in hospital (usually 5 days for a normal birth) if the birth is a C section it covers the doctors, midwives, anesthetists etc. OK so the partner who is working may not access health care at all for 2 years but £2000 doesn't seem to be a huge amount.
@@susie2251 The difference is, a foreign resident hasn't been putting money into the pot for years, but is still able access the system. That would be the rationale for the pre-payment I assume
I’m from Kent, normally say going to the doctors. Historically (before hospitals really developed) doctors used to carry out operations at their own premises, hence doctors surgery. A few current doctors are actually surgeons, but practice as general practitioner most of the week and work in hospitals as well. Some of these still carry out minor surgical procedures that only require local anaesthetic in their own surgery.
I emigrated to Australia from UK a number of years ago and it's not dissimilar. There you get Ambulance and ER/A&E use for free as reciprocal arrangement with NHS, medicare levy roughly equivalent to National Insurance in taxes and then pay private medical health insurance (£1,000 per year) to be able to access full standard Australian Medicare.
Let's settle this once and for all: Doctor or GP?
I go to see a doctor at the doctors.
Adventures and Naps in the USA at least, some people say PCP (primary care provider) for GP :)
Thanks for stealing my idea...You're welcome :)
Doctor
I would say doctors but the GP surgery. Either is fine think it's how you were brought up
“No country can legitimately call itself civilized if a sick person is denied medical aid because of a lack of means.”-Aneurin Bevan.
@Don Francisco That's because he was Welsh.
Try googling his name.
Don Francisco 👈😂 And your name doesn't sound made up...?
Peter a country of about 64 million people cannot afford to pay for the health care of the global population. In demographics, the world population is the total number of humans currently living, and was estimated to have reached 7.7 billion people as of April 2019. so no matter how good your intentions we just cant afford it.
@@pjmoseley243 Thats right, and we should not be paying out for medical tourists. We have had women come here from Switzerland to have a baby in the past. Thats taking the mick. But if a visitor was injured while here I think they should be treated. Every country should have a comprehensive health care system like Cuba does. America counts its self as the greatest country in the world but leaves thousands to die of curable conditions because they can't afford the insurance. Loose your job and suddenly you are not covered by insurance. It aint so in the UK thanks to one man with vision.
Im my experience the majority of NHS healthcare employees are amongst the most caring, dedicated and hard working people you will find anywhere. If you ever have an issue with the the NHS blame politicians and management, not those on the front line.
Middle management seems to be mismanaged.
Absolutely....it has to be said.....
When I first trained as a nurse most of the NHS was managed by nurses and doctors who had been promoted away from clinical care but still understood it. Then the government started insisting on managers who had studied business management and who often had no idea why health care can't be run for profit in a civilised country as the well off will always get better care. One of the biggest unspoken of scandals was the privatisation of hospital cleaning. Whereas before you'd have one domestic per ward (or per 2 wards depending on size) you now no longer had an individual personally responsible for keeping their ward clean. Domestics had taken pride in their work and were highly valued as a member of the team - we knew who to go to and that we could rely on them.. But it's apparently cheaper to have squads of cleaners in different areas every day. If there was a problem you now had to go to a manager- if you could find them- rather than someone who could sort the problem themselves. Unsurprisingly the standards of cleanliness in hospitals has dramatically decreased and the number of hospital acquired infections has skyrocketed.
But at least they saved a few quid. We all need to be aware of them privatising the NHS by stealth, a wee bit here and a wee bit there. We'd miss it if it went.
Blame people who go to A&E for minor issues using up space for those who really need it
@@kevinbarr2095 the absolute opposite is true. GP's are the drain. if youre ill, go to the hospital...cut out the drug pushing GP's who are on comission from BIG PHARMA
The only tiers on prescription are free for certain items and for certain groups (old, young, unemployed etc) and the £9 standard fee. The £9 is a flat fee no matter what you need, or how expensive it is.
Also, if you need several prescriptions per month, you can get a pre-pay card which covers you for all of them. I think the the break-even point is three prescriptions/month, but don't quote me on that. I think that's great because being sick sucks enough without it draining your bank account.
Prescriptions are free in Scotland.
@@robertclyne8484 I did say the unemployed get prescriptions free didn't I?
/duck
@@LiamE69
He, bloody, haw.
If you have drug controlled diabetes you can get a Medical Exemption Certificate which means all your prescriptions are free.
The UK has a health service, the USA has a wealth service.
Exactly, the American “healthcare” system is nothing more than a for profit opportunity for drug companies, insurance companies, their shareholders, hospitals, consultants etc, the patient is merely a means to make money.
The UK healthcare system only performs better on administrative metrics. It is lower than US in overall mortality and performance based outcomes, even if the US is too expensive it's still better when it actually matters. Canadians dont understand the US healthcare system generally.
@@Ben-mx1ip its TWICE as expensive and god help you if you need an operation or get cancer - goodbye House paying for it
Absolute cobblers. You can’t say the US system performs better when it excludes so many and costs so much
The USA “health system” is purely motivated by GREED, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS not the patients
The number 999 was chosen because, in the days of "proper" phones with a dial, it was difficult to dial accidentally; also, it was easy to dial in the dark or if you're blind, say.
Yep, makes much more sense than having to dial 911
At school children are now taught to dial 112 which also goes through to the same operator and is also the common emergency number for the whole of Europe, Russia and India.
It's the traditional UK number, but 112 (continental Europe's normal number) and 911 (North America) will also work in the UK, see www.quora.com/Does-the-911-emergency-number-work-in-the-UK
It's also the fastest three digits to dial on the old phones.
@@rednovember3639 It's actually the longest. The dial has to travel the longest distance in both directions.
I work in the NHS in Kent and this video and the comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside 😊
If you're feeling warm and fuzzy inside you probably need to see a doctor.
I understand all nurses are fantastic but British are falling out of love with doctors and surgeons. This story will take away that warm fuzzy feeling 4.4million awaiting urgent surgery www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/abbieswishfund?X65Zq8
I am neither a doctor or a nurse but one of the many allied health professions who also work within it. The system isn't flawless but everyone who works in it puts their heart and soul into their job. It's nice to hear appreciation as opposed to the negative press it usually gets 👍🏻
@@heatherkim6533 I think that the biggest problem with the NHS is that there isn't enough hospitals to cater for the ever increasing population. Waiting times are bound to increase. The NHS definitely needs more money. And personally I think that students that want to train to be doctors and surgeons at university, shouldn't have to pay tuition fees, as they will be paying the debt back by saving lives. Then there might not be such a shortage of hospital staff.
Thankyou for everything you do. You're the unsung heroes of the UK. Thankyou
August 2019 I suffered a heart attack and if it wasn't for our fantastic NHS and staff I would have been sat here today watching your video. I'm sure it's the envy of the world.
I had mine in 2012, the morning after was honestly one of the happiest times of my life.
Might have been the morphine.
Without the NHS though I could not have afforded the initial care, nevermind the drugs required to keep me alive after.
I am beyond grateful for the care I received when I needed it the most.
When I was younger (only just learning how to sit up by myself) I had a seizure and started foaming at the mouth. My dad called 999 and I was seen pretty soon and because of that I'm still alive
Just like in Canada, you will never get some health insurance official deciding whether you live or die, I love our health service.
yeah me too shame the budget has been slashed to the bone in england and wales
@@chipzz86 how can you say this when the NHS budget increases every year?
@@hairyairey really friend the budget has been slashed to the bone
www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/22/hospitals-struggling-to-afford-new-equipment-after-nhs-budget-cuts
www.theguardian.com/society/2011/oct/17/nhs-cuts-impact-on-patients-revealed
www.patients4nhs.org.uk/government-cuts/
keepournhspublic.com/budget-2018-no-more-money-for-nhs/
took me less than 20 secs to fin these articleshonestly look it up your self if you dont believe me
NHS england was in the black in 2009 then the cuts from david cammorns cabinet the mays budget has forced it into the red with no extra funding given unless hospitals sell of land and equipment, the privtions of the NHS is a massive worry 2 examples of this are the selling off of the blood banks to pvt firms it no longer belongs to the NHS and now less than a week after the GE NHS services with cancer and kids treatments.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/private-firms-invited-run-nhs-21178712
Four years ago, my GP put DNR on my medical record without my knowledge.That means do not resuscitate ,in an emergency.I was sixty four at the time,I only found out through getting my medical records, recently, the GP told me she was going to remove it.So, l ask myself, what's changed in those four years that she suddenly values my life, maybe it was because my daughter was angry when she found out.Sorry, but l no longer trust doctors or the National Health Service.
@@chipzz86 There is a difference between funding that increases annually to maintain and expand existing services and the inability to forecast and then fund all manner of amazing new developments in medicine. The new scanners and low dose radiation X-Ray systems are a case in point - they are enormously expensive both to install and to run. . We also always need to remember that when Aneurin Bevan started the NHS in 1947 he was warned that it would not be possible to fund it ad infinitum because if it was successful people will live longer after retirement (without being able to contribute) and new advances will demand more equipment and more staff. His answer to this? It was to say that that will be someone else's problem. Well, so it is and it is we who now have to deal with that.
I’ve had two kidney transplants(both failed 😢), three stints in intensive care, eight years and counting on dialysis and recently a heart valve replacement. Total cost £0. Gotta love the NHS. They’re keepin me alive to see my daughters down the aisle. Special mention for all the nurses out there. The Consultants might make the decisions and the Surgeons may do the ops but it’s you nurses who get us through it. Always trying to keep us positive with a smile on your face regardless of whatever shit might be goin on in your own lives. Absolute Angels every single one of ya. Thanks so much. PAY RISE! 😡
You gain a whole heap of respect for the NHS when its saved your life-twice and cost you very little.
Then there's Merica that barely helps you and costs you EVERYTHING.
So good to hear such rounded review of our NHS - and reminds me that even though it has its wrinkles it is amazing. And even more so at the moment. Big shout out to all of my former colleagues in the NHS who watched this!
I lived and worked in the USA for 14 years. I am now back in the UK, retired and very thankful for the NHS.
For me, healthcare is a matter of morality. Nobody wants to be sick, or have an accident. Those things are misfortunes, not perks for the wealthy.
When people are sick we should take care of each other. That is one of the reasons humanity has been so successful as a species.
With a privatised healthcare system, like in the US, you need health insurance, which is usually provided by your employer.
Don’t lose your job, because insurance is very expensive if you have to pay it yourself. Don’t change your insurer if you have a long-term problem, because you will have a “pre-existing condition” that the new insurer will refuse to cover. (They don’t want to incur a loss.)
Private healthcare providers have to buy malpractice insurance, which adds to their costs. Why? Because people will litigate to try to recover the high cost of their treatment.
Private doctors and hospitals treat the data they have about you as proprietary; that is not good if the staff currently treating you do not know something important in your medical history.
IMHO, it is much better to have a national “health insurance “ scheme, paid for in your taxes, that funds an integrated national healthcare system.
I love our world-class NHS that is “free at the point of use”. I am sure most Brits will agree. (Wealthy moaners can always go private.)
Waiting times in a&e are triage based, the most urgent cases are generally seen first
Yup, if you rock-up to A&E with your arm hanging by a piece of skin, then they will see you immediately. If you rock-up with a small rash, you'll wait 12 hours. At least.
The worst part is that people who *really* need to be seen immediately are invariably unconscious, so they don’t realise how great the service was!
exactly
I'd like to see free movement between the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It's ridiculous to me that you have to have a visa to be here.
it is being discussed at the moment, apparently Australia first
Rob Inson I doubt we’d cope with that. Australia is notoriously strict on immigration, it’ll never happen.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/18/britain-will-aim-for-freedom-of-movement-deal-with-australia
I stand corrected. Perhaps it will happen. I wouldn’t put money on it though, not anytime soon! Plus imagine the climate change evangelicals out in force should more people want to move over.
Australia told us to get stuffed.
@@geoffpoole483 this does not sound like 'get stuffed www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1184956/brexit-news-uk-trade-deal-australia-visa-boris-johnson-no-deal-european-union
Technically we pay for the nhs as British citizens through national insurance contributions which all workers pay part of their wages. They do minor surgery in gp’s surgeries like mole removal etc.
Just to add to this, because it often causes confusion overseas, it’s not part of your package as an employee, even those out of work are fully entitled to exactly the same treatment by the NHS.
'Technically' we pay for everything. Fire service, police, schools, roads. The point is it is free at the point of care. You aren't going to get stuck with a huge bill if you get sick. Also, most working immigrants pay National Insurance through their wages, not just citizens.
No foreign workers like me (i am a dr in the NHS) pay exactly same taxes and NI as any body else and pay NHS surcharge on top of this. So we are paying extra. Id have thought atleast for me it should be free because I provide this service but its not.
@@inamz02 you don't pay extra. Depending on how long you've lived here for it's unlikely that you've contributed via taxes your entire working life so think of the NHS payment as back payment for those years you missed that I and many others had to pay for from the day we started working. If I went to America and said I should get healthcare for free and not have to pay health insurance because I worked in the field I'm pretty sure I'd get laughed on a plane back to the UK. Just because you work in a certain industry doesn't mean you get something for nothing. I work in insurance and don't expect my insurance policies for nothing 🙄
@@Tom_UA-cam_stole_my_handle those out of work are still paying national insurance its part of the benefit system
As a 65 year old I’ve got my money’s worth out of the NHS with a heart bypass and continuing health issues....we also have access to dentistry and physiotherapy via the NHS.....so I’m hanging on to it with my not so bony fingers!...
Hope you stay fit and well and never have to really put it to the test....🇬🇧🌈😎
Although keep in mind that, unless you're young/old or on a proven low income, you do have to pay for even NHS dental treatment. Depending on the area you might struggle to find a dentist practice that is taking new NHS patients at all.
peter smitham Me too Peter. Similar surgery to mine was paid for by my friends Company Insurance (I had an Emergency Aortic Dissection with Pericardial Tamponade) and he had a Type B Dissection with pulmonary embolism complications. He got copies of the bills.
His Surgery was £138,000.
peter smitham I’ve hardly used the NHS, I’ve paid into it most of my working life.
I don’t know what you’ve paid, and I don’t care.
My comfort is, you, your relatives, my family and I have been looked after.
I have health issues, but I am able to work through them, I need treatment, but I put work as priority.
I can feel the failing in me, but I keep going, as I appreciate you do.
My only issue is with people who walk into the country and get free health treatment the people like you and me provide.
Nicky L They’re minor health issues compared to what many have.
Asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.
I’ve found over the years that if I stay at home and pamper to the issues then I feel worse.
However, as an engineer I’m quite active, and the routine keeps me going, which in the long run makes me feel better.
If I was to stay at home permanently , I’d have to take up an exercise regime.
Then the question would be asked, why is someone so able bodied claiming benefits?
@Matthee Latham You did not get how the service is meant to work and how a state is defined. Your ideas are flawed.
I didn't know visa applicants paid toward the NHS too, bet I'm not the only one.
DisMaFugger Here. Boris never mentioned it when he was campaigning for brexit....
@@johnturner4400 Never mentioned health tourism either that continues to be an expensive problem in England especially.
@@derekc6445 pretty sure I've heard that the cost of setting up a beefier system to deal with health tourism would be higher than the money were currently losing.
No cost to EU nationals atm, because of free movement?
Some visa holders have "no recourse to public funds" which means they don't get anything from the state.
Enough lady, we were very happy to see thousands of our Canadian cousins when we needed them in WW2 ,. And respect and God rest the ones that did not return home.
Longest waiting times tend to be Fridays and Saturday due to people who drink too much or take drugs clogging up A and E.
Yes people who have problems and illness, drink drugs, mental illness, everyone pays in
My fiancee is Dutch and loves, loves, loves the NHS. In her country you have to pay every week into a health insurance plan which is a lot more than we pay here. Yep, she grumbles about paying it as we all do but it's waaaaay less than she was paying in the Netherlands. She tallied it up and for what the NHS offers at point of contact would have cost her thousands of Euros extra a year.
There’s only one charge for a prescription no matter what medication it is and that’s currently about £9 as you say. If you take multiple things a month like I do, get an NHS prepay certificate. You pay about £10.50 a month by direct debit and it covers unlimited prescriptions (in my case 5 a month). 👍
The surgery in the uk is also often referred to as the Practice.
I remember completely misunderstanding that when I was younger, instead of seeing a practicing GP I wanted to see one that had got the hang of it.
"Never been to A&E knock on wood"
Knocks on wood gets big splinter, has to go to A&E
Just my luck!
Having had a health emergency a couple of years ago, I love the NHS. I love that you don't have to get a mortgage out to be cared for. The aftercare service is also excellent. I hope that it will continue and be properly looked after!!
I'm a nhs HCA and I found your video very interesting..thank you for sharing..
You might just have to use A&E for a sprained wrist if you keep knocking on all that wood :D
True!!
Why did that make me laugh so much
Lol
Just "touch wood" instead.
Or a tetanus jab if you get a splinter.
UK national living in Kent- the NHS is free to all at the point of delivery; we pay what is called National Insurance in our taxes, 12%
how do u know its 12%
A UK Link to National Insurance www.gov.uk/national-insurance and If you have A National Insurance Number (NINO) allocated @16 Which Is One number you should Learn (Non Geographic) Can Be Between AA000001A & ZZ999999?Z
In recent years you received a plastic card with the number ,but I was given a slip of scrap paper with the number! NO GOOD AS PERSONAL ID
I read somewhere that it was 19%. It may have changed since then, though
"its a lot of money" no it's not, it's less than a single ambulance trip in the u.s
How much? $1000?
Cheaper than health insurance.
@@Station9.75 at the moment £400 a year.
That’s it? She made out like it was a huge sum. Like she also said, consider it a slight back payment on all the years you haven’t been paying into the system because you weren’t here.
£400 ain’t cheap but it ain’t expensive, especially if you’re here for a long time.
@@Station9.75 yeah its per year dont forget, so £400 every 12 months. but when you compare that against what it would cost to go private and pay up the full costs its nothing.
for example if you have a filling and some xrays in the states you could still end up paying hundreds on top of you're insurance, here yes you have to pay extra but its like £30 with a nhs dentist so even on dental work the savings would be HUGE just with check ups and the like.
let alone if you have A visit for anything that requires a xray at a hospital god only knows the costs of that going private.
Fun Fact: Surgery has two meanings. Obviously the first is an invasive medical proceedure, however it also means occasion where a professional gives advice. For example MPs will hold surgery where they meet with their constituents, usually regularly. I always considered that the GP 'Surgery' comes from the second meaning as opposed to having anything to do with medical surgery.
Love the channel btw - I'm an Australian living in the UK and share a lot of your opinions haha.
At last! Someone who actually understands that a word can have more than one meaning.
My village health centre is now called a Health Practice and does perform some minor operations without a general anaesthetic. I go to the Vets for things like a thorn in my foot, you get seen quicker.
I, as an Englishman in Australia, enjoy your channel. I think you’re funny.... in a nice way of course! Keep it up eh 👍🏻😉
When I was touring in England, Scotland, and Wales in the early 1980's, I had a crown fall off one of my teeth - on a Saturday, in Edinburgh. On the advice of our B&B landlady I went to the local hospital, where they fixed my tooth after a couple of hours wait - and then were so apologetic that they had to charge me because I wasn't a UK citizen. They charged me 2.40 pounds, much much less than I would have had to pay my dentist at home to fix it. I know the law and fees have changed since then, but the NHS was a great deal for tourists back then!
Prescriptions are £9.00 for each item - I haven't heard of the 'Tiered' system
Free in Wales
You can pre-pay for three or twelve months prescriptions via a 'prescription prepayment certificate', then each actual prescription is free. Prescriptions are also free for over-60's (and some other classes of people, I think). This must be what Alanna is referring to.
Each prescription not item.
@@AngloSupreme it's each item. My mum has a prescription every month and it costs her about £36 because she has 4 items.
@@22skiddoo if you have certain health issues e.g. diabetes, you get your prescriptions for free.
Very interesting Alanna. The reason the emergency number was originally 999 is because in the early days of dial phones it’s difficult to accidentally dial it by mistake. Before hospitals operations were done by the doctor, hence his place was called a surgery. We Brits also use the word for any place a consultant meets the public, such as a Member of Parliament who holds “surgeries” once a week.
111 is a fantastic service where they use a mixture of AI, pathway questions and trained nurses to triage your problem and provide local solutions very very fast. It is not some "opinion" based concept. So far I've been sent to hospital when I thought I had a minor problem and the staff were expecting me when I turned up with full service following. 111 is a vital part of this developing process.
I just graduated as nurse and would like to work in the UK, specifically the Brighton or Bristol area. So, I'm in the research mode.
Nooo! Come up North! We have far more fun! Manchester! Liverpool! The Lake District needs nurses too!
Brighton and Bristol is VERY expensive
@Speaking Truth The U.S.
@@jazzmc5322 Looking into it
Oi. It took me a while to understand this 'knock on wood' thing. Here the expression is 'touch wood' Just so you know. Love your personality
Great video. By the way you can also meet your local MP at their "surgery". Confusingly no operations occurring there either
Members of Parliament meet in their surgery, to decide how to cut your throat
Every time I watch one of your videos it really makes me feel good about my country of birth, I am very proud that you enjoy life here so much.
The 999 number was used because you could find the 9 number in the dark, when using the old style rotary dial telephones. It was also possible to dial this number if you were blind. The number 9 was next to the metal stop on the dial, so if you could feel the stop bar, then you could find this number on the dial, without misdialling. You cannot do this with a touch dialling phone.
Ordinarily we’d say ‘touch wood’ rather than ‘knock on wood’ in the UK.
Yes, good note!
What price do you put on "Peace of Mind".
I once visited a Canadian hospital in Edmonton Alberta, and the place was beautiful, better than some posh hotels I’ve been to. NHS hospitals are...uhmmm not quite up to that standard, but the actual healthcare in them is normally top notch.
You can get minor surgery at the doctors surgery, OH!! and we use both doctors and GP's. Also originally, most surgeries would have taken place there, and the name stuck.
Also I think if you dial 911 you still get the emergancy services, because they know it's in most peoples head and may dial it by mistake.
One of my tutors (many years ago) worked on the BT switchboards and said exactly this re dialling 911.
To complicate things, members of parliament also "hold surgeries": one-to-one meetings between mps and their constituents.
Allana Thank you for being now part of our culture ;-))
Alanna just admit it, you are very quickly turning into a fellow Brit!
1) no tiers. £9 flat in England per prescription.
2) Same day emergency appointments are always available. One needs to call the GP at a certain time to book it.
3) Even if you dial 911, it'll still redirect to 999.
Not strictly true - it’s £9 per item, for instance if there’s 3 different drugs (or whatever) on your prescription it’s £27
@@MeStevely unless you have a prepayment certificate. See my other post.
John Airey Ah, OK, but I am over 60, so prescriptions cost me £0 anyway. Lucky me.
My local hospital is the James cook university hospital here in Middlesbrough(historical figure James cook who discovered Australia etc was from Middlesbrough) and I was recently in the cardiac department and I can’t fault the ward I was on and I’m so thankful for our NHS. The staff went up and beyond in their care of myself and other patients! ❤️
The thing with A&E is that waiting times are subject to change. They can arrange a room full of people by who needs to be seen first etc then all of a sudden they get several very serious cases come in and everyone who is capable of sitting and waiting will have to do so. It sucks if you're in that situation but I think we would all agree that if someone is in dire need they have to go first. A&E is in its worst state for many years going by the statistics but still the vast majority of people are seen in the 4 hour target time. That's pretty good considering how many people are going there.
That's the thing, A&E often gets overused with people going when what is wrong with them isn't urgent (And if they rang 111 would probably be told not to go). These people obviously often get pushed down the queue as there are more important things to be treated, It's then those people who often complain the loudest
I have been in an A&E listening to a 22 years lass who was there because she didn't want to go ASDA a mile away to pay for some plasters cause she had cut her fingers, her rationale was that why should she pay a couple of quid when it was free at the A&E, she was by no means alone in that attitude.
I had a temporary summer job in the 1970s cutting a huge area of long grass using a rusty old sickle - and stupidly sliced open my finger when sharpening the thing. Went to the local A&E for an anti-tetanus injection and it seemed to be taking forever to be seen, but then an emergency case was rushed in - a worker on a road crew had been covered in hot tar and suffered major burns. His screams and the NHS staff rushing to assist put my trifling wound to the very back of my mind. Never had a problem with waiting since that time.
David Bourton A&E is in pretty good shape actually, their practices have improved immensely in recent years, as have their triaging processes. What ails the A&E situation is that so many hospitals have had their facility closed down, so you get ludicrous situations where in some places there is barely any provision within many miles or there is very little provision given the need due to population density. Obviously rural and small tow s as affected as big cities by this under provision. Obviously the rationale is to cut expenditure, and maybe also to deter people fro. using the service. And perhaps make way for private hospitals like the one currently being built on my NHS trust site, bang next to a fairly new and very comprehensive hospital that is now having to accept emergency patients from many miles around, due to closures. The staff are fabulous in the NHS hospital but the pressure on services is immense.
Prescriptions are completely free in Wales and I think Scotland
People should be glad they're the person at the back of the queue waiting 8 hours in A&E, as it's the person being rushed past them to be seen immediately in Resus that you really don't want to be, but if you were you'd be triaged and seen immediately.
Exactly. I fell off my bike and sustained broken ribs, shattered collarbone and punctured lung and went straight through A&E into surgery but when I gashed my leg they bandaged and left me for 6 hours to wait for stitches. Makes sense to prioritise.
When my daughter was about 9 months old she caught swine flu and stopped drinking. That evening we took her to A&E at the Childrens' in Brum as she was getting dehydrated. The place was full of thoroughly dispirited parents with a long wait. Suddenly we were told we could skip the queue and go straight for tests... it turns out they needed to check for meningitis immediately, which luckily turned up negative. But my daughter going straight to the front of the queue was probably one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever had. I remember the pitying looks on all those dispirited faces. Not pity. Envy.
Yes, I accompanied someone who had fallen on their back ( not too bad, messed up the coccyx a bit, but otherwise ok) and a lovely gentleman who had taken a couple of his fingertips off with a bandsaw had to be rushed ahead of us - and quite right too!
Thank you for informing me that as a foreigner you have to pay for NHS when you get your visa. I didn't know that, I thought that you just get it free as part of coming to the UK, but that does seem fair.
This popped up in my recommendations and I thought "Oh boy the comments on this are going to be juicy" and now having read them I'm somehow both disappointed and not disappointed at the same time.
The NHS, although far from perfect, is the best thing this country has ever done.
We usually have to wait over five hours in the waiting room in order to be seen by a nurse. Some patients are kept waiting in trolleys in corridors for hours and hours.
I doubt anybody could explain "the intricacies of how it works" when it comes to the NHS. It's a giant puzzle box in all our lives.
Great video! I’m loving you said “miffed” 👌🏼
This was a very fair assessment and thank you for your contribution and hard work, you're awesome sauce
Knock on wood made me laugh we say ' touch wood' in the UK. Hope you enjoy living here I love your channel.
Thanks! 😃
I was in A&E recently, had an XRay and the whole thing too 90 minutes. 😁 well impressed.
you're very lucky. i was waiting 7 hours for an xray on my foot. in the end i discharged myself. its never fully healed so no idea what happened to it
Danny Gatland that’s what happened to me. My foot hurt and didn’t know why, I was very surprised by how quickly I was in and out. In the past it’s took hours.
I've had a shoulder dislocate and walked into my A&E and out within an hour. But, had to call the ambulance for my husband when he went into a hypoglycemic spell and we waited in A&E for 8 hours to be seen. Either way, I'll take it... because I went for 41 years scared because I didn't have health care in the US.
Did they not feel the need to take bloods? That is a 2 hour process in itself.
@Speaking Truth this is true, about American doctors doing every test they can think of, because it is putting money in their pocket. Everything from a bandaid or paracetamol to a cancer scan or holding your baby after giving birth is lining their pocket.
So glad you’re enjoying your life here in the U.K.
I can't believe you had me knocking on my wooden table for you! haha.
A relative came to the UK for some of her Medical College from the US. One morning she was told she was going to the theatre that afternoon, she thought it mean she was going to see a play, however she found out it meant she was going to take part in an operation.
Long live the NHS!
A really informative video, I never knew that foreigners paid a lump sum into the NHS when getting a Visa. I wish more people knew that, I feel it would make some people look upon foreigners more favourably.
I never say that i'm going to the surgery or that I need to see my GP. I always say I need to make a Doctor's appointment or i'm going to the Doctors or I need to see my Doctor.
Correct me if I’m wrong (I probably am 😂) but I don’t think any British person says ‘i need to go see the GP’ or ‘I’m going to the GP’s surgery’ 🤣 I’m British and I thought everyone here just says ‘Im going to the doctors’....either way, you’re awesome! 💗
I guess it depends who you talk to!
MrsCookCleans yeah I and everyone I know has always said “I’m going to the doctors”. 🤷♂️ I don’t know.
There are some that use the term GP but it probably depends on the area you are in. Although, I personally use a variation of "I'm going to the doctors" as I rarely see the same doctor, so the plural is important. Then again, I rarely need to go so a 'regular' doctor isn't required for me.
My mum uses it sometimes "I went to see my GP" - maybe she lives somewhere where you tend to have a particular doctor rather than a surgery with a staff of doctors. But I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head that calls it anything other than 'the doctor's' unless they feel the need to give details.
My Mum says GP as well as doctor.
I wonder if my neighbours are wondering about all the knocking coming from my apartment in the last ten minutes.
A politician sitting down to meet with and talk to local people about their problems is called a surgery too.
The place in which surgery with scalpels occurs is called a theatre.
My GP/doctor moved to Canada from Uk, as she couldn’t work part time here any more. She had said the Canadian system was great, and quite similar to UK.
Alana: “knock on wood for me”
Me: “why is nothing in my house made of wood?
Ends up tapping a wooden spoon.
Some people use their head as a fallback source of wood
@@redf7209 Yep. Knock on wood. Hairy wood's the best.
UK tip: If you have no wood to knock you can touch your head.
Pro tip: You can knock a friends head.
Only if you're dense, it's self deprecating :)
chris taylor Or Alana’s head. She won’t feel it.
@@davidcook7887 I'm glad *I* didn't say that...😚🤔😱
I love the NHS, I am so very thankful for it.
Also like birth control pills, condoms are given out for free too. No use paying a ton for a box of durex when the docs/sexual health will give you a bagful for nothing
Alanna, that was the best shot at describing the NHS I have ever come across and frankly the NHS could use this themselves. Brilliant video!
Thank you so much!
Hi, Alanna, very interesting to hear your thoughts on, and experience of, the NHS. I have always received good treatment from the NHS. Having to wait two months for an appointment is not good though, I hope that doesn't happen again. I hope you don't need to use the service too often. Looking forward to your next video soon.
I'm sure you'd rather wait 2 months than end up with a 5 or even 6 figure bill for being ill.
Remembered being staggered watching the Cosby Show and Dr Huxtables' patients being presented with a bill for pre natal care. As a Brit the whole idea was totally alien.
I'm Arab and we also knock on the woods when we're talking to prevent envy eyes ...
"Miffed"... haha - you're picking up the lingo! *:)
Now I know why I enjoy watching your videos, those moments of existential disconnect that you have in mid sentence, the NHS meaning conundrum was one of your best.
In the UK, operations/surgery are done in the operating theatre; often just called the theatre. So if you are in hospital waiting for your surgery you would ask your doctor or nurse “...when am I going to the theatre..”.
If you can wait 8 hours in A&E then you've gone to the wrong place. One of the biggest problems in the UK is people going by default to the wrong place, instead of going to a pharmacy, doctors, out of hours doctor etc.
999 is an interesting one. Our telephones used to work on a pulse based system, before the tone based system they do now. So each number was dialed by sending the corresponding number of pulses do the phone line; hence our old rotary dial phones. However, in high winds, phone line could touch sending fake pulses down the line, so to minimise false emergency calls 999 was chosen, as this would be hardest to replicate.
Four hours is the 'Target' waiting time but it frequently goes over that. They're flooding London with masses and masses of new apartments but not building any hodpitals
* hospitals
If you go i with something seriouse then you wait minutes if its something like a bad bruise,minor cut or sprained wrist/ankle you have to wait. in fact if you have any of those minor injuries you shouldn't even be there
@@geoffpriestley7001 It's the sheer amount of people there though Geoff
@@annother3350 and alot shouldn't be there minor injuries dont need a and e
It’s kind of normal for me that you’d pay to use your health care when you travel, or move country. So I agree that anyone coming to the uk should also pay for any treatment. It baffles me that people go abroad without travel insurance. Expecting it for free is just wrong.
That's the reason visitors are charged I think. It prevents Medical tourism.!
"I hope that Canada grabs onto it with both their bony hands" -Classic
Whether you get it wrong or not, if you turn up ill at a British hospital they will help you no questions asked. Also if you ask for an emergency appoint,ent you will see a doctor on the same day.
Both 911 and 112 the European equivalent will work in the UK, they're both set up to redirect to the 999 operators.
The highlight of my week has arrived
Every country needs the NHS. The costs to see a doctor is ridiculous and don't get me started on how expensive medicine is here. Ugh the US needs to get on board with the NHS. It will never happen. Never. 🤦♀️
I strongly disagree with this. Just because we have the NHS, it does not mean that we can afford it, that it is sustainable, or that all other countries would be able to afford a similar system and sustain it. Just the fact that we take in doctors, nurses and other health professionals from other countries every year and still have shortages and staff overworking should give some idea of how squeezed we are. It is not a perfect system. I suspect no systems around the world are.
@@SamOwenI Except they could afford to. For example per capita the UK government spends £2,990 a year, the US government spends £3,742. Private payments are £602 per capita per year in the UK and £3,875 in the US. So the US could provide the same level as the NHS on government spending alone. If insurance companies are paying out £3,875 capita each year that means that insurance premiums being paid are significantly more than that so they could charge an extra tax that's still a fraction of insurance cost as the gov doesn't need to make a profit and they have a decent chunk per capita above the UK to spend all while you then see a better buying power meaning treatment costs fall significantly which meaning less of the budget is spent on drugs thus allowing more improvments
@@SamOwenI The UK government pays less into its healthcare budget than most western nations (% of GDP) so your comment is plain wrong.
@@SamOwenI I don't think taking in medical staff from other countries means we're "stretched financially" and can't afford the level of healthcare. It just means we can't satisfy the demand for staff with a domestic workforce.
@@SimonWakefieldUK there are a number of things that make this subject complicated and admittedly subjective, because I have anecdotal evidence as well as thoughts about what you (and the other commenter) have said. Let me give you some idea of my perspective:
1) I am a final year medical student in a UK medical school. Born and raised in the UK, I was very excited to work for the NHS and work as a doctor when I was applying. That excitement has gone. I have worked in several hospitals in the South of England for over 4 years. Some of the better hospitals and some of the worst.
Staff morale varies. Some are very happy, some are very sad, and everything in between It is well known that levels of mental health problems and alcohol abuse among doctors are higher than the rest of the population. At my medical school alone, we have had 3 medical student or graduate suicides in the over 6.5 years I have been there. Several mental health problems. I myself had to see my GP for depression for the first time because of the course, the job and discouraging hospital and medical school staff (no history of psychiatric problems, I went into medicine as a high-achieving and motivated teenager). I am also seriously considering leaving the NHS after the obligatory year-long foundation. I have a previous housemate who has already left for Australia after F1. More than half the F2s at the hospital I'm working at the moment did not apply to specialty training positions. I could give you the name of a hospital I have worked where over 75% of the new F1s were recruited from abroad. The government are paying GP trainees and GPs incentives and yet we still have GP shortages.
I could go on and on, listing stories of staff dissatisfaction, friends and colleagues leaving, one F1 told me "I would not wish this job on my worst enemy."
I remember another time at another hospital where I just randomly decided to go to a different ward than I usually go, the stroke ward, for my learning, and the F1 there was carrying multiple doctors' pagers at the same time. The consultant started the ward round and then one of the pagers went. The F1 had to go deal with a situation elsewhere, and so it was just me, a paying student, and the consultant seeing stroke patients. The consultant was livid, but it was clear that this often happened and she was lucky I was even there to write in the notes.
I say all those things just to give you an idea of what I'm thinking when I say the NHS is not fit for purpose. It's a mess. It's held together by people who, many of them, go the extra mile out of the kindness of their heart, love for the NHS/country/patients, or simply because it doesn't make sense to leave their career. Of course, many love it. Just telling you what I've seen.
2) measuring what we can and can't afford based on expenditure per capita and proportion of GDP is not the most ideal. For example, we have to take into account our level of borrowing. We have to take into account the output that we receive in return for our spending.
I would also argue there are non-monetary measures of the value of the NHS, such as staff morale, patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, life expectancy and other things.
3) The other thing I'd say is I do not think we should close the NHS. I am glad we have the NHS. I just don't agree with the idea that it's so good, other countries are silly for not having it. Socialist systems have their serious flaws, like capitalist systems do. I also personally would strongly warn people about the disadvantages before pursuing a medical career here. It's that bad.
As the primary carer for my father before his death 6 years ago and since then for my mother I have spent a fair bit of time in A&E's, there are a lot of people who are sat there waiting who could have bought some painkillers, plasters or just gone to bed for a few days cause they can't cure the flu, this is what clogs up the system in A&E's. My Gp's run a same day appointment system with a phone back for the GP to decide if they need to see you, you can book a call the night before over the patient access system on their website, works perfectly fine and I can easily get to see a GP if needed. The NHS works fantastically well when it really is needed, I had a stroke in 2017 and thanks to the speed of the paramedics, ambulances and hospital staff I was diagnosed and received critical treatment within 43 minutes of having made the 999 call and was able to leave the hospital within 24 hours walking on my own two feet, it's astonishing that the USA just can't get the reality of the NHS, US healthcare is for profit, UK healthcare is for need.
My GP has a walk in system too. Sometimes takes an hour to be seen if it's busy but I've been seen in less than 5 minutes a couple of times.
simgorm when I had to go to A and E there was a young man there, who obviously had problems the staff were lovely to him, he lives at home but goes there every night for company of the staff and the people waiting.
I had a stroke in 2017 wouldn't send ambulance taken t0 hospital in car missed diagnosed with meningitis by a and e doctor I was lucky the after care I have received a been first class
simgorm Very few people go to A& E for colds and flu, though there are conditions that can look quite similar and a diagnosis is needed to eliminate those things. The NHS treats approximately 250.000 cases of sepsis annually, which is a lifethreatening and very serious condition that can be effectively treated with antibiotics, many of these cases will be the result of chest infections, pneumonia and Bronchitis that has been neglected or become acute. Mostly these days people call 111 and are triaged at that point. Prompt treatment not only saves lives but also prevents ling term damage. There are of course other conditions that can mimic colds or the flu, usually these too are triaged before any A&E presentation. It is the cut fingers and hangovers that seem to fill the waiting rooms for hours, but the corridors at this time of year are usually full of far more serious cases, as the shortage of acute beds is very severe.
@@lindyashford7744 Depending on your definition of "very few", I'm not sure I agree about the amount of people who turn up in A+E with low grade cold / flu like symptoms.
In my experience, there are sufficient numbers of, otherwise, generally healthy people who will turn up with "a bit of a sniffle" or a "runny nose for 6/52" to cause an issue. This is especially true when added to the other inappropriate presentations that you mention.
(I do agree with you that its better safe than sorry in such cases and that sepsis does need to be ruled out once the patient has presented btw.)
111 is a fantastic service. I've called them more than once. They've gotten me appointments with doctors that day, the next day, and - on one occasion - sent the paramedics. Who knew?
Brilliant service, they got me an urgent appointment with my GP within half an hour. Which resulted in further treatment at hospital.
Hi Alana. Agreed the NHS is absolutely wonderful. The reason for the hefty "upfront" payment for visitors to the UK is that there used to be a flourishing industry known as "Health Tourism". This involved people not native to the UK visiting specifically to use the NHS for operations/treatments that they either couldn't afford in their own country or simply liked the idea of free healthcare whilst enjoying a holiday.
The answer to doctor or GP is really both. All GPs have to have the MD qualification in the UK so they are automatically doctors. (MD = Doctor of Medicine). GP, General Practitioner, is the description of a doctor that has choosen not to specialise in any one field but to use their broad understanding of all medical fields to act as a triage person and first port of call. They can identify the problem, treat more simple ones or reccomend a visit to a specialist if necessary.
Finally some GPs actually do perform minor surgeries in the Surgery. (My own GP does this)
Keep up the good work with your videos.
Prescriptions are not tiered as such. You pay one payment for each medicine.
And some people do get free prescriptions if they’re exempt.
If you have more than one medication your dr should put it all on one prescription so there's only one charge, mine do or I just request it.
Genetically Modified it doesn’t matter if it’s all on the same prescription paper. You get charged per item
Ok. It's been quite a while since I've had more than one item but I was only ever charged once with multiple items. Chemist oversight clearly as I've been told twice now. Even the Dr never said anything but I suppose they can forgiven for that being so busy.
Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. Appreciate the NHS.
I think the tiered system is just on dental services
GP is different to a doctor who works at a hospital and you'll often be signed up to both, who communicate depending on your needs. I have a GP for my epilepsy as well as minor surgeries (which they do at the surgery, it's not just an office), but for when things go off the deep end, I'll get referred to my doctor for a more in-depth review. Medication is £9 for me too, while birth-control and morning after pills can both be purchased from any chemist; Boots do both. I love hearing all the praise for the NHS, but I'll never defend the waiting times because under-staffing is a nightmare. Hopefully we'll see things improve over the course of the next five years, so we can service all Canadians who come to our rainy shores.
In A&E there is normally a triage function (experienced nurse) at the entrance - they set priorities - arm hanging off you go straight through - cut finger you wait
With regards to the NHS pre-payment thing, I’d imagine there are a lot of people in the US and other countries who’d be pretty ecstatic to pay a grand for 2 years worth of full no questions asked coverage.
They wouldn't. Taxation funds it for most.
But it’s not $1000. It’s $1000 plus two years worth of taxes that support the NHS. So I would want to know how much I was being charged in tax over the span of those two years for the NHS to really compare apples to apples. I strongly agree with a publicly funded health service but it’s disingenuous to say it only costs a one time payment of $1000.
Just as an example, a low income middle aged person in the US qualifies for pretty darn good insurance in the US under Obamacare with a substantial subsidy. A single person with income of $17,000 would get a subsidy reducing their premium to about $55 a month with a copay of $3 under a Silver plan. And that’s for a PPO plan where you can call up a specialist and be seen as soon as the next day or schedule your MRI at your convenience whenever you want.
And of course, there is Medicaid for very low income (below poverty line) which is free.
The real benefit would be for people with middle class incomes who do not qualify for any subsidy.
@@susie2251
A US citizen, on average, pays DOUBLE the taxes of a UK citizen when comparing healthcare costs.
A UK citizen is, of course, taxed higher than a US citizen.
But a UK citizen doesn't have to pay for horrific health insurance costs - and is automatically covered for nearly all illnesses - even long-term ones.
Overall, taxes included (that's how it is funded) - the NHS offers complete coverage for 50% of the cost of an incomplete minefield horror show of a health system in the USA.
In the US, you pay roughly $16000 a year on healthcare ....
We pay $8000 in the UK (and only if we can afford it).
So our friend from Canada here, paid $9000 .... a saving of $7000 considering her decision not to move to the USA (if it was ever a choice!)
Even if we factor in the long haul plane ticket - and generously call that a $1000 flight ... she's still $6000 up on what your sorry country offers.
You need to vote Bernie.
@@susie2251 That depends on how much you earn. For a child or non working spouse it is 'just' the visa amount. So for a child, all vaccinations on the schedule including annual flu vaccine. No prescription charges for children so if they need antibiotics or a hospital admission you pay £0. If something serious happens meaning the child needs a prosthetic limb or a pacemaker, the charge is £0. If you earn under £166 a week you don't pay NI (the tax that pays for health and care) from £166 - 962 you pay 12%, over £962 a week you pay an extra 2%. For a child dental and eye tests are free, you get a voucher to pay for frames and lenses but there is a huge range of frames that mean your child's glasses cost £0 and you can have a new pair annually or if your prescription changes, if you break them then you get 1 replacement pair. You do have to pay for a second or third pair if you have a child who breaks them alot.
Adults between 16 - 65 have to pay about £15 for an eye test, but if they are on a low income you can apply for a certificate to exempt you from that charge. You may also have to pay if you want the eye exam in your home rather than at an optician's.
We don't pay for home visits from GPs, nurses, health visitors.
Health visitors are specially trained nurses who visit new mothers a few times in the early weeks / months after a baby is born to offer advice and support with things like breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and any other problems / concerns. You don't have to have the visits but most first time mothers do, mothers on their 4th child use them less.
She's wrong about the prescription 'tiers', in England any prescription item is £9 regardless of cost, but in Wales there is no prescription fee. Prescriptions are also free for under 16, under 18 in full time education, free for adults on a low income or who are over 65. Certain medical conditions mean you get free prescriptions, so a diabetic pays $0 for their prescription, blood monitor, test strips etc.
Any medicine administered in hospital is free.
And it isn't just contraceptive pills that are free, all contraceptives are free if you go to a Dr, clinic or family planning centre, so it could be the pill, coil, injection or condoms.
Some things we do pay for, flu jabs are free if you are elderly, a primary school child, have certain medical conditions or are a care for someone with certain medical conditions so if someone n the family has cancer the rest will get free flu jabs.
If you are perfectly healthy but want the jab anyway you pay privately, it's about £10.
Oh and we do also have a network of private hospitals / drs / nurses, only about 10% of the population bothers with private care though.
So it depends on what you earn and how much you use. If a couple arrive on working visas and one finds they are pregnant so doesn't want to work the £2000 paid will cover the antenatal care, flu vaccine, free dental treatment, the birth, stay in hospital (usually 5 days for a normal birth) if the birth is a C section it covers the doctors, midwives, anesthetists etc. OK so the partner who is working may not access health care at all for 2 years but £2000 doesn't seem to be a huge amount.
@@susie2251 The difference is, a foreign resident hasn't been putting money into the pot for years, but is still able access the system. That would be the rationale for the pre-payment I assume
I recently had an X Ray and got turned into the Incredible Hulk. 6.5. out of 10.
Your thumbnails are the best. 😄
I’m from Kent, normally say going to the doctors. Historically (before hospitals really developed) doctors used to carry out operations at their own premises, hence doctors surgery. A few current doctors are actually surgeons, but practice as general practitioner most of the week and work in hospitals as well. Some of these still carry out minor surgical procedures that only require local anaesthetic in their own surgery.
I emigrated to Australia from UK a number of years ago and it's not dissimilar. There you get Ambulance and ER/A&E use for free as reciprocal arrangement with NHS, medicare levy roughly equivalent to National Insurance in taxes and then pay private medical health insurance (£1,000 per year) to be able to access full standard Australian Medicare.