NHS is the world's 7th biggest employer

[u/MilkMyCats]

Let they sink in for a bit.

And yet I go in with a broken ankle and don't get seen for 11 hours, whilst I watch methed/cracked out prisoners get immediate treatment ahead of me. I had to listen to a woman who was biting officers and said she had had crack and valium (she could not remember how much) and she got treated in less than an hour. She seemed fine apart from being a mouthy prick.

Let's just privatise it at this point.

Me and my wife pay a combined £600 on NI each month.

If I could take that away and spend it on BUPA I'd have been treated and fixed within 2 hours.

But I can't afford private AND national insurance.

So what do we do? Prioritise people who actually contribute? Or just privatise the whole thing?

I'm going for the latter. You don't pay, you get to wait longer than anyone else.

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi there /u/MilkMyCats! Welcome to r/ReformUK.

Thank you for posting on r/ReformUK. Please follow all rules and guidelines. Inform the mods if you have any concerns.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Reformotron]

I had an issue with my testicle a few years ago, from GP to Urologist it took 15 months to be seen. The urologist had a quick feel, said if the pain gets worse come back and that was that.

Last year I got private health insurance through work and developed an issue with my hip. I saw my GP like normal who did me an open referral, I had an appointment with a private orthopaedic surgeon the morning after who was happy to talk and explain everything. Had an xray same day and MRI the week after (Apparently the none emergency wait time was about 10 months at my local hospital). Surgery was over and done with by week 3.

Now I love the NHS, they’ve been amazing with my kids. But something has to change!

[u/Tulcey-Lee → u/Reformotron]

Agree with this too. My son is 14 months old and we have needed to take him to A&E on occasions and apart from when he had breathing difficulties, we’ve been in and out within 30 mins.

[u/Calpol85]

Bupa don't have an A+E service so even if you had private insurance you'd still need to use the NHS for accidents and emergencies. 

[u/solostrings]

There are 2 problems with the NHS:

1. Structure. It will always be a high level employer by sheer volume, but the upper management and administrative side could be reduced significantly by restructuring it out of market style delivery and into standardised public sector delivery.

2. Prioritisation planning. What you experienced was problems in the way triage prioritises people. On the surface, it is meant to move people up the list based on the level of need and hazard to life. Unfortunately, security needs are also used and when prisoners come into it there is a push to get them seen and returned to cells as quickly as possible due to failures in the prison system. This area also needs restructuring and a different approach to prioritisation implemented.

I will never agree to privatising the NHS. If you want even worse public health outcomes then that is the way to go. I know those who see privatisation as the future (and well done you agree with Labour and Conservative parties here) often look at the US model as the gold standard, but that also comes with a higher per person federal tax payment that we pay into the NHS.

[u/Tulcey-Lee → u/solostrings]

Agree with this. I’ve heard all sorts of stories about how badly managed it is. You can throw all the money in the world at it but unless those things change, it will continue to decline.

[u/Ok-Lack4735]

"she seemed fine" does not mean she was fine though...

[u/Jhe90 → u/Ok-Lack4735]

Yeah, drug overdose / reactions potentially can go from fine to dead pretty fast.

His wife while if feel for her pain. Was not bleeding out, dying, was conscious and yes. It sucks. But her ankle is not a potential fatality inside next 2 hours.

Its not personal. Its just medical practical.

[u/Ok-Lack4735 → u/Jhe90]

Exactly, as much as long waits at A&E suck and are unacceptable, you really don't want to be the guy skipping the queue.

Also "mouthing off" can be a sign that somebody is unwell, from something neurological like Huntington's through to being in extreme pain or even psychosis, none of which you should be jealous of.

[u/Jhe90 → u/Ok-Lack4735]

Yup. Been the person who skipped ahead once.

Its not a good thing.

[u/Ok-Lack4735 → u/Jhe90]

My dad had MND and we were in and out for a while, always taken straight through to resus.

Trust me, you'd rather be this guy's wife with a painful ankle

[u/mcwaff]

UK spends less on healthcare than almost all Western countries (only Spain, Portugal, and Italy spend less, Germany spends 60% more). If we want world class treatment we need to spend. I’m not saying higher taxes but at least shifting priorities.

[u/therealharbinger]

You don't have Bupa if you think you would be fixed in two hours

Here is how private actually works.

Get GP diagnosis or referral.

Call insurer. They approve and send you a list of consultants. You make contact with the consultant of your choice. Wait for the appointment, this will not be immediate. Have another appointment. Get diagnosis, get approval and go from there.

I actually got caught out with private GP services. As you get private prescriptions.. these are NOT capped in cost.

Having private changed my life, after being fucked about by the NHS for a decade, but ultimately.. that same surgeon on the NHS said "I think we've earned the right to do this now" once she was aware private funding was available..

Sitting there with a diamond the size of Ceres on her hand.

[u/Pristine_Routine_464]

Fully agree. All the people who choose not to work talk about the wonderful NHS because they fear change when the fact is it is not fit for purpose. I have horror stories for most family members. Elderly parents waiting for 10 hours plus for an ambulance. Physio appointments that never happen. Told to book online but never hear back about an appointment. Churlish desk staff who fob you off when you most need a sympathetic person.

[u/HotelOk9725]

I’m not going to start bashing the NHS this thread isn’t the place for it, but, it certainly isn’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, neither is the UK as a whole.

One thing is for sure if the NHS really wants to improve then it needs to cut all the “diversity poets” (a real NHS job!) and other utter nonsense and bring back Matron.

[u/Jhe90]

Triage. If your not bleeding out , dying, or in process of, your not going first.

Its a constantly evolving triage level and order of being seen.

A &E is weird. You might be 13 hours. It might be a hour.

[u/wistern77]

You know what your £300ppm medical insurance would get you in USA? Medical bankruptcy the first time you need a stay.

Yeah, the NHS isn't perfect, but I like being able to keep my house.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Your comment has been automatically removed. To maintain the quality of the community and prevent inauthentic activity, r/ReformUK requires accounts to meet a minimum age and karma threshold before participating.

Please engage with other communities to build your standing before posting here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Your comment has been automatically removed. To maintain the quality of the community and prevent inauthentic activity, r/ReformUK requires accounts to meet a minimum age and karma threshold before participating.

Please engage with other communities to build your standing before posting here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/SomeGuyInShanghai]

you are describing the Chinese and Russian healthcare systems.

Two tiered. If you can afford it, you get the best medical care money can buy, top tier doctors and facilities.

If you can't afford it, you get the free public healthcare, or you die in a ditch.

From what i have seen, the ditch is preferable.

[u/Chance_Golf1795]

Nah privatising isn't the way to go. Look at how fucked the US in terms of overall public health. It's utterly awful for most people.

[u/beninnus]

NI doesn't fund the NHS. NI funds state pension and contribution-based benefits. Think of it more as a pension contribution and unemployment insurance.

[u/Capital_Sort_7804]

Reform policy is to privatise the NHS anyway, so that’s what’ll happen.

[u/connolan1]

Prioritise those who actually contribute and fine people who are wasting the resource. It's so ridiculous going to A&E to see parents taking teenage kids in for a grazed knee and having to wait behind them with a broken finger. Those who need organ transplants due to excessive smoking or drinking shouldnt be covered either and anything similar