Watching Channel 4 news on the NHS crisis..
And that story of the poor woman waiting 4 hours for an ambulance is just disgusting..
Anyway a chocolate cake to cheer you up!!
Nighty night x
Fran
Scary..: Watching Channel 4 news on the... - Lung Conditions C...
Scary..
62 Replies
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Save a piece for me Fran please looks yummy. 😁 🙌 Majt
in reply to
We already ate it for New Year sorry 😃💕
in reply to
Well couldn't help but try.😂 X x Majt
in reply to
😂
Yummy. Yes it was terrible for all concerned.
in reply to Kitten-kat23
Really..
Kitten-kat23 in reply to
Cake was yummy. The ambulance tail was terrible for all concerned.
in reply to Kitten-kat23
💕 yes it must have been..😢
Save a piece for yourself Happy,you can have it with a glass of sparking whilst listening to your team on the radio later on.Enjoy both............Skis and scruffy xx
in reply to skischool
Thanks Skischool and Scruffynounette xx
Such a beautiful looking cake Fran.....I would love a piece please.
The NHS is under far too much pressure but what to do?
Take care xxxxx
I look forward to the day where I can enjoy chocolate cake again, perhaps with a cheeky glass of fizz too.
NHS money is wasted much on pointless things and unnecessary management. Needs to go on th front line.
In this country we need to have a very frank discussion about the NHS, when it was formed we had a far smaller population, now it's just not coping with the pressures and aging population, more prem babies surviving etc etc. I think we need to have care for everyone but I do think we need to think about other alternatives, i.e. Health insurance depending on salary etc. We have private health care and I use it whenever I can.
in reply to Shancock
No chocolate nothing?? Well I had a piece of it and the fizzy stuff then took the antiacid gel 😃 what we do to ourselves hey..
They have a private health insurance system here in Switzerland, first insurance is compulsory by law and I pay 490sfrs a month, that is 370.35£, would you believe. It increases with age. There is a 1000 sfrs franchise, which means that the first 1000 sfrs are not covered, so I bought 3 months meds before the end of the year, and doctors get so busy..I just learned all that..
I was refused the complementary insurance, which is private insurance because of my lung disease and other pre-existing conditions, they refuse cancer patients as well.
My daughter was refused because she is resistant to insulin..
I also think they test you and sometimes operates you for things that are not always necessary. I know they do because I had it through work in Spain. They make you doubt you see and there is always another test, another invasive op..
The only thing Bea wanted was having a room to herself when she had that Salmonella thing, she was in a two-bedded room with this crazy woman, and Bea is a shy, private person so I went to ask and they said 10 000 sfrs up front then all medical expenses go private, so I said sorry love..I personally don’t care, I have always been in wards, I feel safer when they are people all around me..
Dad had it because he got it a long time ago through work, so it is true he had easy access to specialists, could have a private room up to 90 days a year. Well he exceeded that this year, his bills are going to be a nightmare..
So make sure you read the small lines..
Take care x
Fran
Most money is wasted on administering the NHS internal market, which requires a lot of business managers. Remove that and employ one cost accountant per hospital instead. More money is wasted having all nurses with degrees with higher salaries, when in the past wards were manned by less well qualified state enrolled nurses and auxiliaries as well as the dearest state registered nurses. I could go on, such as the Private Finance Initiative....
in reply to Ergendl
I see..As in any public administration there is bureaucracy, and it costs..it is the same all over the world.
Priority should be patient care, so competent, well-trained staff, good medical facilities and equipment, with room for times of emergency..
Are you satisfied as a patient with your health system?
How does Britain rank in terms of medical research and care for diseases such as cancer etc..in Europe?
These are the criteria one should think of I believe.
We pay for our ‘Health Insurance’ in taxes already! It may well be that the NHS needs more funding, but I suspect the problem is that:-
-it is disjointed
-badly run
-there is no accountability
-a fortune thown out on agency staff
-GPs need to run sit and wait and be open longer (with some open 24/7 365 days a year)
Things go from bad to worse My surgery has stopped the 10:30 -11:30 ‘sit and wait’ as it was too busy. Patients complained about overcrowding in the tiny waiting room. Instead of extending the hours (why not in the evening too?), they stopped it
The surgery is in the dark ages Good GPs but limited services. Not even blood tests. And no follow up. If you see them, you may have to wait up to 3 weeks for your next appointment
I am on an average pension, and pay an arm and leg for the privilege. I have now run out of diagnostic benefits and paid for a private GP, X-Ray, HRCT scan and medication. Likely to be around £1k out of pocket when all the bills are through, perhaps more (blood tests quoted est. £800 alone)
I was unwell. Unable to get a GP appointment for 3 weeks, the nurse practioner checked my chest and sent me away with lozenges despite being unwell for 4 weeks and being unable to lie down at night (choking bubbly cough and ‘infected’ throat) not sleeping for days. As no better 3 days later, called GP again. No appointments, not even with nurse. Duty GP phoned me and didn’t feel I warranted an urgent appointment. Offered nurse appt.
So saw private GP who recommended I saw a respiratory Specialist. X-Ray showed thickened bronchial tubes. I had crackling in the lungs. And was wheezing. So put on Pulmicort, steroid nose drops. And 3 weeks of antibiotics (first two helped, but needed the third one targeting brochitis to clear the infection - and 3 days of deafness from fluid build up in my right ear.
I had the private blood tests done at my local NHS hospital (I pay). (After 2 weeks have just learnt they lost them! Discovered checking on-line. They didn’t tell me, nor my GP who entered ‘Patient informed’. So will have to do again).
The whole episode has been so stressful and frustrating. Especially as the system grinds to a halt for 2 weeks over Xmas, just when we need more care!
The NHS has good and bad points. But it needs less discussion and procrastination. It needs an urgent shake up and modernisation. We are in 21st century, not the 19th.
in reply to Beachbird
You have covered it I believe..
It is a very large administration but differences according to regions, primary care trusts must be taken into account also, you go to the Chelsea and Westminster you will get better treatment than our friend in a comment above got in Watford Hospital for example..
Well I don't believe in health insurance. Before you know it we will be like the USA where you die if you can't afford treatment. Health should be a universal basic human right like food and shelter and not dependent on how wealthy you are!
You are a person after my heart. Agree.
Absolutely right. I agree with your every word.
in reply to hypercat54
The problem is that it does have to be paid for. Too many people abuse the system.
hypercat54 in reply to
True they do littlepm but don't fall into the trap of blaming individuals like this Govt. does. It just distracts from the main issues. x
Totally agree. And the government need to sort the NHS out. Whether the Tories or Labour are capable is another matter! It probably needs the best industry leaders in conjunction with a team of top medics etc to sort it out. URGENTLY
Ooh! Was that a cake from your pattiserie, Fran? Looks (looked?) delish 😋😋 xx
Quite distracted me from your NHS comment! I'm a passionate supporter of the NHS. More funding must somehow be found. What we're wasting on Brexit would be more usefully spent on the NHS, but won't go on. I'm getting too political amongst friends! Thanks for raising it though, Fran 🤗🤕😷 xx
in reply to Yatzy
I fully support your comment.
As I said before here I am a little worried, when leaving Brexit, of the loss of subsidies for medical research, health projects, cooperation on health policies etc also the European Health Card..
Anyway I am not far off because flu is a potential risk to lung disease patients, and the topic on Channel 4 was about flu, hospital beds, people left in corridors etc
Now I am going to have to meditate again😉 so I can sleep, stop worrying about saving the planet 🌎 and think about self-love 😃
Nighty night xx
Fran
x in reply to Yatzy
Just read in the Financial Times that “Britain is pushing to remain under EU regulations for medicines after Brexit...Pharma industry leaders have warned of the consequences for patients in the UK and Europe if some form of regulatory harmonisation cannot be achieved. Around 45m packs of medicines are supplied from the UK to other European countries each month, while more than 37m packs come from Europe to the UK.”
Yatzy in reply to
I wish we could wish Brexit away.....I don’t know what the theoretical advantages are supposed to be, for our health or anything else 😖We had a referendum, where both sides appeared to be run by the Tories, with the more lively , though largely dishonest campaigners on the Brexit side. The Labour Party appeared to opt out. So hardly a balanced judgement ! 🤡 Here I go again, I’ll opt out now 🤐 I’m probably being political on the wrong blog site....though health provision is one of the main concerns, provision, finance and staffing. 😷 I do hope something can be done before we all have to suffer from being Brexitised on the smallest of majorities across the UK! 🤢🙈🙉
Ergendl in reply to
The UK leaving the EU doesn't stop the Pharma companies from continuing to follow EU regulations in production if they want to continue to supply drugs to the EU. Just because they want to follow all the regs, doesn't mean that everyone else should have to. Uniform apples? Straight cucumbers?
in reply to Yatzy
It was a round Bûche de Noël in a way..chocolate, raspberries and some liquor 🥂
in reply to Yatzy
Yes from the village pâtisserie, the Swiss know how to make a chocolate cake I tell you..🤗🤗
Yatzy in reply to
So it's not just Toblerones??! 😂 It looks gorgeously yummy, and sounds it too....raspberries, chocolate and liqueur!! Big yum 😋 A picture has been better than nothing! And speaking to the woman who ate it, better still 😳 Have a good day, Fran 🌈🍉🏋🏻♀️🤞
in reply to Yatzy
Hihihi no!!! 😃😃😃 so much more than toblerone..self-discipline as well as self-love required!! 💖
To cheer me up?!!!!!! Dear beautiful friend, this is rather cruel and downright vicious. Where is it, where have you hidden this delicacy? I ask to breathe well and eat wonderful chocolate treats (not in that order either) , and you tease and drag the fish before the cat. Bah humbug. Yes, proof that Scrooge and Grinch are correct. 
xx,
sleep tight...after brushing the sugar bugs-
m
in reply to mellyme
😂😂
Does look yummy x enjoy
Just to throw something into this mix. My daughter’s friend is a paramedic working all over the Weat Midlands. She is furious at the amount of people who are panicking, attending A&E and calling ambulances when they have the flu or a chest virus which would be better treated by staying in bed with paracetamol and lots of fluids. They are blocking her patients with strokes and heart attacks etc from being seen as quickly as they should. A&E staff have no choice, they have to triage everybody in order of arrival and she says that many of these people are then sent home. Too late for the more seriously ill whom they have delayed. Not to mention the pressure on ambulance crews and A&E staff.
hypercat54 in reply to
This has always happened and is nothing new. A few have always misused the system since it's inception so I don't know why it's suddenly become such an issue now! I think it's to throw us off the main reasons for the NHS's issues. It's all spin and no substance as usual. x
in reply to hypercat54
Yes but focusing on those few who find loopholes in the system give those in charge an excuse to do nothing about the mishaps unfortunately..with the help of some poor quality media which thrive on sensationalism..
hypercat54 in reply to
Very true Fran. x
If there was a 24/7 GP sit and wait, there would be less pressure on A&E. Without being able to see my GP for 3 weeks, I was tempted to go to A&E. Instead I saw a private GP. See my comment elsewhere here. Likely to end up costing me an est. £1k as expect to have run out of diagnostic benefits on my private insurance! It’s become a post cose lottery. Some surgeries are brilliant. Not here.
Totally agree. I well remember when surgeries were open until 8 in the evening and on Saturdays. There was also a sit and wait system. Now most seem to work only office hours which is ridiculous.
One doctor told me that doctors want to work in the nice parts of the country (well why wouldn't they?) so areas like mine are quite well served. If you live in a different sort of area there is more likely to be a shortage.
The cake looked fabulous, close my eyes and taste it.
Regarding the NHS. Let’s be clear. The tories have not put any funding in, for years, they have been told by the statistics society to stop claiming falsities. The bald fact is... they mislead the general populace.
The Torres want private health care and a competitive market place for health.
They have sold off many hospital buildings and the nhs rent them back.... at an astronomical fee.
That is where the money has gone.
Nothing to do with people entering the country and using our resources.
Health problems are increasing, always the case when the general populace is subjected to poor living conditions, poor diet etc.
Look at the housing crisis, no social housing but our local authorities pay housing benefit to landlords making a big profit!!
Joseph Rowntrees research points to our country having high child poverty figures. More of our elderly population die of cold in the UK then any other European country!
5% of the population own 95% of the wealth!
If the government closed all the tax loopholes for large companies and stopped money going to the Cayman Islands there would be plenty of money to invest in health!
The health service is rapidly being dismantled and becoming a profit led organisation. Every private piece of it and sub section increases the need for financial management services. Nothing to do with Health.
Bevan is turning in his grave!!
I worked with children’s services, I’m sure not many of the general populace were aware we were sold off years ago to virgin care. The most vulnerable children with disabilities were sold off first!!
We became about business rather then quality of care.
Looking at cost effective care... a total nonsense!
Govt cut social care budgets massively, that is why the wards are blocked with people needing care services..... which have been dismantled!!! What did they think would happen?
Gp,s are leaving in droves because the demands of running a financial service are too much. Just recently they have been told to refer35% less people for specialist services.. regardless of need!
Sorry, just my opinion I know but it is appalling!
Rant over
A personal anecdote that supports this general theory: my daughter was working as a physio for the NHS in a specialised back clinic, set up by the Labour government to try to answer the need for the high amount of back care required nationally, which was causing not only health problems but also accounting for so much absence in the country’s workforce. Although working well, over recent years, it has been scaled down to an inefficient level, where employees keep getting told that the management decision on possibly closing it will come this month, next month and so on. With the labour force dwindling, managers changing as this happens, she felt she had no choice but to go herself, before she was left with no income for her family, as well as increasing frustrations at work. Guess where she’s gone....to a private physio service which the NHS buys back....no doubt at a much higher cost than running their own service!! Don’t tell her I told you, she feels very, very vulnerable in her job. My politics won’t pay the family bills!! Makes me very angry though....another secret inefficiency in the NHS finances. 🙊
Disgraceful, but I really don't think it is such a secret that they buy in lots of services and plonk NHS badges on their uniforms. Do they really think we don't realise they are selling bits off piecemeal I wonder.
cx
Thankyou
I left my job because I could not, morally, ask traumatised families , where I fitted on the ‘ wow factor’ virgin cares philosophy.
Financially I’m strapped! I miss my job but just felt I had to resign.
The general populace don’t realise about the privatisation and what it means!!
It is nothing to do with immigrants!!!
You’ve been very brave. Immigration scares were probably part of the right wing plan to enable Brexit, privatisation of the NHS and other personal financial gains for the richest 5%. Excuse my cynicism !
I like it!
Personal experience informs me! We were not allowed to treat Europeans unless financial funding from their country of origin was agreed! This often left needy children out in a limb. It was all about finances disregardless of suffering!
So Brexit has arrived early in the privatised sector! The lack of compassion you speak of astounds me.....frightening!
in reply to Yatzy
I saw that on the BBC news tonight..
That government won’t last, the NHS is such an essential institution in this country, the only reason people would definitely go to the ballot box. I have seen it make or break some in my lifetime.
Brexit is a smokescreen, fed on a daily basis as health and social problems are not going away.
Yatzy in reply to
I don’t think nearly so many people would have voted to leave the EU without the promise that was bandied about of hundreds of millions of pounds being suddenly made available to the NHS if we no longer paid money into Europe. They secured their Brexit vote by promises to improve the NHS. Now it’s not happening! I think the Brexiteers should be charged with fraud!
We are getting upset, I’ll never go to sleep!! I’ll need to meditate....🌈🌹🧚🏻♀️🧘🏻♀️🦋 Night night Fran xx
in reply to Yatzy
I just plugged in my earphones for another round of Sara Raymond 😃🧚♀️🦋🌎🤞 I have the lung consultant at 10.30 am in Lausanne tomorrow..
in reply to
Night Penny 💗
Yatzy in reply to
Good idea! I’ll do same 🦋🌈💗 Hope your visit to the lung consultant helpful tomorrow....an early start! Let us know the outcome. I’m out to lunch, with all the risks of viruses!! But looking forward to a chat with my friend....I’ll stay calm 🧘🏻♀️🧘🏻♀️ Goodnight, Fran xx
NHS in crisis and Hunt giving half hearted apology now see today he is also being put in charge of Social Care!!! might as well pack our bags and head to the morgue right now .......
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