I read many posts about time needed for referral in urgent situations... My recent experience is similar, I was left without any treatment for 10 days with inflammation in my bowel after telling doctors that I had previous episodes while in Italy. My visit was in two months, therefore I decided to go to Italy for immediate A&E, private scans and visits, I am now fine. Is the second time that because of NHS faults in delivering services I have financial and health losses, the first time was dramatic, being almost risking my leg for mistakes again in treating inflammation, I recovered in 8 months and I lost my job. My experience is that NHS doctors often don't give treatment for inflammation and infections which means doing things against medical practise and putting peoples to risk. HOW TO PROTECT FROM THIS? Would you advice a good insurance plan so that private consultants and scan can be more affordable, and do you also advise good lawyers to file compensation requests in the North East- Durham - Newcastle? Please advice if you can.
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mariac72
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Hi Mariac72
I think it's a pity for us all if people begin to mistrust the NHS to the extent that they assume that private treatment will be better. Paying for health treatment, through insurance or on the day, won't necessarily net you a faster diagnosis and/or better treatment. That's largely because the private sector in UK is quite small and specialized and doesn't have access to the same range of facilities. You could find yourself with a private doctor's diagnosis and then having to try to gain access to a NHS facility for treatment. And lots of people doing it will certainly create a more uneven health service, particularly for those who can't pay. It would simply encourage government along the path of privatisation.
It's good for you that you have the means and ability to travel for more urgent medical care, but I don't think the NHS will ever reach the point when there isn't a few weeks' wait for routine referrals for a specialist consultation. Currently the NHS charter gives you the right to be seen within 18 weeks of referral for all routine appointments and one week for suspected cancers. It is most likely the case that you will be seen well within that time frame and often GPs will send you along to hospital clinics to be seen on the same day, where there is sufficient urgency.
I do think it's a pity if you have to fight the system to elevate your referral, but there is a process for any patient to challenge their GP surgery's handling of their health issues, and that's probably the way to go, rather than expensive private treatment or trips abroad.
NHS is failing. Weather we stick with it due to moral and Ethical reasons at the expense of our and our family's health is a choice.
Private care is very quick, there is no disagreement there . You can usually see a consultant with in 5 days and GP appointments are available same day or next day. Depending on what time you approach them. Even though Private care is not available widely as other countries. But as the NHS goes down I assume the Private sector will grow. There is also much higher accountability for staff in the Private sector. Bad Doctors and Bad Nurses can not stick around for too long. Private organizations have to worry about their reputations.
30-40min GP appointment costs around £50. And they can refer you to an NHS consultant is needed. You do not have to go all the way private. Talk to some one learn a bit more about it. It is not as expensive as you might think.
Unfortunately I dont feel this is the place to be advertising health care plans or solicitors.
I'm sorry Ikan, this lady's not for turning. My reason is that, although I have once had a reasonably decent experience in a private hospital in UK, for a planned admission and operation, I've also lived in a country where the public health sector was run down to an unacceptable level through a greedy and ineffective private sector and where the least well off were subject to third rate treatment and low survival rates. And I don't doubt that in UK too, if we go over to the dark side, many will be left without adequate care at all.
I don't want that for myself or for anyone else in this country. I returned here in large measure because of the appalling cost of private medical care. I was born at exactly the same time that the NHS came into being, and I've heard stories enough at my mother's knee of how families never saw doctors because the cost of doing so was prohibitive. Lots of people don't have a spare £50 to give to a doctor and never will have.
So please wait at least until my generation is dead and gone before propounding the value of private medicine.
You have failed to point out the cost of private prescriptions and that of course includes sometimes very expensive medical equipment and supplies that are adjuncts to your treatment And you still haven't explained how, if an NHS consultation becomes necessary, you will manage to get to the top of a hospital list for more urgent treatment. Is that not a waste of my £50 to begin with?
You've made it quite plain why you are defending, and in support of, private medicine and you are right that this is absolutely not the forum for promoting health care plans, and more so, solicitors!
You must be joking the system is Not fit for Purpose as the Grenfel Tower survivors & Hillsborough keep pointing out? There is no ethical leadership they are allowing the Treasury & Banks & Insurance Companies to direct via those who are brainwashed by remits & contracts .Even from the daughter of a Vicar ? Surely the Windrush victimisation horrors should have alerted them .This is not reasonable appropriate or democratic.I can't get Insurance because of pre existing conditions the NHS pretends are of no consequence after finding disability in the first place .This is what happens when you interfere in education so the value of history & research is not taught e.g.: the question of antibiotics .Now we are back to Middle Ages gangrene, sepsis & amputation & questionable statistics ignoring symptoms & testing .
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