An example of excellent NHS care

[Mayadill]

In these days of waiting 10 hours for an ambulance and all the rest of the frightening horror stories, i thought I'd just report that the NHS isn't dead yet and in inner London too. My cousin passed out. Fortunately his son was with him. He was rushed to St Mary's Paddington, where he had a pacemaker fitted within 24 h and was home very tired of course but well within three days.

[SheffieldJane]

That is good news!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

That’s reassuring-hope he has a speedy recovery.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

That is impressive - 3 days after my pacemaker I was still very battered and bruised ...

[Polygolfer]

So pleased someone posted something positive! Once you’ve lived in different countries and/or travelled the world a fair bit you quickly realise that, with all its current challenges and shortcomings, the NHS is still one of the best public health services in the world, considering the 60 million plus it cares for.

[Lonsdalelass in reply to Polygolfer]

Couldn't agree more with that sentiment. All praise for our NHS. Our eldest son has recently been in hospital in Italy, long story but he was hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing! The language barrier was a huge problem (thank goodness for Google translate and mobile phones!) but even so the nursing care was at times quite shocking and even a young Italian patient in the next bed to him explained he was being treated differently with less compassion because he was English. Once air ambulanced back to the UK, he said the hospital here was like a hotel compared to what he had experienced over there, and we went over to be with him as much as we could and saw for ourselves . I'll not be complaining about our NHS ever again.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lonsdalelass]

Having also been in hospital in Italy - albeit South Tirol which is Germanic - I can tell you the hospitals here make the NHS look like a Travelodge compared with a 4 star hotel! We have our own kitchens and freshly cooked food with dietary adjustments from the first meal. The staff are no worse than in the NHS though perhaps their empathy could do with a bit of polish - the culture is simply different. The state provision where I live compares very well with the NHS. And it isn't that I have a down on the NHS, I and all my family have worked in or alongside the NHS for years - husband was a consultant level medical physicist, I was technology staff, one daughter is a nurse, the other is an ACP in A&E, formerly a paramedic, one SIL was admin in the ambo service, the other is a paramedic, one grandson is a nurse, the other training as a pharmacist. But I'm staying here as long as I can as the PMR/GCA knowledge and management options simply don't exist in the UK.

[Mayadill in reply to PMRpro]

During the bright sunlit uplands of perestroika I went twice to the Soviet Union as part of a joint research project between the BSR and the Soviet Academy of Rheumatology. The Moscow hospital was clean, you could say that for it. As they say, you don't want to go there.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Mayadill]

I can imagine!!!!!!

[Mayadill in reply to PMRpro]

Maybe like such hospital provision as was provided for the poor of the parish in the 30s, absolutely basic. Food was inedible too. second time our luggage consisted mostly of Bath Olivers and tinned sardines.

[Ridge]

Ahhhh! That is heartening! It must also be heartening for the NHS staff to be able to do such a proficient job.

[S4ndy]

Hope he is recovering well. The NHS doing what it was designed to do at its best.

[Bluey-1]

Really good to hear this. I have no complaints about my treatment on the NHS. I was treated swiftly for GCA and a year on feel that I have been well supported via primary care and Rheumatology. I accept it’s probably a post code lottery.

[Mayadill in reply to Bluey-1]

Not sure it's even that. The local hospital may be good but that still doesn't mean its rheumatologists are informed about PMR and as far as GPs goes looks like closing your eyes and sticking a pin in a list. People here with useless GPs often say they'll change but there's little way of finding out if the new one will be any better.