How has your experience with the healthcare ... - Stand Up 2 OA

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How has your experience with the healthcare system been?

CalvinHU profile image
15 Replies

Do you feel that your doctors have understood your options and needs?

Have you ever felt that your gender, race, or other factor was a reason for you or someone you know receiving unfair treatment or discrimination from a healthcare provider?

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CalvinHU
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15 Replies

I am in the US, went thru a year with no health insurance, so I avoided the outrageously expensive medical system during that time. As a retired RN of 44 yr, I did not personally witness any discrimination from the caregiving standpoint. As the patient, I feel Ive been treated well. There is not enough education going on for sure. Our medical system is all about fixing what broke, not prevention. I wish they promoted healthy life style changes more

I'm in the UK, in the West Country and find the health service in this area very poor. It seems to go more on guesswork that any actual science.

Told to get to the GP surgery at 8.30 am to have blood drawn, I walked there feeling very ill. Gasping for breath when I got there to find the door locked. A nurse came into the car park, did seem concerned at the state I was in ( I later found via paying for private care it was a combination of B12 deficiency and Fibromylagia) sent me to the waiting room, where I was left for almost 10 minutes alone. No one bothered to check on me. Finally got into the drs room ( for some reason blood had to be drawn by dr, not a nurse or HCA) who was rushed, constantly checked his watch though he did say their computer error hadn't shown up my appointment in the right place.

Last year I was sent home from A&E with a ' sprained ankle' told it could take 6 weeks to heal, I could wait for an X-ray , 4 hour wait, but in the triage nurse's opinion it was a sprain. 3 weeks later, still in pain I went to a different hospital. I'd been walking ( hobbling) around on a broken fibula.

No point in going to the GP with fibro pain as would only be told to take painkillers ( goodness, why didn't I think of that for pain ???) or offered antidepressants and the like.

Sorry to sound sarcastic but I'm just glad none of them are vets. I certainly wouldn't let any of them treat my dogs! I have very little faith in the NHS in this area.

groovyforster profile image
groovyforster

I haven't had issues with receiving care of any sort. My issue with healthcare is what we get for the amount of money that we put into it.

suryakaizen profile image
suryakaizen

I am in Bangalore, India. I go to Baptist Hospital, a Christian institution which offers amazing care for their charges which are very reasonable. They also treat everybody equally, whether rich or poor, which I really appreciate. I have not felt discriminated against by doctors or nurses there. I find that there is still a lot of regard in India for older people. Its another matter that the govt. healthcare system is woefully inadequate.

Maximonkey profile image
Maximonkey

No, I have always received help and sympathy from my doctor and physio. I guess I am lucky as not everyone receives such care. Maximonkey

dgleds profile image
dgleds

Do you feel that your doctors have understood your options and needs?

Have you ever felt that your gender, race, or other factor was a reason for you or someone you know receiving unfair treatment or discrimination from a healthcare provider?

I live in Western Canada and doctors come and go a lot here...I have had 3 different GP in 8 years, which really makes it hard to be heard in some cases....There is a shortage of GP in BC and when they come, they dont stay long...My latest Gp doesnt like to do much testing for things..."Its too expensive"....(This doesnt make me feel too secure with her about things, but i cant switch as you have to stay with who you get)....This GP is moving to another clinic though, and this could be my bye bye to her if i want, but i may with in 2 years get someone worse....meanwhile i have to see whoever is available for walkin patients, and that could go on for 2 years till they recruit another GP...I dont know about Gp discriminating with people on disability, but Im almost certain Dentists give a 2 bit job to peoples teeth, that are on disability...Its because the government doesnt pay the dentist much to work on peoples teeth that are covered by disability benefits...

poppyb62 profile image
poppyb62

I am in the UK in the south west and I struggle to get the help I need. My doctors surgery has implemented new procedures which makes acute care better but unless you call the surgery the day the appointments are released it is impossible to see your registered GP. All the surgeries in the town operate a similar process so no choice but to put up with being in pain 😢😢

jointpain profile image
jointpain

Never been discriminated because of my being white British here in Wales, maybe because I am English though. Actual health care is dismally poor, OK they will look at you and send you for many unwarranted tests, which come back "normal" even though there is something wrong, which is why you went in the first place. You are then treated as though you have mental health problems. The only time I actually got a result was when I went in with stomach pain, and was punched in the stomach by the Doctor which burst my appendix, I was then sent by ambulance straight to hospital and operated on within about 15 hrs, 14 of which I was unconscious. I have so little trust in what a doctor does or says to me, it is frightening. Even when I was 20 I was told I would be a double leg amputee by the time I was 35, which changed the way I lived my life totally. I am now 61 and still have both legs because I wouldn't let them operate.

Kneesandtoes profile image
Kneesandtoes

I recently changed to another surgery after 41years. As far as the knee was concerned, I had an x-ray which showed a small effusion. The doctor said probably early arthritis, but I could only get a telephone appointment. So no attempt at a proper diagnosis. The practice physio told me I was not bad enough to be treated on the NHS, that I should accept knee pain and however much exercise I did I would never go for long walks again. When I said I had had excellent physio therapy eight years earlier. He said ‘You were eight years younger then.’ So I felt being over seventy made a difference to how I was treated.

in reply to Kneesandtoes

So did he think at your age your not worthy of top care ? Tut tut. What's the matter with some docs

Kneesandtoes profile image
Kneesandtoes in reply to

It was a physiotherapist who did not believe in exercise, quite odd really. He saw his role as assessing whether or not patients should be sent to a consultant for joint replacement. Luckily I found a chiropractor who treated me and I am fine enjoying forest walks.

in reply to Kneesandtoes

Im glad you sorted it

Desanthony profile image
Desanthony

They do not always understand either my options or needs. I don't generally feel they discriminate as such but I do feel that they make generalisations about people such as why would someone of your age want to do such and such - but I am doing whatever it is and would like to continue doing whatever it is I am doing so this is why I want a particular treatment. Also, I find they don't often take a holistic view and take the quality of MY life into account very often.

Neeta-K profile image
Neeta-K

The nhs ruined my life. No doctors helped me, I had to study holistic medicine myself in order to get better with my past medical problems. Yes I’ve experienced predjucice because I had mental health issues in the past, when I was a teenager so a very long tome ago, and this was then blamed for everything incorrectly. The system is corrupt. It is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Plus we also have GPs who put profit in front of patients care, as they don’t want to refer you to specialists in the first place.

I’ve been traumatised by our NHS.

NanaFifi profile image
NanaFifi

I live in Scotland and I can't praise our NHS enough although they are desperately under funded and under staffed. I have had many, many surgeries over the past 30 years both privately (low cost medical cover through my husband's work) and through NHS and apart from my last surgery I have been treated extremely well.

Do doctors understands my needs? Not always. Do I express myself clearly enough? Perhaps not. How much support and understanding I receive depends on which doctor/specialist I see, it comes down to the individual person and I wouldn't want to generalise.

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