The NHS is on the whole, fantastic. I have been fortunate with my health and haven’t ever needed a hospital stay or even treatment beyond some minor diagnostic stuff over the years but have numerous relatives who received amazing emergency care and ongoing treatment without which they’d be dead or incredibly ill / blind / disabled. I’ve witnessed first hand the professionalism and care of some amazing amazing staff and really there are just never enough ways to thank those people.
I am expecting a baby and doing that through my private cover, the level of care and attention is fantastic, my consultant is available any time, I can always speak to the same person/team, my questions are answered, I could even take my husband to appointments before the NHS department in the same hospital building allowed that. My husband is also receiving private treatment for a joint injury - can see a consultant immediately, an MRI booked within a few days, follow up appointment and treatment booked within the following two weeks and well on his way to recovery. He wouldn’t have even had an assessment by now through the NHS as he was told in January that his GP simply wouldn’t be able to refer him “due to covid”. I’m very fortunate to have private cover and am glad that I can take some very small burden away from a struggling NHS but it’s a shame that people feel they need to because the backlog is so huge and the levels of care simply aren’t there. I don’t for one second believe the expertise or level of actual medical treatment is much better (my obstetrician works for private patients and the NHS for example) but there is less stress on them, less pressure, better access to facilities and referrals and they can therefore deliver better care.
It is frustrating at times that there seems to be so many millions ploughed in to the system that is mismanaged and spent in the wrong areas. Their technology and IT needs massively overhauling (absurd that paper notes are still relied upon and lost in 2021, that certain systems just don’t work well, etc). Middle managers who earn fortunes doing god knows what and on people who have been brought in from a consulting firm when more decision making needs to be done with people who are on the ground, working day in day out and know what they need and how better to spend money to deliver the best care.
There are unfortunately some bad eggs - uncaring staff, people who don’t want to be there, who cut corners; people who are not good at their jobs and fight against efficiency and common sense. I very much believe they are the minority but unfortunately bad news travels faster and stories of poor care and preventable tragedies will always overshadow so much of the good that is done.
) and they admitted there is nothing more that can be done. It is just incomprehensible to me that a gp could decide on the spur of the moment without even having a phone consultation to us that he shouldn't take that medication anymore. We have both sat and cried in front of hospital consultants and they just don't care, there is a treatment that could be offered to reduce some of the pain but they just wanted to discharge him.