Nhs Vs Private

[PaRtZ]

I don't know what its like nationwide, but this is how i've managed to get an appointment

Basically my ear infection has come back which is mildly painful but eventually makes me deaf in the ear (not permanent). I know this because this is what happened the first time, so naturally I don't want it to happen again. So i've woken up today at 10:30 and felt the pain so i got on the phone to my NHS doctors:

"Sorry all appointments are full. We'll be getting some emergency slots at 2:30 this afternoon. Is it an emergency?"

"....er..yeah"

So i phone back and after about 3 minutes of holding im put through. It seems like they try to lay a guilt trip on me

"I'd like to see a doctor today please"

"is it an urgent appointment? is it an emeregency?"

"yes yes it is"

"so it cant wait? because we're only doing emergencies"

"no it cant wait" (by this point im questioning myself, IS it an emergency )

"ok 4:20"

Now I know its all sorted now, but it just seems so much of an effort just for a 5 minute meeting of "oh yes, ill just print a prescription form"

So how are you guys sorted medically? Whats the costs like? im going to be a student soon so private healthcare is out of the question but for the future id just like to know what private paitents are paying and what the care/queueing is like there

[Simpson]

We all HAVE to have PPP under my dads scheme at work and really comes in usefull if you know your going to need an operation and you get treated like a person, get real free tea and coffee, but if you have to get rushed in its not like they have an A&E.... at basildon the NHS treated me terribly and i could have died as they failed to diognose my ruptured spleen after 11hours of sitting arround / passing out being sick in the waiting room. Then again there had been 4 stabbings in town so guess i wasnt that important to them, southend NHS were legends when it finally ruptured, luckly i knew 1 of the nurses so got a private room and everying for 9 days.....

the staff was terrible though, if i wasnt one of those, "im not ill go away ill fend for myself even if im half dead, carrying my drip round to just go for a stroll type of person" then i wouldnt have had a bed bath the hole time, my dressings wernt really changed, and when blood was pissing outta my stomach with yellow fat they took over 10mins to come and sort it out.... not happy

PPP ***!

[Haz]

I have private health cover, from my dads previous job.

I rarely use it, if there's anything wrong I struggle to go down the local GP.

However both my sister and father have High Blood pressure, so they always use the private car to make sure that it's in check and not causing a problem.

[Sneakers O'Toole]

I had a similar thing happen to me, got a sore throat which was no big deal but then all my joints swell ed up an i got a strange rash. So i ring the NHS direct line thing and they go through all the emergancy rubbish and after aout 10 mins of me telling them i find it hard to move they got me an appointment. Went along and was given a prescription of antibiotics because the doctor assumed i'd had an allergic reaction to summat.

Then i gets home and has a sleep, woke up next morning and couldn't walk due to the swelling. At this point i just thoght screw it and jumped in a taxi to hospital, yet again the doctor has no idea whats wrong with me but admits me anyway. So i have three days of laying in bed without seeing a doctor and struggling to move around with a walking stick. Then a nurse comes and tells me i'm being discharged because they need the bed. So back home i go, but luckly my mum had got me an appointment at another hospital where i was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and put in a private room for 2 weeks and loaded with good drugs and painkillers by friendly nurses.

So basically i was screwed around alot but eventually i managed to get into a decent hospital. I used to be private but they overcharged my ada or something so now i'm back on the good old NHS.

[Tomm]

There aren't private GPs and there isn't a private A&E, so if you need to see someone, you pretty much have to go through the NHS anyway. To be honest, the standard of care isn't really any difference, but in a private hospital you get your own room, TV, better food etc. And waiting times for operations are less. But apart from that it's about the same.

[PaRtZ]

what about costs, what are they like?

[Davey]

I don't know what its like nationwide, but this is how i've managed to get an appointment

Basically my ear infection has come back which is mildly painful but eventually makes me deaf in the ear (not permanent). I know this because this is what happened the first time, so naturally I don't want it to happen again. So i've woken up today at 10:30 and felt the pain so i got on the phone to my NHS doctors:

I don't know if it's the same for all private healthcare but I get Bupa through my job and I have a gland on my neck that keeps swelling every year or so and I have to get it drained because it's way too dangerous to remove it (not worth the risk basically). So anyway, I tried to get it done through Bupa the last time it happened but I found they won't do it because it's something that I had before prior to joining, so your ear thing wouldn't be covered either.

But I'm guessing you're talking about going private out of your own pocket rather than health insurance...... so that's most likely different!

Davey

Edited May 30, 2007 by Davey

[N.Wood]

I have a private plan, but i've never been ill enough to use it!

I know when my mum was ill she had a really nice room in a hospital overlooking a garden with a big pond in and that.

I've been in A&E 4 times since September, none of which were for me

[BONGO]

i was trying to get quotes for Bupa etc, and when i explained that i rode bmx, and listed my existing injuries, they said they couldn't help me!!!!

NHS has done ok for me though up to now.