Random musing

I meant should the mega rich have to have their own private treatment and not be part of the NHS though I suppose most of them would want private treatment anyway.

Define 'mega rich'.

I am not rich, let alone 'mega rich' but I chose to pay for treatment that I was entitled to on the NHS. I paid personally rather than via private health insurance. I wouldn't expect anyone else in my position to do that, but it felt right to me. Where do you believe the cut off point should be?

@Peanuts, my post that was eaten was about waste in the NHS (and also local authorities). My Nan requires a lot of care. She's currently at home where my aunt is her primary carer, although she works almost full time. Presently we have carers come in 5 or 6 times a day to help with ablutions and getting her in and out of bed. The LA/NHS budget, and the route we're being encouraged to go down, extends to moving her to a home. Having looked at the figures this cost far outweighs the cost of the carers, even if they were paying for each visit by the carers. We don't want her to go into a home. Each time she's been there for respite care she deteriorates. She wants to die in her own home and we are doing all we can to facilitate that (keeping her there, not bumping her off!). They seem happy to pay almost double the cost of her current care package to move her but for her wishes to be met (ie staying at home) they will not stump up the lesser cost. To date, the bulk of her care costs have fallen to me (special bed, hoists -waiting for them to install would have taken 12 weeks, private was 36 hours, she couldn't have been at home without them, carer costs etc). I've been able to make these contributions but it is to the detriment of my own future financial planning.

Where do you draw the line? Who's duty is this? Is this what awaits us when we get old because if it does I'm dreading it. What do you all think?

I too have paid for consultations that I would have been entitled to on the NHS. I am not rich but in order to get things moving I had to pay 200 quid a time to see this consultant.

One thing i do think needs to be implemented is charging people for missed appointments. So much time is wasted with missed appointments. All it takes is a phonecall to cancel an appointment. Even a tenner charge might make people think more.

I think eldery care is scary too, especially when most of the care homes here recently had bad things flagged up in their inspection reports. I think staff need to be looked into more.

Agree with this one. Mum & Dad recently changed surgery & both were told their cholesterol levels were a little on the high side. They saw different GPs at the same surgery - one said here's a diet sheet avoid the stuff on this list and your levels should go down. The other said here's a diet sheet, wouldn't bother following it because diet won't reduce your levels!

Mum was then talking to our homeopath who came up with some interesting info - statins were originally developed for something other issue (can't remember what) but they didn't work for that other thing but were found to reduce cholesterol levels. So the pharmaceutical company started pedalling statins to reduce cholesterol and they advised the levels that are 'OK' and GPs follow it. There has been a lot of research to show that the levels aren't right & that the high reading is actually fine and should be higher than it is meaning there are a lot of people on statins that don't need to be. Pharmaceutical companies also have a lot to answer for.

@Cricks - I think it's madness that the LA won't pay for the cheaper, more dignified care for your Nan.

Most dentists do so why can't doctors? Our surgery publishes the total appointment time missed and it is shocking - I think last time I was there it was something like 11 or 12 hours a week

That is madness to me Cricks. Obviously I don't know the full situation, but I work on an elderly ward and see a lot of people in your nan's situation. Because nursing home placement is so expensive its a last resort if someone really can't be cared for at home and its often difficult to get the funding. It sounds like she is managing with the care and equipment in.place and everyone wants her to be at home, so I can't see what the problem is. Have they explained their reasoning? I also think it's shocking that you would have had to wait for 12 weeks for a hospital bed and hoist, how were the carers meant to manage in that time?!

I know, it's crazy, isn't it? Their reasoning was 'it's policy'! Classic! My poor old nan. It's so sad to see her now ☹️ I wish there were more nice people like you looking out for the likes of my Nan.

My only consolation is that surely they can't force her if neither she nor her family want her to move? It would be one thing if she didn't have the capacity to make the decision and the rest of the family thought it was best she go in to a home, but obviously that's not the case. That's kind of you to say Cricks, but I just always try to think 'how would I feel if this was my grandma' when I'm working with elderly patients, a lot of people who are in health and social care (especially the higher ups) clearly don't.

What about free prescriptions, dental work and sight tests for pregnant women and those with a child under one?

Touch wood *touches table* I haven't had to use any of it so far - I don't see the dentist, only the hygenist that isn't covered by it, my sight tests are covered by my contact lense scheme anyway and the only prescriptions I have got during my pregnancy was before I got my exemption card and I never got round to getting the money back.

I think for something like Gaviscon, it would be easier to buy it during my weekly shop than trundle down to see my GP and get a prescription for it.

Overall I'm glad we have the NHS even though it has major pitfalls.

I don't have any life threatening illnesses. Though I am a really bad sufferer of hayfever and allergies to animal hair which brings on asthmatic type problems. I have inhalers but generally only need them in the height of summer or if I've been in contact with animal hair.

I do recall about 2007 It was a particular bad year for hayfever and I could barely do my job with the constant sneezing, wheezing and watery eyes! My brother had recommended this really good brand of antihistimes . They were amazing cleared me up great!! THe only problem was as they were of a high dosage they couldn't be bought over the counter and had to be prescribed. In 2007 i was prescibed them without a problem. The following summer in 2008 I went back to the doctor to get a further prescrtiption and was told they were one of the most expensive brands and therefore the NHS wouldn't prescribe it!

So I couldn't buy it, I couldn't get it on prescription...I just had to go back to using antihistimes that only worked as long as the pollen count wasn't too high, but otherwise I just had to suffer. I was not amused, I would gladly have paid for them if I had the opportunity!