I had a problem and went to see my GP who then sent me to my local hospital for an ultrasound and biopsy. I then got called 2 weeks later to go for an MRI and a couple of days later I was called into see the Consultant who told me that I had cancer. Two weeks later I was in hospital for an operation and stayed there for 5 days. When I came home I had to recuperate for 8 - 10 weeks and then I went to a different hospital for radiation treatment. I was checked by the hospital on a regular basis until I was discharged 5 years down the line as being in remission. During all this time I had access to a MacMillan nurse (a different one in the hospital where I had my operation) who I could call at any time for advise. I was also given a thick folder with information in and a card for free prescriptions as I had to pay for them at the time. None of this cost me any money as it was all paid for by any taxes I paid. If I had this in the USA my husband and I would have been bankrupt. Long live our NHS.
Have a word with the mcmillan advisor there's lots of benefits you can get free. my wife didn't find out about this until 3 years in to her cancer treatment . Apparently the letter between the specialist, doctor , mcmillan nurses got misplaced ( 1990s pre internet days)
I hope all is well for you now ❤❤ I lost my mum to cancer a year and a half ago and her consultant, Macmillan nurse and palliative team from the hospice were all absolute angels. We are so lucky to have the NHS and the charities. I hope everything stays positive for you in the future 🤗🤗
Air ambulances (helicopters) are free in the UK. They are operated by charities. If you have the misfortune to need a ride on one you will become life long supporter of the charity as you will literally owe your life to them.
This is myself, East Anglian Air Ambulance saved my 7 year old sons life, didnt have to pay a penny but now donate and support them in other ways and will do as long as im around.
Same for the RNLI, I got into a bit of a pickle near Whitby and my dad called the RNLI as I got caught out by the tide, they came, plucked me off the side of the cliff and gave me a lift back to the beach but ever since I've donated to the RNLI
@@rogu3rooster "ever since I've donated to the RNLI" Our local chip shop has a boat coinbox. We're a long way from the sea, but I still drop loose change in there when I'm down there.
I had appendicitis when I I was pregnant with my daughter, the NHS saved my life and hers. I had a haemorrhage when I had my son and once again they saved my life. I will always be so grateful for the incredible nurses and doctors and the care we receive in the Uk.
The nhs did not save your life. The individual doctors and nurses who work FOR the nhs did. The nhs is an organizational/ management structure. Not a very good one
They mostly say it to avoid using medical jargon. I’m a vet nurse and we do the same thing with owners. If we go on about the ‘abdomen’, some people may not know what the word means, so we just say ‘tummy’. I experienced this first hand when I sat in on a consult with my brother and his dog at work whilst the vet explained why their dog was having seizures and what the tests would show us. The way she explained things in ‘layman’s’ terms was actually really cool.
@@Emmet_Mooresome old school folk will still use it. But working in healthcare we are recommended to avoid belly. It’s not an intentional slip and it doesn’t necessarily apply to every unit, but for a fact I know there are some odd folk offended by belly and it’s recommended we do not use it, so while your experience is different to say it’s untrue is wrong. It’s a sad world if that’s what offends people but hey ho
@@FBK82 Thank you for putting up with that sort of thing. I would have been fired long ago for using the word to actually refer to bellyfat out of protest
@@blindbrad4719 I mentioned that on another video and got someone raving about their constitution. As if that means more than people's safety. I can't get my head around the idea that the rights of the individual trump the rights of the many.
Great material as always. One little point for anyone in the world needing to use our NHS Accident and Emergency- DO NOT go with any little sniffle "because it's free". You will be welcomed in to NHS A&E as much with a stubbed toe as you will with a shatterd spine and 70% burns - point being is be a sensible judge of what is an emergency and what can wait UK NHS A & E overrun by pathetic clowns with a "broken finger nail"
I believe most cities and really large towns have walk in centres for non emergencies (I live in a relatively small city and there are at least two here) if you either can’t get an appointment at a time suitable for you or haven’t yet registered with a Doctor’s surgery. You’ll get the care you need from a qualified practitioner and if a visit to A&E is needed, they will advise you of that and if x-rays, tests etc are needed they will give/forward on a referral for you advising what is needed.
Evan should bear in mind that if during his time in A&E an emergency to life comes in, the doctors and nurses will stop attending to non critical cases to help ensure the new case live. No UK person begrudges that.
No UK person begrudges that? You obviously have never worked in a UK A&E. I worked nights for 10 years in a large A&E dept and I can assure you that there are people who do. Of course when working nights many of your patients will have consumed a large amount of alcohol and that has an adverse effect on their behaviour.
When I've had the crash alarm pulled for me, and every member of staff runs towards me to save my life, I'm usually so sick and scared that I'm glad there are a bunch of people trying to get my airway open again in those few minhtes i have before my life ends. So when i hear the crash alarm and everyone stops looking at me and runs away i feel two things....trauma....and grateful. Grateful i can still pull air into my lungs and my heart is still beating. And if anyone around me is complaining i have some good "nearly dying" stories for them till they shut up
@@Lookatmeshine yeah I've seen that one too many times too, people just kinda forget that Triage is a thing and your stubbed toe doesn't get priority over the guy being rushed in with a tree branch through his chest.
Also I’m a mental health nurse working in the NHS. I mostly work with people with psychosis (usually due to schizophrenia) I work with homeless people and people living in literal mansions, and they all get the same treatment and care. It’s angering how short staffed the nhs is though. When people say “we don’t have enough nurses in the U.K.” I don’t think people realise, we DO have enough qualified nurses here. There’s just so many nurses leaving the professions and leaving the nhs due to poor working conditions and staff shortages. Covid really changed it all. I worked on a covid ward for a year and a half, and many of my colleagues burnt out and left. Our manager had to drive to 5 different nurses houses during covid to check they hadn’t ended their lives due to the trauma and stress of that time. Go to any trauma hospital and you’ll see a garden with little trees. Each one of those trees is planted when a member of staff (usually a nurse) takes their life. During Covid it really was something else and I personally know a lot of nurses and doctors who gave up the profession after that, usually due to being unable to work in a hospital anymore. I love my job but the lack of staff and services makes it so depressing as it’s sometimes hard to give appropriate care. Sorry for the rant 😅
I got a lot of great help from you lot, well, not mental health help but renal 😂. You do a great job, I missed practising my Spanish though after Brexit
I ended up having to go private due to a lack of NHS help for mental health. I have had to borrow money to do so. I was belittled when I tried to explain my symptoms. Basically, unless you're actively suicidal they tell you to go away. Decades of underfunding by all governments caused it, with the Tories underfunding to an even greater degree so that they can push through privatisation. Let's get them out as soon as possible!
I volunteered for six months in a vaccination clinic and saw something of a different side. Some of the doctors and nurses worked extremely hard but some didn't and needed jogging along to do the job they were paid for. One nurse wanted a five minute nattter with her admin assistant between each patient and one doctor jabbed 15 people like a production line with less than the minimum of the standard questions and then went off for ten minutes on his mobile texting, chatting and admitting to us that he'd be back only when the queue built up again. There are some superbly hard working staff in the NHS, but there are some lazy sods who act like parasites toward their other colleagues. I've seen it too many times.
My 24 year old daughter was diagnosed with MS 3 years ago, she's had multiple MRI's, a lumber puncture, constant specialist appointments, various medications and is due to start another course of meds at a hospital in London. I thank the NHS every day ❤
People who live in the UK and have not experienced privatised healthcare have no understanding of how good the NHS is and why it exists. I had a seizure completely out of the blue, my wife found me collapsed on the floor unconscious and could not revive me. She called an ambulance which arrived in 8 minutes - i was rushed to hospital with blue lights, straight into a bay and handed over by the paramedics to a team of about 5 drs and nurses who immediately started wiring me up and taking blood etc. I was then sent for an MRI scan on my brain (its 3am) - they kept me in until morning, then a consultant came to explain there was nothing in the tests which was a good thing. Then told me if was a seizure and now they need to investigate epilepsy and i would need to attend a first seizure clinic in neurology but could go home. Over six months I had numerous appointments and scans and tests which cleared me of epilepsy. No cost. Last month my father in law was having chest pains, ambulance came, rushed straight to hospital, straight into cardiology - then half an hour later he was in surgery having a triple heart bypass - which saved his life. No cost.
@@AMS-KORRE All NHS staff wages are paid by the government, the Junior doctors strikes and Nurses strikes are over their comparatively low pay rates compared to other high skilled/educated professions.
@@arttops2563 ah man that's so cool I wish our govt paid for our healthcare and the staffs wages. Sadly we pay for our healthcare and the staff wages through our wages.
@@AMS-KORREyet America spends most on healthcare, it's a broken system there! The NHS is a treasure after WW2, and we can't let it get privatised! Unfortunately it's already going that way...
@@arttops2563 Not quite true about NHS staff wages. They are paid for from taxes raised from the general populace; the Government itself has no money. So it's we the taxpayers who pay NHS staff wages.
32y/o Brit here. At 16 my kidneys failed, had 2 years of dialysis, kidney transplant. Dislocated my shoulder, had it stabilised, kidney transplant failed after 8 years, back on dialysis, had emergency open heart surgery, another kidney transplant not to mention the many vascular surgeries for fistulas etc. never paid a dime beyond taxes. I’ve certainly took more out the system than put in. The NHS is suffering right now, but be proud of it none the less.
As someone who's paid in more than they've taken out, I'm glad my tax money has been used to save your life, because I'm not a greedy jackass. Seriously though, hope you're doing OK now :)
I always find it funny when some American in the comments goes “but it’s not actually free is it?”, as if they’ve just stated some massive secret we all didn’t know about and that alone is going to suddenly change our mind about all of the insane benefits of having universal health care. WE KNOW! Unlike America, which has one of the worst most badly setup tax systems, our country actually makes the whole process automatic and makes it feel just as good as free.
i consider our (german) healthcare system to be similar to _flatrates_ for phone, tv, firefighters, police, car insurance, etc. you first pay some monthly fixed cost like a percentage of your income for taxes, insurance, etc, which is affordable. but then *when you need it* almost everything is almost completely *free,* and causes no insane surprises. example: emergency surgery on intestines to remove a blockage including cancer (2 weeks hospital) with a followup surgery two months later (another 2 weeks in one of the "top six cancer hospitals worldwide" to remove the last remains of cancer metastases), followed by hernia surgery a few months later (1 more week hospital), and ALL related costs for doctors, nurses, anesthesia, xray, blood tests, mri, infusions and pills, ambulance transfer to another hospital, etc, as well as any other doctor visits and followup checks (specialized more costly mri every 6 months) were ZERO, cost for the hospital itself was 280€ copay for 14+14+7 days (10€ per day for bed and food, capped to 28 days per year), and 5€ copay for the painkillers at home after each release from the hospital. overall, i still consider those 295€ total to be FREE, for becoming cancer free now.
It's as good as free cause it doesn't matter if you are a billionaire that's paid millions in tax or you've never earned enough to be taxed in your life you get the same level of treatment.
It's pre-paid by paying into a National Insurance scheme, along with funding from general taxation. So we don't assume it's free. The Tories, who are funded by the super-rich, exist to restrict any benefits to the poorer members of our society, instead offering tax cuts that somehow won't affect the public sector.
We know that but people need reminding that it isn't free. It's all paid through our tax but people still need to be responsible for their health and use the NHS wisely.
I think the phone number 111 was chosen for NHS Direct because our emergency number is 999, so it follows the same sort of pattern. On a side note we also have a non emergency number for the police, which is 101.
On top of that, there's others too for Power Cuts, One historically for COVID and an additional one for emergencies you can use with your mobile/cell phone across the UK and EU regardless of what network you're on - www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/89547/3-digit.pdf
I dialled 101 once due to 3 guys firing a pistol at something down a street in scotland in the middle of the night. Was awkward having to explain to the sergeant I was forwarded to, why I had not called 999. My response to him was that my bus was arriving and I use a mobile phone ticket, so I didn't call immediately and as I was then on the bus, and that I was no longer at the scene, I thought that it was no longer an emergency 🤔Sometimes, I am stupid, but I did at least give enough details on them for them to get nicked, alongside a small stash which had their pistol
People have problem understanding, that waiting is part of the course for an emergency room everywhere. Because people are treated in the order of seriousness, instead of order of arrival. If you need to wait for a long time, that is usually a pretty good sign that your situation is not immediately life threatening.
@@WookieWarriorzjust for the call out that is though! EVERYTHING is extra, from plasters to oxygen, even them telling you what might be wrong will cost too!
Bizarrely, a few years ago, me and a friend in the US both needed our gallbladders removed around the same time. I had an ambulance to the hospital, operation, after care and sent home later that day. My US friend had an operation and had to stay 2 nights (not sure why that was necessary except hiking the costs). Mine was free (except for the tax I pay automatically each month). She had a bill for $35k on top of the $800 per month she pays for family health insurance. The heath insurance covered most of it, but she had to pay £5k co-payment (like excess on car insurance in the UK) before she left the hospital. Instead of recuperating after her op, she sat on her hospital bed arranging a $5k loan. The NHS is worth its weight in gold, which is why our current government is desperate to privatise it. Imagine paying $800 a month and still having to find $5k if you dare to use it? It's inhumane 🤬
That's Dodi, singer-songwriter (her latest album is great!) and Evan's long time friend. 999 works jn the UK for emergencies, 111 is health advice (always your first call for health issues), but.. 212 works across Europe from Greenland to Turkey.
Last year my partner banged her head whilst getting something out of the under stairs cupboard. She said she was ok. A few days later she had a seizure. I rang for an ambulance which got to my front door in about two minutes and took her the two miles to the nearest hospital. My partner was a while waiting to get into A&E because there was no beds available but staff treated her in the back of the ambulance. Finally she got into A&E. In the course of things they did a scan and found she had a tumour on the front of the brain which had swelled up with fluid when she had banged her head which in turn had put pressure on the brain causing the seizure. So really her banging her head was a blessing in dusguise because we discovered something we didn't know she had. She was put on steroids which brought down the swelling and she was back home within a week. Shortly after she received a letter from the NHS to go see a consultant about the tumour. She had the consultation and they determined that the tumour was probably benign and that she could be operated on if she chose to. Which she did. In less than one month after that consultation she was back in a different hospital about 30 miles from where I live that specialises in brain and cardiac problems. She had the operation to remove the tumour which went well though she was a long time recovering. For five and a half weeks after having the tumour removed she was moved from the hospital where she had the operation done to the local hospital then to a respite home. After five and a half weeks she finally came home 95% her old self. This was all for free. There's no way she could have afforded to pay for any of this via her own funds. That's why even as more of a conservative thinker, I am myself completely in support of our NHS. I dont mind as a worker paying my taxes so my partner who I love can get the treatment she needs that otherwise she would be able to afford herself. Yes there's faults in the system, there's abuse of the system, a shortage of beds at times etc but the basic principle of the NHS is probably the best invention the UK has ever come up with. In contrast I have a friend in the US. The subject of healthcare came up regularly and it would often end up in arguments as each side staunchly defended the system in their own country. Eventually we had to agree to disagree and no longer discuss the subject. Then a few years ago my friend suddenly disappeared of the radar. There was no sign of him anywhere. Months later he reappeared on FB to tell me he had a stroke. He then asked me more depth detail about how the NHS works. I thought this strange as we had always disagreed on the subject but I explained things as a friend. I found to my surprise his attitude had turned 180. He now thought the NHS was a fantastic concept. He told me this was because the stroke had meant he could no longer work, thus he had lost his employer provided healthcare plan and had been hit with huge medical bills. The insurer was willing to pay most of the hospital bills but nothing towards his ongoing treatment and prescription drug costs going forward. Being unemployed and having no medical coverage because of that means he can't afford the hundreds of dollars a month to pay for the prescription drugs the doctors say he needs so he just goes without them and regularly messages me to say he just wants the end to come and end the suffering because he's now more or less bed bound. This is a man who fought for his country in the 101st airborne and was a medic, saving fellow soldier's lives himself and now this is how he is rewarded by his country. I find it crazy that on 4th July Americans can hug each other, celebrate independence from the British but 1 minute after midnight, 1 minute into 5th July, if the person next to them keels over then they can just say, "Oh well, hope he has good healthcare insurance". What a paradox.
Friends in the UK will ALWAYS go the extra mile mile for each other - it's expected 😉😊 I'm so very grateful for our NHS. I've had to use it many, many times and so have some of my family members. From operations that have required an intensive care bed, extended stay for traction (spine), complicated accidents, giving birth (quite a few) etc, etc. All of these would definitely have bankrupted each person involved. Two of the "patients" required a nurse to attend to them after they had returned home, which, of course, was provided. They also received a few visits from Occupational Health and Social Services, they were assessing the patients living conditions and then listed any alterations/additions they could offer to enable them to live comfortably at home. Next came the Physiotherapist who worked with them which really helped towards them making full recoveries. Thankfully, everything was/is "free". The National Insurance contributions are relatively small (in fact, I think it ought to be increased) and is a percentage of your wage. It's automatically extracted, so you don't actually notice that you've made this payment. Three cheers for the NHS 👏👏👏❤️🇬🇧❤️🇬🇧❤️🇬🇧❤️
In Australia we have a national health system very similar to Britain. My husband and l lived a rural area where doctors are scarce and hospitals are even more scarce but if any health problems arise that can not be dealt with they send patients to the nearest city for treatment. My husband started to walk unsteady on his feet and had shaking hands and head, l immediately took him to the local hospital (where he was admitted) and was informed that he needed to be flown out within hours. In Australia we have what is called the Royal Flying Doctors service which is a group of small planes based in the country areas to pick up patients and transport them to city hospitals. The flight had 2 other people from different hospitals within 500 kms of its base. I could have flown with him but decided not to as l knew l would need my car in the city. I drove the 3.5 hours to the city where my daughter lived so l stayed with her while he was in hospital. He had 3 surgeries within 4 days to relieve the pressure in his head from the tumour. Unfortunately the tumour was very deep and in a very dangerous area. He was given 8 weeks to live. He was in hospital for several weeks recovering ,while they decided what do do next. Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy was the answer to try to shrink the tumour. He was released from hospital but because we lived so far away they booked us into Crawford lodge which is a large hotel type of place built for Cancer patients where all types of facilities are available to the residents to make life easier, things like a small movie Theater, lounges , kitchens and laundries as well as bus trips to local shopping centres and activities. A 6 seat buggy was provided with driver to and from the lodge to treatments in the hospital (they were both in the same grounds ) they had a wellness centre where patients and their carers could have treatments by volunteers such as meditation,massage, reiki etc… Although we were well looked after my husband still had Cancer and slept a lot. His medications were priced in the thousands and he had several of them but l only had to pay $5.50 a prescription ( l believe it is $7.50 now). Therapy and talks by the staff from different departments to reassure us and inform us on what to expect and why things were happening, l became so well informed on all things to do with tumours etc. All the equipment like walking frame ,later a wheelchair) , any equipment that the doctors thought would help, was provided free of charge. We had 8 weeks of the daily treatments , before it finished and we were recommended to stay in the city for rehabilitation for another month. All we wanted to do was go home to our quiet life and away from the city. Finally at home we had regional and local nurses on call and they paid weekly visits to make sure my husband was doing well and l was coping at home. Our local hospital was fantastic and gave me respite whenever l needed to shop or just have a break for a few hours to a full weekend. Because his tumour was inoperable we knew it was not going to be a happy outcome but we enjoyed our time left in our home with the pets and friends. It was probably the worst time of my life but in a strange way it was a good time too. I had to give up work when all this started but the social worker at the hospital was a real pillar of strength for me and encouraged me to apply for social security (pension) . It came through the 3 rd week we were in Perth so we did not have to worry about finances. All of this, the flight ,hospital, medications ,treatments,therapy,the lodge respite and all medical staff (top neurological specialists and specialist nurses and equipment cost absolutely nothing. My husband lived for 10 months at home and one in the hospital at the end.I was told It was very important that he was admitted to the hospital in the beginning so the hospital would bear the cost of the flight and all costs after. I am so grateful for the love and devotion and professionalism of all involved in this worrying time. I do miss him to this day but so glad that an emergency like this did not cause a financial emergency that would have lasted the rest of my life.
Had what I thought was an asthma flare up relievers did not work. So rang 999 within 10 mins an ambulance was at my door paramedics Said you need hospital. On way in my condition got worse crew gave me injections which I found out were blood thinners. On arrival at Hospital seen by a registrar trainee surgeon. Within an hour was in operating room having stents in my arteries. Was in hospital for 7 days then discharged following a course of Cardio rehabilitation and Physio was given all clear after 3 months. TOTAL COST FREE at point of need and no follow up bills. All paid for from General Taxes which every body under 65 pays and other revenues. It's called being a compassionate society .
I work in the NHS. Love my job. Sadly, I've had to apologise to patients for delays and have been berated a few times for it. I learned that if you are honest for the reason, like we have an emergency coming in, people are usually understanding. There's been the odd one that I've told that strokes/traumatic injuries trumps any appointments. I've also have had to tell a family member that in the NHS we look after everyone. I'm not refusing care to someone just because she wasn't happy with us prioritising the other patient. The NHS is something that is in our hearts. We look after people because we love doing so. God knows it's definitely not to make money 😅 like we are all broke 😅 Please be nice and respectful to staff. And use NHS services appropriately 🩵
The NHS is the crown jewel of the UK and we need to preserve and protect it as much as possible. I worked for the NHS for 4 years as receptionist in A&E and I can tell you one of the biggest issues the NHS has is TIME WAISTERS! people who turn up to the ACCIDENT & EMMERGENCY when they have a cold or a headache. Time waisters take up valuable space and time for patients who really need need to be in A&E. Immigrants who don't register for a NHS number (so they can register for a GP) also use A&E as their GP Practice for every minor ailment and they don't come alone....they come with their full family for their monthly check up and as the Registered Nurses and Doctors have a duty of care they can't turn them away so again time waisters taking up valuable space and time!
have you used it recently ? people are sent to A&E where once a GP would sort it. my wife is still ill after 6 months when a second dose of steroids would have sorted it -- 4 visits to hospital A&E approx 4 hours each time, finally got to see Asthma team who had to change out inhalers type. previous hospital visits advice had actually made the condition worse. all because the GP was not allowed to issue a 2nd week of steroids. what's that a £1000 to try and save £5 ( the management are inept at every level)
Not a surprise when they are coming from a different countries infrastructure and when GPs can't take on patients. 1.3 million immigrants letting last year by the Tories, my dad also waited till he got back home early from holiday to get sorted for a problem he had in Spain, didn't get Helford insurance and voted Brexit 😂
My wife has had two babies, both deliveries doctor lead due to complications, she's been through breast cancer, chemo, radiotherapy, mastectomy and reconstructive plastic surgery, and so many tests and scan on al sorts of hugely expensive machines. What's interesting is in both pregnancies and her cancer treatment she didn't pay a single penny at the point of use. Evan had to pay for his prescription, but the NHS provide maternity exemptions which afford mothers free prescriptions for the duration of pregnancy and for 12 months after birth. This includes dental care! Then she received a medical exemption certificate during cancer which entitled her to free prescriptions and hospital dental care for 5 year. I've never thought to add up the cost of all of her treatments and surgery but it must be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Thank God for the NHS.
The NHS is incredible. I was rushed in when my optician saw blood in my eye. Very detailed tests, scans of my eye and brain, lumbar puncture. They thought it could be a brain tumour but it was pressure in the fluid round my brain. Could have gone blind if they hadn't found and treated it so quickly. Yes there can be long waits,but at least I won't loose my home trying to pay for one visit.
I hate so say but I am now of a certain age which means I am in a senior role in engineering and get paid well. I pay £350 a month for National Insurance which includes paying for health care and paying for me when I am sick, and the national pension when I retire. So yes I pay but its still a bargain compared to US insurance costs. But the point is I am ALSO paying for those who don't earn what I do and so don't pay NI. And I don't mind that. Its good that everyone can have health care and a pension.
Want to make it feel even better value for money. The amount we pay in the UK on tax and national Insurance combined is not noticeably higher than is paid by most people in the US, we actually dispite our government trying to generally be as financially incompetent as possible, get surprisingly good value for money.
@@cgi2002 the average annual cost of healthcare in the US is between 40% and 90% higher than in basically all other industrialised countries (which includes western Europe, but also Japan, South Korea and AUS/NZ) And despite that the life expectancy is around 3-6 years shorter. So not only do they pay more, they get less from it.
@@HappyBeezerStudios that honestly does not surprise me. I have a love/hate relationship with the NHS. I work in it, thus i hate the financial mismanagement causing issues with wages and poor service levels but I love it simply because it saved my life (heart attack) and I got to keep my house (I did the rough math, my job would not have gotten health insurance there, and my treatment would have cost upwards of $300k, 7 weeks in hospital, multiple procedures, major cardiac surgery, lifetimes supply of medication, that's the kicker). I'll take a 1-3% higher tax rate for that.
The thing i love about the NHS is that even our ambulances are free to use and are equipped with EMTs and paramedics that know how to use the life-saving medication and equipment on board.
Aussie here, nearly same as NHS. My ambo, x ray, moon boot, cuppa and sandwich all free. I can’t imagine living in America if a small or big medical issue arose - must be terrifying for them, the pain, illness and a gigantic bill on top of that. If our countries can, so can they - but they don’t - it’s crazy and cruel.
@@herenow6953 same in germany: free when it is an emergency, prescribed transport, etc, but also in other cases it usually is capped to 10€ copay (yes, 10 and not 10k), except for extreme misuse. ps: if you go to hospital eg for some scheduled appointment, or when going home after release, the insurance also pays other transportation like taxi, bus or train, when no ambulance is really needed.
Earlier this year I went to A&E with severe tummy pains. For the third time ( each over 24 hour wait) . I was admitted for Emergency surgery, 8 hours in surgery and i got sepsis......6 days in an induced coma, constantly on multiple drips and lines, another week in intensive care and a further 2 weeks on a ward. I moaned and moaned, but all it cost was the parking when my husband visited daily. Thank you NHS ( although i Know I was a moany moo at the time - I apologise for the daily swearing! )
American healthcare makes everything harder through choice. My friend has a mark on her lip she was worried about so she went to her GP, 10 days later she was in front of a dermatologist getting some moles biopsied. Two weeks after that she was summoned to an oncologist consultant's clinic. There she was in a room with a set of consultants - oncology, dermatology and a general surgeon - they explained her skin cancer and went through her treatment plan, two weeks after that she had her first operation. I am told in the USA it would be up to the patient to organise each doctor separately.
Free of charge at point of use. The taxes an individual pays for the NHS is a tiny fraction of what they'd pay for private medical insurance. Also bear in mind that in the UK even private medical insurance is much cheaper than it is in the US. That's because A&E treatment is not provided by private healthcare.
My husband and daughter are in BUPA, one private healthcare. It goes up every year whether you use it or not, but, they pay the whole amount except £100 excess per calender year NOT per illness.. My husband joined at 40 he is now 60 and we pay £240 month. In those years he’s had…cataracts, carpal tunnel, 2 back ops, cortisone injections shoulder repeated, shoulder op, wisdom teeth extraction and he can gave a new knee when he’s ready for one. That’s on top of the NHS as he is a diabetic and has regular feet, eye blood screening and now wears a disposable disc which works with an app that measures his sugar and 3 injections a day. Fabulous. Ps forgot emergency head op I spoke about in comments.
The original NHS Charter says "free at the point of need," not the point of use. It's a subtle difference but "at the point of need" refers to a patient while "at the point of use" refers to a customer.
Obviously it isn't free as on "no cost for nobody", but there is a difference in paying a small some every month, so small that you won't even notice and getting all needed services when you need them at no extra cost. And one big thing in favour of insurance is that you pay in when you're able to work and get it back when you aren't Because how many sick, ill and injured people are able to work a full job while getting treatment.
Exactly 12 months ago I had an emergency appointment at the GP surgery, made that morning. I saw the nurse who sent for an ambulance which arrived in 15 minutes. I was taken to hospital and straight into A&E where I was diagnosed with a heart attack. Fortunately there was a bed available immediately. The following day I was in surgery having a stent fitted. I was home in three days with follow up from the community team. I now take 8 tablets a day but I'm still here and I don't have to worry about the cost. Love the NHS!🩵🩵🩵
Appendicitis will usually come with the quite significant and obvious symptom of "fever", especially if it's in the late stages of causing excruciating pain. The nurses/doctors probably took note of this during Evan's "obs" and perhaps silently concluded that the pain was gastric in nature, but to be sure they have the patient wait. I personally haven't been in a long wait situation where I haven't had regular updates or new obs taken, but I imagine how busy the hospital is dictates your average wait time. I know for sure that one thing I'll never take for granted, is the National Health Service in this country as an institution. It may be a "socially funded" establishment, but it's one that means failing health for any of us as citizens..... while not guaranteeing our lives, should we need to call upon it, we are able to do so without being financially ruined.
25:00 - All air ambulances in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are operated by charities. The Scottish Ambulance Service have two air ambulances, and a charity operates an additional two air ambulances in Scotland. So if an air ambulance (or one of their rapid response cars) were to be dispatched to you in the UK, it is likely that neither taxpayers or the government are paying for it but the donors/fundraisers of a charity (e.g. those whose lives they have previously helped save).
Same feeling I had 5:30 when I was sent to the ER/A&E with suspicions of kidney stones (it turned out to be a strong stomach flu, but I learned that the symptoms I had are commonly observed in people with kidney stones). While the intake was faster and the ER waiting room was in no way busy, I was still waiting for about 4 hours before I got all my results. When getting wheeled to a CT-scan, the volunteer who did that asked me how I was doing, and my response (after days of sleeping bad, and being unable to keep most food in so I was slow and slightly "out of this world") was something along the lines of "Eh, reasonably well, even though my stomach is killing me, I feel blessed at these moments not to have to travel for 3 hours in a van on my way to the first hospital". 12:30 You suggest him to drink more water: when I had the stomach flu in 2018 I could also not keep water in. The stabbing pains he seems to describe sound like what I had in 2018, I could not walk up straight anymore from the pain, with a V-shaped spot on my chest from sweating my ass off when the flashes of pain happened.
as a young man with 2 parents who have both had cancer the nhs gave them care that i will be forever gratful for the surgeon's the nurses all the way down to the gp's, if it was privatised not only would i have lost my dad and had to look after a disbaled mum whos recovering from cancer my family would of been financially crippled forever, at least the little bit of money my dad was able to leave went to my mum to ease some of the burden, im not allways proud of my country and society but the nhs is the best thing we have in this country.
I'm in the UK. I had appendicitis last year. Stomach ache on Friday night. In pain on Saturday; thought it was a stomach virus or something. Still in pain Sunday and the pain had moved to my appendix area, so I phoned 111. 111 booked me into the walk-in centre and told me to get there within the next two hours. The doctor at the walk-in centre prodded me a few times and said "You have appendicitis, I'm booking you into Surgical Assessment at the hospital. Go there now". Got to the hospital, got examined and admitted into the ward. I had a CT scan first thing in the morning, in surgery a couple of hours later.
I had a bit of a turn 111 sent me to urgent care who sent me to A&E, I had had a TIA, mini stroke, a CT scan discovered I have a mass on my brain and I'm getting treated very well. Investigation is ongoing but I feel reassured that im having scans, heart check, all sorts of things. I'm so grateful for the NHS right now.
I broke my finger and during the treatment over several months I had 3 different X rays, 4 appointments with a doctor at the fracture clinic and five appointments with a hand physio. I dread to think what it would have cost if it was a private service. Very grateful for the NHS here in the UK - I think we tend to take it for granted. Needs more investment, of course, but so glad it exists.
It needs to stop pissing money away more than anything as they're the ones that spend the budget given to them by the government, especially on locum staff which cost the NHS £3billion in 2023, not to mention all the migrants that come to the UK getting free NHS treatment straight away without paying a penny into the system and putting a strain on an already breaking service.
@@vinniedixon1140you forget to mention the NHS as it stands is propped up by immigrants itself, without immigration, NHS will be worse, unless you can convince British workers to work in the health service
@@vinniedixon1140 that strike money there could have given the junior doctors their 35% rise, + more as 35% would only cost about 2 billion or so. leaving 1 billion free to have improved services. But no. Also, you forget to remember that immigrants literally prop up the NHS, why all of a sudden, after Brexit did it get so bad? Less immigration for the NHS itself. Follow the money. Most people were lied to, all because of Nigel Farage.
Not sure about Evan’s story appendix is on the right side lower abdomen. Yes I’ve had it and had mine out on the nhs. He was clutching his left side, I suspect that’s why the hospital doctor told him it wasn’t appendicitis! Good news is he got better.
I live in the UK, a couple of years ago I was going to bed and had severe chest pain. I thought it would subside but at midnight I was still in pain so my wife called 999 and described the problem. They despatched a paramedic team who arrived at my house, gave me an ecg and told me I was having a heart attack. They carried me to their ambulance, gave me morphene and some other stuff, one guy phoned ahead to the hospital to have a surgical team ready then we set off to the hospital. A team was waiting, I was prepped and on the operating table. Time from the telephone call to being on the table was less than 30 minutes, that is how good the NHS can be. 3 stents fitted and a week of care in hospital plus all my medication for the rest of my life all free of cost. 7 years ago I was diagnosed with a cancer, weeks of radiotherapy, drugs and aftercare since then, all free of cost to me, not even prescription costs. This is because one of the NHS rules is that following cancer, there are no prescription charges for anything.
I've seen the NHS From both sides. The good and bad. Twice they screwed up on my wife's health because of doctor's indifference. Only when we pushed and her new GP agreed with us that something was not right, did we finally get a answer. A Brain tumour. Her head is now full of glue and bearings, to starve it. Three ops a year for five years to complete this work. A year of then down to Sheffields Royal Hailsham Hospital for Gamma knife radio treatment. 7 hour's in the coffin as they called the lead lined box. About ten years ago my wife's weight started to incase. After trying different thing to lose it (the brain surgery my of saved her life but the damage it did left her with mobility problems) she approached her GP. He put her on a fat buster drug. For the first 4 months the weight was coming of. Then it stopped, and started going back on. The GP after a while the GP stopped the tablets. Even though we told him her food intake was going down to one point 6/700 calories aday and she was still gaining wait, plus everytime she moved she felt like a brick had dropped in her stomach he ignored her. You could see the look on his face when we walked in, 'weigh again' she collapsed, i eventually got her up and into the car. The hospital was brilliant as soon as i went to check her in the desk clerk called forca doctor he took one look whisked her away while i gave her details over tovthe clerk. Yes it took two MRI and load of questions. But they did have an answer. Tumour in her stomach About 30cm in diameter. Two weeks later she was in hospital 3hour surgery ended being 8 hours long. The Tumour weighted in a 2.5 stones. Thus is the NHS From bad to good. Like all things in life. Would i change the NHS no never. Good video
infact, adopting the US system would probably be an upgrade... That's how underinvested the NHS has been. I don't advocate for that though, the US system is trash. whereas the NHS is fairly cost effective, just lack of investment from tory governments 🙄
Couple of years ago I got a small superficial thrombophlebitis in my leg after covid vaccination and it was late and I was home with my 5-year old and they sent an ambulance to check on me at home and I never got a bill for it. In Finland.
If an emergency arrives in A+E the nurse has to inform you of the extra waiting time. Quite a few people will always get up and walk out !! not so much an emergency after all ehh? so the waiting time then drop's lolllll win win. The thing is some people go to A +E when they should just be booking a GP appointment.
I was taken by ambulance to A&E in August 2001. I arrived at about 3.15 am. I'd already been in agony for over 2 hours. Finally, they gave me morphine at around 06.45. I had a week in Derriford Hospital. Just over a year later, I had my gall bladder removed due to polyps growing on it. 😊❤😊
When I was taken into hospital by ambulance due to suspected appendices I was given morphine for my pain once at the hospital..unfortunately mines had burst so big open surgery and weeks stay in hospital. My daughter was six weeks old and Id had her by c section so had not fully recovered from that. I had a few negative experiences throughout but in general was thankful to the NHS for saving my life.
2 yea rs ago i had heart bypass surgery at the royal brompton in chelsea, excellent care doctors and nurses were brilliant. god knows what that would cost in the U.S. they even took me home free of charge. god bless the NHS.
I just got released from the Royal Infirmary after a 3 month stay. My GP rushed me to hospital after an abscess burst on my leg and it turned out I had sepsis. It developed into flesh eating bacteria and the surgeon had to cut most of my belly flesh away. Spent the 3 months using a VAC machine, 24/7, to clean the wound and pull it's sides closed to lessen the amount of flesh needs to do a skin graft. I'm currently waiting on plastic surgery to close up the little wounds I have left. NHS literally saved my life and I wasn't charged a penny...
Sorry about his experience in Accident and Emergency dept but I have never had anything like that. Waiting for a long time is normal - patients are triaged to treat the most urgent ones first - but everyone is usually quiet and well-behaved. After waiting to be seen by a doctor, all my tests, diagnosis and treatment haves always been first class. And all 'free' of course - that is to say, paid for by our taxes, but certainly no terrible high bills afterwards. And the ambulances are 'free' too of course. It's a good system. Could be better but it's already better than a lot of others.
I had something similar, quite a few years ago. While in Stoke I had pains from hell, in my tummy. I didn’t think it was Appendicitis, not the correct area, but pain! I think it was a hospital in Hanley, on a Saturday night. My girlfriend, then, took me to hospital, she stayed with me for the hours of wait. Crikey, Saturday night was busy. It took about 3 hours until I was on a bed waiting. Then, guess what, the pain disappeared the moment the doc walked in. I apologised profusely and left. My girlfriend kept assuring them that I had been in pain for hours. Anyway, they told me to come back is it recurred. It came back a few times over the years, until something went badly wrong when I was in Namibia. I ended up in the Catholic Hospital in Windhoek, I had a stomach ulcer. Simple operation, but not allowed to lift anything heavy for 3 months. BTW, I married my girlfriend. Funny part of this was when we drove from Windhoek to Cape Town (she drove, obviously) we went to visit the Fish River Canyon on the way. Anyway, when we returned to the car (Landcruiser GX) she noticed that we had a puncture. Over to you, said I, I’m not allowed to do anything strenuous. So, in mini-skirt and high heels las she changed the wheels. Strong girl. Funny part is that a hundred metres away was a group of young Afrikaner’s having a braai (barbecue - with beer of course0. They thought this was hilarious, this 196 cm guy sitting there watching this. ‘That’s the way to treat your woman” said they! “Nothing strenuous eh?” Asked my girlfriend, “no sex for you then!” “Hmmm!” Said I, “no sex for you either”. So off we toddled to the Bushmanskloof Lodge, near Clan William (Western Cape) for some recuperation. Beautiful place, adventure holiday for the old and informed (I wasn’t old then). Anyway, apart from this I’ve always had good care at NHS Hospitals. My last visit was about 5 years ago. I had a bad fall when coming down from Ska Fell Pikes (highest mountain in England). Banged my elbow, split the skin, wouldn’t stop bleeding. Long story short, next day I went to the Royal Infirmary in Lancaster. I went in, registered, just needed to give my NI alpha-numeric, then they had all my details. Told to go through and wait in A&E waiting room, until a triage nurse came for me. Not too busy, couple of minutes a nurse came, checked me, said ‘oooh! That needs a stitch, go back in the waiting room until the doctor calls you’. Doctor came, I went to a cubicle with him, he look, did a small op, stitch, clean up, then out. I checked my parking ticket, from taking the ticket, to return to pay - 15 minutes. I kid you not!
On the last 9yrs ive had cancer twice. Had my kidney out andpart of my bowel and bladder, chemo etc. Also had transport to and from christies for treatment. And all on our NHS. Wouldnt be here without them
"If it was free, I'd be there with any little sniffle" is actually a huge problem for the NHS and (one of the reasons) why the wait times are so long. Unfortunately a lot of people will use up a GP slot or even go to A&E for something a local pharmacist could help with.
Well i didn’t want to steal his thunder but my appendix burst I had peritonitis (blood poisoning) I was rushed In after seeing my family doctor, I was in hospital hour later, given a private room, operated on the next day, it was serious, I was in 7 days fed , medication, cared for!! Saved!! God bless the nhs
as someone who has had to do many many stool samples, the way you usually do it is: they give you a little tub/bowl to put in the toilet bowl that like balances there to catch the poop, then you poop into that tub, then you use a little scooper (that’s attached to the lid of a little tube) to scoop bits of the poop into said little tube before screwing the lid on. tada, done. you become pretty good at it lmao.
I like to think of all the times a certain situation DID go in my favour; e.g. getting in the 'fast' queue at the check out, catching that bus, or finding my item in stock. It's easy to remember the bad times.
I've always thought that at A+E a nurse should come out and say it's going to be a 3 hour wait every half hour. Just to see how many people leave that shouldn't have been there in the first place.
As someone who was diagnosed with appendicitis as a child by a GP and who was walked to the hospital by my mother after diagnosis (getting an operation within the hour), I do get the impression that Evan isn't the best patient when it comes to medical matters.
I was always told (even by Dr's) that if you dont remove the appendix when it is inflamed you risk it rupturing and then you are basically screwed. Which is why i had to have my appendix removed when i got appendicitis. This is the first time i have ever heard someone be told " Meh just go home and take some meds" Mine was caused by a tomato seed getting stuck in their.
I would happily pay an extrat £20-30 a month in tax if it was to go toward funding the NHS and I'm reasonably confident most people would feel the same.
I lived in Tennessee for 3 years, with ‘good’ health insurance via my husband’s employer. $350 per month and $1500 per person out of pocket per year, most procedures 20% co pay. I once waited 4 hours to see my Dr with a pre booked appointment and paid $186 for the appointment. No apology for the wait (the NHS Drs usually apologise even if they are only 20 mins late, not that I expect them to). The costs for out of pocket/co pay were still terrifying! Health and education are the top debts in the USA and it’s terrifying wondering if your insurance will pay. They often mess up the bills etc too and I received several incorrect bills. I value the nhs enormously! Is it perfect? Of course not! Hardly anything is! Does ‘going private’ mean a better service? Maybe it can but in my experience, private healthcare is just as hit and miss as the NHS, just with less care at times and more unnecessary tests and procedures (I was booked in for surgery I neither wanted nor needed)!
As a retired NHS hospital worker for 40 yrs (and our daughter is an NHS hospital doctor) one of the main issues with long waits and under-funding is the huge numbers of people coming from outside the UK to use the service who have never contributed any payment into it.... there are only so many beds and staff to go round the service - very sad.
I've had my appendix removed the intense pain was on the lower right side, Evan was clutching his middle.. it sounds like he was constipated and dehydrated causing a distended bowel, one epic fart and it got better
Five years ago, I was taken to hospital by ambulance, after a road accident. I had my hand cleaned, x-rayed, and stitched up. I was seen by two doctors and attended to by a nurse. Cost was £0.
The frequent name or 'term' for conditions such as this felt by Evan, is "NAD" ("Nothing Abnormal Detected") which is then written on your medical notes, and you may be sent home - after a period of "Obs" ("obsevations"). 😏🏴❤️🇬🇧🤔🖖
We have a great NHS despite its problems. They always there 24/7 for all who need it and don't charge a penny. Say what you want about the NHS but it's amazing and has helped many many millions and millions and hopefully will continue to do so 😊
I remember being rushed to hospital in agony, the pain was the worst I’d ever felt, they thought it was my appendix and after many hours waiting they put it down to acid reflux 😂
Just spent a month in hospital (in France). Total cost: £/$ 0.00 (+ $3 per day for Wi-Fi). Before people complain that we pay high taxes they should consider that most healthcare is either free or refunded with an add-on insurance, which shouldn't normally be more than $60 per month and then only for those that can afford it, otherwise the add-on insurance is free as well.
Had a stroke a couple of months ago and was laying on the bathroom floor. My son phoned 999 and an ambulance was there within 10 minutes and rushed me to the hospital where I rushed straight through for scans and treatment. I owe the NHS for my life and the fact that I’m well with just a slight slowness of my right hand. I was released from the hospital 10 days later to recover at home with nurses and physiotherapists support. After a couple of visits they said that they didn’t need to call again as I had made such good progress and was managing well on my own. The cost for all this…..£ 000000, that price included ambulance, CAT scans,CT scans, a room of my own en suite and three meals a day.
I had a "grumbling" appendix when i was about 12. Was is hospital for 3 days. They watched me. Then it got better and they never took it out. That was about 45 years àgo. Never had a prb since. I live in NZ and our system is like England
111 Is for non urgent medical issues, if you need an ambulance you need to call 999 within the UK. 999 Is also the number for Police and The Fire Brigade emergencies only. As others have mentioned here 101 is for the Police non emergencies. Hope that clears things up. Although, people often will call 111 first for a medical opinion to ensure a nurse also thinks that your condition is worthy of making the trip to hospital, this is due to public concern about only using the medical resources when it is needed, and helps prevent resources being wasted on issues the Doctor's Surgery should be dealing with. Evan did the right thing by calling 111 first, glad he was alright in the end.
I prefer our tax at source here in the UK. It helps everybody, even those with Private Health Care. Private Health Hospitals do not have ER, so emergencies always go to the NHS hospitals. Have a Heart attack, emergency situation, you will always go to the NHS first and foremost. Then it's your choice to be moved to a private hospital after your emergency. Most NHS hospitals have Private wings, and most NHS medical staff (Surgeons, Doctors) also work Private Clinics. I was seen initially by an NHS consultant regarding my hernia. I was referred for an operation and could choose my hospital on the NHS. The Private hospital had the shortest waiting list, (two weeks). The surgeon at the private hospital who conducted my operation, was the same surgeon that recommended me for surgery. Amazing service. A minor operation I know.
I was at A&E a few months ago with a dog bite. They operate a triage system, so the nurse takes your details, a doctor will check everyone out and treat the worst first. I've been told a grumbling appendix can heal but if it goes bad I don't think it'll get better and no amount of paracetamol will heal it. My friend collapsed, went to A&E and was told if he had waited any longer it would have burst and he could have died. He told me he was in agony.
I waited 8 hours to be seen in A&E in the UK, 3hrs is very good! Tho I’m pretty sure you can’t diagnose an appendicitis without having blood work (tho the blood work would only show an infection, it doesn’t say where the infection is) so you could have something viral. I think Appendicitis’s are actually pretty hard to diagnose and you treat based on the symptoms (fever, abdo pain, extreme pain) and blood results, sometimes you need an abdominal scan. Abdominal pain can be caused by so many different things it is hard to say one way or the other (it cause be constipation, kidney, urinary, testicular, gastro, viral etc). Also want to add that I live in Scotland and we don’t pay for prescriptions here, so wouldn’t of even paid £9.
8:29 that's why you have to take your medication as prescribed. because if you're overdosing on pains, the pain you should be feeling you won't be. and yes, he will absolutely feel the pain on codeine with appendicitis 😂
I had appendicitis. I was on holiday in Germany, Dr gave me ibuprofen. I didn't know it was appendicitis. Went to my GP when I got back to UK, she sent me for an untrasoind, from the pain she thought it was gallstones. Scan done, they sent me straight to A&E. Had the usual wait for a blood test and results, as soon as they got the results, they were fast. 6litres of fluid on IV, anti iotics and a CT scan, turns out my appendix had burst a week earlier and the liver pain was from the infection leaking around my liver. Can confirm it did not leak into my ovaries. Anyhow, I was operated on the following day, full laparotomy, was in hospital for 8 days, but I'm fine now. Only issue I had when I left was my iron was very low, but I just made sure to eat plenty of pate 😂
111 came about to help relieve pressure on overcrowded A&E areas of hospitals. These nurse practitioners over the phone can decide whether you should go to your doctor or go to your local hospital. They can advise you on symptoms and care. It’s a good service.
I had really bad pain like that in January. Went to the doctors and they sent me to the hospital. It was a kidney stone. I managed to pass it without any major problems. I heard it can be really painful.
Just to point out to, US Americans, You only wait in Accident & Emergency. if your condition, is none life threatening. If you ring 111, and they feel your condition is serious. they will call an ambulance for you. If you feel it's serious, you call for an ambulance. You immediately goto hospital, and go straight to a an assessment room, and seen straight away. All for FREE
I nearly died with Appendicitis when I was around 7ish. I was on a trip and it burst and my parents are hours away. So the police had to go to my parents and get my dads signature on his book for the surgery. I woke up after the operation and was in hospital for a week. The trip staff accused me of lying for days until I woke up screaming at 2am in pain, they phone a GP. He checks me over and calls 999, I had hours to live by that time. The police, doctor and surgeon were legends.
My friend and I were in Orlando on holiday when she started with a severe migraine, I got her to the local hospital which looked more like a prison. They demanded her credit card before they even let us in! The doctor she had spoke to her like she was a child gave her an injection and charged her 200 dollars, that was in 1996!
This brings back so many memories of the night I had my appendix removed. Only after they cut me open and had my appendix out did they see that my appendix looked perfectly healthy and I actually have endometriosis. Absolute nightmare pain!
I had a problem and went to see my GP who then sent me to my local hospital for an ultrasound and biopsy. I then got called 2 weeks later to go for an MRI and a couple of days later I was called into see the Consultant who told me that I had cancer. Two weeks later I was in hospital for an operation and stayed there for 5 days. When I came home I had to recuperate for 8 - 10 weeks and then I went to a different hospital for radiation treatment. I was checked by the hospital on a regular basis until I was discharged 5 years down the line as being in remission. During all this time I had access to a MacMillan nurse (a different one in the hospital where I had my operation) who I could call at any time for advise. I was also given a thick folder with information in and a card for free prescriptions as I had to pay for them at the time. None of this cost me any money as it was all paid for by any taxes I paid. If I had this in the USA my husband and I would have been bankrupt. Long live our NHS.
Have a word with the mcmillan advisor there's lots of benefits you can get free. my wife didn't find out about this until 3 years in to her cancer treatment . Apparently the letter between the specialist, doctor , mcmillan nurses got misplaced ( 1990s pre internet days)
I hope all is well for you now ❤❤ I lost my mum to cancer a year and a half ago and her consultant, Macmillan nurse and palliative team from the hospice were all absolute angels. We are so lucky to have the NHS and the charities. I hope everything stays positive for you in the future 🤗🤗
That doesn't mean it's a lie - people have different experiences.
@@sunflower-xj6pe maybe try it in another country then maybe you would be happy with the NHS
@@sunflower-xj6peWould you like to expand on that?
Air ambulances (helicopters) are free in the UK. They are operated by charities. If you have the misfortune to need a ride on one you will become life long supporter of the charity as you will literally owe your life to them.
This is myself, East Anglian Air Ambulance saved my 7 year old sons life, didnt have to pay a penny but now donate and support them in other ways and will do as long as im around.
Same for the RNLI, I got into a bit of a pickle near Whitby and my dad called the RNLI as I got caught out by the tide, they came, plucked me off the side of the cliff and gave me a lift back to the beach but ever since I've donated to the RNLI
I don't understand why they are still charities and not government funded.
@@rogu3rooster "ever since I've donated to the RNLI"
Our local chip shop has a boat coinbox. We're a long way from the sea, but I still drop loose change in there when I'm down there.
@@pineapplepenumbra would you trust our current government to run it, probably safer with charity status, that said i get what your saying
I had appendicitis when I I was pregnant with my daughter, the NHS saved my life and hers. I had a haemorrhage when I had my son and once again they saved my life. I will always be so grateful for the incredible nurses and doctors and the care we receive in the Uk.
Wow appendicitis while pregnant?? That must’ve been a nightmare!
The nhs did not save your life. The individual doctors and nurses who work FOR the nhs did. The nhs is an organizational/ management structure. Not a very good one
They say "tummy" because when a doctor says "stomach" they are referring to the organ itself, not the general abdominal area.
And they also won’t say belly anymore because the cancel culture decided belly refers to belly fat
They mostly say it to avoid using medical jargon. I’m a vet nurse and we do the same thing with owners. If we go on about the ‘abdomen’, some people may not know what the word means, so we just say ‘tummy’.
I experienced this first hand when I sat in on a consult with my brother and his dog at work whilst the vet explained why their dog was having seizures and what the tests would show us. The way she explained things in ‘layman’s’ terms was actually really cool.
@@FBK82 That's just not true, or at least it wasn't 6 months ago when I had an operation
@@Emmet_Mooresome old school folk will still use it. But working in healthcare we are recommended to avoid belly. It’s not an intentional slip and it doesn’t necessarily apply to every unit, but for a fact I know there are some odd folk offended by belly and it’s recommended we do not use it, so while your experience is different to say it’s untrue is wrong. It’s a sad world if that’s what offends people but hey ho
@@FBK82 Thank you for putting up with that sort of thing.
I would have been fired long ago for using the word to actually refer to bellyfat out of protest
"if it was free i'd be there with any little sniffle" is one of the biggest reasons we have such long wait times
I mean here it is free too but no one actually goes because they will just tell you to take a paracetamol
I find it astonishing that driving a car in the US is seen as a right, but healthcare is a privilege. Scary stuff.
Driving should be a right considering the cost of an ambulance. Guns being a right blow my mind even more…
@@blindbrad4719 what cost...
@@OhNoNotFrank the cost of being taken to hospital in an ambulance. Didnt you know they are not free?
@@blindbrad4719 oh but they are of course free in civilized societies- even when you need a chopper. Didn’t you know they are free?
@@blindbrad4719 I mentioned that on another video and got someone raving about their constitution. As if that means more than people's safety. I can't get my head around the idea that the rights of the individual trump the rights of the many.
Great material as always. One little point for anyone in the world needing to use our NHS Accident and Emergency- DO NOT go with any little sniffle "because it's free". You will be welcomed in to NHS A&E as much with a stubbed toe as you will with a shatterd spine and 70% burns - point being is be a sensible judge of what is an emergency and what can wait UK NHS A & E overrun by pathetic clowns with a "broken finger nail"
Totally agree.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The clue is in the the name
It’s Accident and Emergency
Not Runny Nose and Weird Rash on my Arm
I believe most cities and really large towns have walk in centres for non emergencies (I live in a relatively small city and there are at least two here) if you either can’t get an appointment at a time suitable for you or haven’t yet registered with a Doctor’s surgery. You’ll get the care you need from a qualified practitioner and if a visit to A&E is needed, they will advise you of that and if x-rays, tests etc are needed they will give/forward on a referral for you advising what is needed.
You don't even go to the gp with a sniffle, you deal with it yourself
Evan should bear in mind that if during his time in A&E an emergency to life comes in, the doctors and nurses will stop attending to non critical cases to help ensure the new case live. No UK person begrudges that.
No UK person begrudges that?
You obviously have never worked in a UK A&E.
I worked nights for 10 years in a large A&E dept and I can assure you that there are people who do.
Of course when working nights many of your patients will have consumed a large amount of alcohol and that has an adverse effect on their behaviour.
Unfortunately they do. I've sat in A&E with people whinging and I always just say to them "I'm happy to wait, they're saving someone's life"
When I've had the crash alarm pulled for me, and every member of staff runs towards me to save my life, I'm usually so sick and scared that I'm glad there are a bunch of people trying to get my airway open again in those few minhtes i have before my life ends. So when i hear the crash alarm and everyone stops looking at me and runs away i feel two things....trauma....and grateful. Grateful i can still pull air into my lungs and my heart is still beating. And if anyone around me is complaining i have some good "nearly dying" stories for them till they shut up
@@Lookatmeshine yeah I've seen that one too many times too, people just kinda forget that Triage is a thing and your stubbed toe doesn't get priority over the guy being rushed in with a tree branch through his chest.
The NHS saved my life a few times and my daughter life and I’m so respectful. They do a amazing job they need gratitude in waves
Also I’m a mental health nurse working in the NHS. I mostly work with people with psychosis (usually due to schizophrenia) I work with homeless people and people living in literal mansions, and they all get the same treatment and care.
It’s angering how short staffed the nhs is though. When people say “we don’t have enough nurses in the U.K.” I don’t think people realise, we DO have enough qualified nurses here. There’s just so many nurses leaving the professions and leaving the nhs due to poor working conditions and staff shortages.
Covid really changed it all. I worked on a covid ward for a year and a half, and many of my colleagues burnt out and left. Our manager had to drive to 5 different nurses houses during covid to check they hadn’t ended their lives due to the trauma and stress of that time.
Go to any trauma hospital and you’ll see a garden with little trees. Each one of those trees is planted when a member of staff (usually a nurse) takes their life. During Covid it really was something else and I personally know a lot of nurses and doctors who gave up the profession after that, usually due to being unable to work in a hospital anymore.
I love my job but the lack of staff and services makes it so depressing as it’s sometimes hard to give appropriate care.
Sorry for the rant 😅
Thank you for everything you do ❤
Amen.
I got a lot of great help from you lot, well, not mental health help but renal 😂. You do a great job, I missed practising my Spanish though after Brexit
I ended up having to go private due to a lack of NHS help for mental health. I have had to borrow money to do so. I was belittled when I tried to explain my symptoms. Basically, unless you're actively suicidal they tell you to go away. Decades of underfunding by all governments caused it, with the Tories underfunding to an even greater degree so that they can push through privatisation. Let's get them out as soon as possible!
I volunteered for six months in a vaccination clinic and saw something of a different side. Some of the doctors and nurses worked extremely hard but some didn't and needed jogging along to do the job they were paid for. One nurse wanted a five minute nattter with her admin assistant between each patient and one doctor jabbed 15 people like a production line with less than the minimum of the standard questions and then went off for ten minutes on his mobile texting, chatting and admitting to us that he'd be back only when the queue built up again. There are some superbly hard working staff in the NHS, but there are some lazy sods who act like parasites toward their other colleagues. I've seen it too many times.
My 24 year old daughter was diagnosed with MS 3 years ago, she's had multiple MRI's, a lumber puncture, constant specialist appointments, various medications and is due to start another course of meds at a hospital in London. I thank the NHS every day ❤
*edit sorry wrong box* best of luck to your daughter, my heart goes out to her.
@@TheRevWillNotBeTelevised Thank you 🥰
I'm the same im 46yrs old and for 27yrs I have had this problem and now they tell me it might be ms all because I have a overactive thyroid gland
People who live in the UK and have not experienced privatised healthcare have no understanding of how good the NHS is and why it exists. I had a seizure completely out of the blue, my wife found me collapsed on the floor unconscious and could not revive me. She called an ambulance which arrived in 8 minutes - i was rushed to hospital with blue lights, straight into a bay and handed over by the paramedics to a team of about 5 drs and nurses who immediately started wiring me up and taking blood etc. I was then sent for an MRI scan on my brain (its 3am) - they kept me in until morning, then a consultant came to explain there was nothing in the tests which was a good thing. Then told me if was a seizure and now they need to investigate epilepsy and i would need to attend a first seizure clinic in neurology but could go home. Over six months I had numerous appointments and scans and tests which cleared me of epilepsy. No cost.
Last month my father in law was having chest pains, ambulance came, rushed straight to hospital, straight into cardiology - then half an hour later he was in surgery having a triple heart bypass - which saved his life. No cost.
Glad it was free for you. Though who did pay for it? Because from what I see online those doctors don't work for free because they be striking a lot.
@@AMS-KORRE All NHS staff wages are paid by the government, the Junior doctors strikes and Nurses strikes are over their comparatively low pay rates compared to other high skilled/educated professions.
@@arttops2563 ah man that's so cool I wish our govt paid for our healthcare and the staffs wages. Sadly we pay for our healthcare and the staff wages through our wages.
@@AMS-KORREyet America spends most on healthcare, it's a broken system there! The NHS is a treasure after WW2, and we can't let it get privatised! Unfortunately it's already going that way...
@@arttops2563 Not quite true about NHS staff wages. They are paid for from taxes raised from the general populace; the Government itself has no money. So it's we the taxpayers who pay NHS staff wages.
32y/o Brit here. At 16 my kidneys failed, had 2 years of dialysis, kidney transplant. Dislocated my shoulder, had it stabilised, kidney transplant failed after 8 years, back on dialysis, had emergency open heart surgery, another kidney transplant not to mention the many vascular surgeries for fistulas etc. never paid a dime beyond taxes. I’ve certainly took more out the system than put in.
The NHS is suffering right now, but be proud of it none the less.
As someone who's paid in more than they've taken out, I'm glad my tax money has been used to save your life, because I'm not a greedy jackass.
Seriously though, hope you're doing OK now :)
I always find it funny when some American in the comments goes “but it’s not actually free is it?”, as if they’ve just stated some massive secret we all didn’t know about and that alone is going to suddenly change our mind about all of the insane benefits of having universal health care. WE KNOW! Unlike America, which has one of the worst most badly setup tax systems, our country actually makes the whole process automatic and makes it feel just as good as free.
i consider our (german) healthcare system to be similar to _flatrates_ for phone, tv, firefighters, police, car insurance, etc.
you first pay some monthly fixed cost like a percentage of your income for taxes, insurance, etc, which is affordable.
but then *when you need it* almost everything is almost completely *free,* and causes no insane surprises.
example: emergency surgery on intestines to remove a blockage including cancer (2 weeks hospital) with a followup surgery two months later (another 2 weeks in one of the "top six cancer hospitals worldwide" to remove the last remains of cancer metastases), followed by hernia surgery a few months later (1 more week hospital), and ALL related costs for doctors, nurses, anesthesia, xray, blood tests, mri, infusions and pills, ambulance transfer to another hospital, etc, as well as any other doctor visits and followup checks (specialized more costly mri every 6 months) were ZERO, cost for the hospital itself was 280€ copay for 14+14+7 days (10€ per day for bed and food, capped to 28 days per year), and 5€ copay for the painkillers at home after each release from the hospital.
overall, i still consider those 295€ total to be FREE, for becoming cancer free now.
It's as good as free cause it doesn't matter if you are a billionaire that's paid millions in tax or you've never earned enough to be taxed in your life you get the same level of treatment.
And the thing is, we pay less with our taxes than they do with their premiums. And we don't get refused treatment
It's pre-paid by paying into a National Insurance scheme, along with funding from general taxation. So we don't assume it's free. The Tories, who are funded by the super-rich, exist to restrict any benefits to the poorer members of our society, instead offering tax cuts that somehow won't affect the public sector.
We know that but people need reminding that it isn't free. It's all paid through our tax but people still need to be responsible for their health and use the NHS wisely.
I think the phone number 111 was chosen for NHS Direct because our emergency number is 999, so it follows the same sort of pattern. On a side note we also have a non emergency number for the police, which is 101.
On top of that, there's others too for Power Cuts, One historically for COVID and an additional one for emergencies you can use with your mobile/cell phone across the UK and EU regardless of what network you're on - www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/89547/3-digit.pdf
I thought 101 was the number you called when you wanted to wait in a queue.
@@Shoomer1988101 is the non emergency police number
I dialled 101 once due to 3 guys firing a pistol at something down a street in scotland in the middle of the night. Was awkward having to explain to the sergeant I was forwarded to, why I had not called 999. My response to him was that my bus was arriving and I use a mobile phone ticket, so I didn't call immediately and as I was then on the bus, and that I was no longer at the scene, I thought that it was no longer an emergency 🤔Sometimes, I am stupid, but I did at least give enough details on them for them to get nicked, alongside a small stash which had their pistol
I'm always getting mixed up between these two numbers.
People have problem understanding, that waiting is part of the course for an emergency room everywhere. Because people are treated in the order of seriousness, instead of order of arrival. If you need to wait for a long time, that is usually a pretty good sign that your situation is not immediately life threatening.
50 grand for an ambulance?? I thought you said 15 and I was outraged then realise you said 50 and nearly needed an ambulance myself 😮😮😮 WTF
Nah it's like 2 or 3
@@WookieWarriorzjust for the call out that is though!
EVERYTHING is extra, from plasters to oxygen, even them telling you what might be wrong will cost too!
Yes Americans have to be crippled financially if they ever get sick, but at least they can comfort themselves by knowing how bad socialism is.
@@motelghost477 😄
@@motelghost477 You just have to keep people stupid enough and give them a good enemy image, then you can pluck them like a Christmas goose.
Bizarrely, a few years ago, me and a friend in the US both needed our gallbladders removed around the same time. I had an ambulance to the hospital, operation, after care and sent home later that day. My US friend had an operation and had to stay 2 nights (not sure why that was necessary except hiking the costs). Mine was free (except for the tax I pay automatically each month). She had a bill for $35k on top of the $800 per month she pays for family health insurance. The heath insurance covered most of it, but she had to pay £5k co-payment (like excess on car insurance in the UK) before she left the hospital. Instead of recuperating after her op, she sat on her hospital bed arranging a $5k loan. The NHS is worth its weight in gold, which is why our current government is desperate to privatise it. Imagine paying $800 a month and still having to find $5k if you dare to use it? It's inhumane 🤬
That's Dodi, singer-songwriter (her latest album is great!) and Evan's long time friend.
999 works jn the UK for emergencies, 111 is health advice (always your first call for health issues), but.. 212 works across Europe from Greenland to Turkey.
I love her music.
Used the NHS over the years, although its creaking a bit now its literally the gift we gave ourselves after the war that keeps giving.
In Finland, I went to the hospital by ambulance, I had an appendectomy, I was in the hospital for a few days, the bill was 56 Euros.
Last year my partner banged her head whilst getting something out of the under stairs cupboard. She said she was ok. A few days later she had a seizure. I rang for an ambulance which got to my front door in about two minutes and took her the two miles to the nearest hospital.
My partner was a while waiting to get into A&E because there was no beds available but staff treated her in the back of the ambulance. Finally she got into A&E.
In the course of things they did a scan and found she had a tumour on the front of the brain which had swelled up with fluid when she had banged her head which in turn had put pressure on the brain causing the seizure. So really her banging her head was a blessing in dusguise because we discovered something we didn't know she had.
She was put on steroids which brought down the swelling and she was back home within a week.
Shortly after she received a letter from the NHS to go see a consultant about the tumour. She had the consultation and they determined that the tumour was probably benign and that she could be operated on if she chose to. Which she did.
In less than one month after that consultation she was back in a different hospital about 30 miles from where I live that specialises in brain and cardiac problems. She had the operation to remove the tumour which went well though she was a long time recovering.
For five and a half weeks after having the tumour removed she was moved from the hospital where she had the operation done to the local hospital then to a respite home.
After five and a half weeks she finally came home 95% her old self. This was all for free.
There's no way she could have afforded to pay for any of this via her own funds. That's why even as more of a conservative thinker, I am myself completely in support of our NHS. I dont mind as a worker paying my taxes so my partner who I love can get the treatment she needs that otherwise she would be able to afford herself.
Yes there's faults in the system, there's abuse of the system, a shortage of beds at times etc but the basic principle of the NHS is probably the best invention the UK has ever come up with.
In contrast I have a friend in the US. The subject of healthcare came up regularly and it would often end up in arguments as each side staunchly defended the system in their own country. Eventually we had to agree to disagree and no longer discuss the subject.
Then a few years ago my friend suddenly disappeared of the radar. There was no sign of him anywhere.
Months later he reappeared on FB to tell me he had a stroke.
He then asked me more depth detail about how the NHS works. I thought this strange as we had always disagreed on the subject but I explained things as a friend.
I found to my surprise his attitude had turned 180. He now thought the NHS was a fantastic concept. He told me this was because the stroke had meant he could no longer work, thus he had lost his employer provided healthcare plan and had been hit with huge medical bills. The insurer was willing to pay most of the hospital bills but nothing towards his ongoing treatment and prescription drug costs going forward.
Being unemployed and having no medical coverage because of that means he can't afford the hundreds of dollars a month to pay for the prescription drugs the doctors say he needs so he just goes without them and regularly messages me to say he just wants the end to come and end the suffering because he's now more or less bed bound.
This is a man who fought for his country in the 101st airborne and was a medic, saving fellow soldier's lives himself and now this is how he is rewarded by his country.
I find it crazy that on 4th July Americans can hug each other, celebrate independence from the British but 1 minute after midnight, 1 minute into 5th July, if the person next to them keels over then they can just say, "Oh well, hope he has good healthcare insurance". What a paradox.
Friends in the UK will ALWAYS go the extra mile mile for each other - it's expected 😉😊
I'm so very grateful for our NHS. I've had to use it many, many times and so have some of my family members. From operations that have required an intensive care bed, extended stay for traction (spine), complicated accidents, giving birth (quite a few) etc, etc. All of these would definitely have bankrupted each person involved. Two of the "patients" required a nurse to attend to them after they had returned home, which, of course, was provided. They also received a few visits from Occupational Health and Social Services, they were assessing the patients living conditions and then listed any alterations/additions they could offer to enable them to live comfortably at home. Next came the Physiotherapist who worked with them which really helped towards them making full recoveries.
Thankfully, everything was/is "free".
The National Insurance contributions are relatively small (in fact, I think it ought to be increased) and is a percentage of your wage. It's automatically extracted, so you don't actually notice that you've made this payment.
Three cheers for the NHS 👏👏👏❤️🇬🇧❤️🇬🇧❤️🇬🇧❤️
National Insurance is for your pension, The NHS comes out of your income tax.
In Australia we have a national health system very similar to Britain. My husband and l lived a rural area where doctors are scarce and hospitals are even more scarce but if any health problems arise that can not be dealt with they send patients to the nearest city for treatment.
My husband started to walk unsteady on his feet and had shaking hands and head, l immediately took him to the local hospital (where he was admitted) and was informed that he needed to be flown out within hours. In Australia we have what is called the Royal Flying Doctors service which is a group of small planes based in the country areas to pick up patients and transport them to city hospitals. The flight had 2 other people from different hospitals within 500 kms of its base. I could have flown with him but decided not to as l knew l would need my car in the city. I drove the 3.5 hours to the city where my daughter lived so l stayed with her while he was in hospital.
He had 3 surgeries within 4 days to relieve the pressure in his head from the tumour. Unfortunately the tumour was very deep and in a very dangerous area. He was given 8 weeks to live. He was in hospital for several weeks recovering ,while they decided what do do next. Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy was the answer to try to shrink the tumour. He was released from hospital but because we lived so far away they booked us into Crawford lodge which is a large hotel type of place built for Cancer patients where all types of facilities are available to the residents to make life easier, things like a small movie Theater, lounges , kitchens and laundries as well as bus trips to local shopping centres and activities. A 6 seat buggy was provided with driver to and from the lodge to treatments in the hospital (they were both in the same grounds ) they had a wellness centre where patients and their carers could have treatments by volunteers such as meditation,massage, reiki etc…
Although we were well looked after my husband still had Cancer and slept a lot. His medications were priced in the thousands and he had several of them but l only had to pay $5.50 a prescription ( l believe it is $7.50 now). Therapy and talks by the staff from different departments to reassure us and inform us on what to expect and why things were happening, l became so well informed on all things to do with tumours etc. All the equipment like walking frame ,later a wheelchair) , any equipment that the doctors thought would help, was provided free of charge. We had 8 weeks of the daily treatments , before it finished and we were recommended to stay in the city for rehabilitation for another month. All we wanted to do was go home to our quiet life and away from the city. Finally at home we had regional and local nurses on call and they paid weekly visits to make sure my husband was doing well and l was coping at home. Our local hospital was fantastic and gave me respite whenever l needed to shop or just have a break for a few hours to a full weekend. Because his tumour was inoperable we knew it was not going to be a happy outcome but we enjoyed our time left in our home with the pets and friends.
It was probably the worst time of my life but in a strange way it was a good time too. I had to give up work when all this started but the social worker at the hospital was a real pillar of strength for me and encouraged me to apply for social security (pension) . It came through the 3 rd week we were in Perth so we did not have to worry about finances.
All of this, the flight ,hospital, medications ,treatments,therapy,the lodge respite and all medical staff (top neurological specialists and specialist nurses and equipment cost absolutely nothing. My husband lived for 10 months at home and one in the hospital at the end.I was told It was very important that he was admitted to the hospital in the beginning so the hospital would bear the cost of the flight and all costs after. I am so grateful for the love and devotion and professionalism of all involved in this worrying time. I do miss him to this day but so glad that an emergency like this did not cause a financial emergency that would have lasted the rest of my life.
Had what I thought was an asthma flare up relievers did not work. So rang 999 within 10 mins an ambulance was at my door paramedics Said you need hospital. On way in my condition got worse crew gave me injections which I found out were blood thinners. On arrival at Hospital seen by a registrar trainee surgeon. Within an hour was in operating room having stents in my arteries. Was in hospital for 7 days then discharged following a course of Cardio rehabilitation and Physio was given all clear after 3 months. TOTAL COST FREE at point of need and no follow up bills. All paid for from General Taxes which every body under 65 pays and other revenues. It's called being a compassionate society .
I work in the NHS. Love my job. Sadly, I've had to apologise to patients for delays and have been berated a few times for it. I learned that if you are honest for the reason, like we have an emergency coming in, people are usually understanding. There's been the odd one that I've told that strokes/traumatic injuries trumps any appointments.
I've also have had to tell a family member that in the NHS we look after everyone. I'm not refusing care to someone just because she wasn't happy with us prioritising the other patient.
The NHS is something that is in our hearts. We look after people because we love doing so. God knows it's definitely not to make money 😅 like we are all broke 😅
Please be nice and respectful to staff. And use NHS services appropriately 🩵
The NHS is the crown jewel of the UK and we need to preserve and protect it as much as possible. I worked for the NHS for 4 years as receptionist in A&E and I can tell you one of the biggest issues the NHS has is TIME WAISTERS! people who turn up to the ACCIDENT & EMMERGENCY when they have a cold or a headache. Time waisters take up valuable space and time for patients who really need need to be in A&E. Immigrants who don't register for a NHS number (so they can register for a GP) also use A&E as their GP Practice for every minor ailment and they don't come alone....they come with their full family for their monthly check up and as the Registered Nurses and Doctors have a duty of care they can't turn them away so again time waisters taking up valuable space and time!
have you used it recently ? people are sent to A&E where once a GP would sort it. my wife is still ill after 6 months when a second dose of steroids would have sorted it -- 4 visits to hospital A&E approx 4 hours each time, finally got to see Asthma team who had to change out inhalers type. previous hospital visits advice had actually made the condition worse. all because the GP was not allowed to issue a 2nd week of steroids. what's that a £1000 to try and save £5 ( the management are inept at every level)
Not a surprise when they are coming from a different countries infrastructure and when GPs can't take on patients. 1.3 million immigrants letting last year by the Tories, my dad also waited till he got back home early from holiday to get sorted for a problem he had in Spain, didn't get Helford insurance and voted Brexit 😂
My wife has had two babies, both deliveries doctor lead due to complications, she's been through breast cancer, chemo, radiotherapy, mastectomy and reconstructive plastic surgery, and so many tests and scan on al sorts of hugely expensive machines. What's interesting is in both pregnancies and her cancer treatment she didn't pay a single penny at the point of use. Evan had to pay for his prescription, but the NHS provide maternity exemptions which afford mothers free prescriptions for the duration of pregnancy and for 12 months after birth. This includes dental care! Then she received a medical exemption certificate during cancer which entitled her to free prescriptions and hospital dental care for 5 year. I've never thought to add up the cost of all of her treatments and surgery but it must be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Thank God for the NHS.
The NHS is incredible. I was rushed in when my optician saw blood in my eye. Very detailed tests, scans of my eye and brain, lumbar puncture. They thought it could be a brain tumour but it was pressure in the fluid round my brain. Could have gone blind if they hadn't found and treated it so quickly. Yes there can be long waits,but at least I won't loose my home trying to pay for one visit.
I hate so say but I am now of a certain age which means I am in a senior role in engineering and get paid well. I pay £350 a month for National Insurance which includes paying for health care and paying for me when I am sick, and the national pension when I retire. So yes I pay but its still a bargain compared to US insurance costs.
But the point is I am ALSO paying for those who don't earn what I do and so don't pay NI. And I don't mind that. Its good that everyone can have health care and a pension.
Want to make it feel even better value for money. The amount we pay in the UK on tax and national Insurance combined is not noticeably higher than is paid by most people in the US, we actually dispite our government trying to generally be as financially incompetent as possible, get surprisingly good value for money.
@@cgi2002 the average annual cost of healthcare in the US is between 40% and 90% higher than in basically all other industrialised countries (which includes western Europe, but also Japan, South Korea and AUS/NZ)
And despite that the life expectancy is around 3-6 years shorter. So not only do they pay more, they get less from it.
@@HappyBeezerStudios that honestly does not surprise me.
I have a love/hate relationship with the NHS. I work in it, thus i hate the financial mismanagement causing issues with wages and poor service levels but I love it simply because it saved my life (heart attack) and I got to keep my house (I did the rough math, my job would not have gotten health insurance there, and my treatment would have cost upwards of $300k, 7 weeks in hospital, multiple procedures, major cardiac surgery, lifetimes supply of medication, that's the kicker).
I'll take a 1-3% higher tax rate for that.
The thing i love about the NHS is that even our ambulances are free to use and are equipped with EMTs and paramedics that know how to use the life-saving medication and equipment on board.
Free to use in some situations. You will pay for an ambulance in some situations.
Aussie here, nearly same as NHS. My ambo, x ray, moon boot, cuppa and sandwich all free. I can’t imagine living in America if a small or big medical issue arose - must be terrifying for them, the pain, illness and a gigantic bill on top of that. If our countries can, so can they - but they don’t - it’s crazy and cruel.
@@herenow6953 same in germany: free when it is an emergency, prescribed transport, etc, but also in other cases it usually is capped to 10€ copay (yes, 10 and not 10k), except for extreme misuse.
ps: if you go to hospital eg for some scheduled appointment, or when going home after release, the insurance also pays other transportation like taxi, bus or train, when no ambulance is really needed.
Earlier this year I went to A&E with severe tummy pains. For the third time ( each over 24 hour wait) . I was admitted for Emergency surgery, 8 hours in surgery and i got sepsis......6 days in an induced coma, constantly on multiple drips and lines, another week in intensive care and a further 2 weeks on a ward. I moaned and moaned, but all it cost was the parking when my husband visited daily. Thank you NHS ( although i Know I was a moany moo at the time - I apologise for the daily swearing! )
American healthcare makes everything harder through choice. My friend has a mark on her lip she was worried about so she went to her GP, 10 days later she was in front of a dermatologist getting some moles biopsied. Two weeks after that she was summoned to an oncologist consultant's clinic. There she was in a room with a set of consultants - oncology, dermatology and a general surgeon - they explained her skin cancer and went through her treatment plan, two weeks after that she had her first operation.
I am told in the USA it would be up to the patient to organise each doctor separately.
You said it, "if its free Im going for a sniffle" which is why the NHS emergency rooms are so full
Free of charge at point of use. The taxes an individual pays for the NHS is a tiny fraction of what they'd pay for private medical insurance. Also bear in mind that in the UK even private medical insurance is much cheaper than it is in the US. That's because A&E treatment is not provided by private healthcare.
The average cost of an American birth is twice what it cost for a private birth for the future king of England! Terrifying!
My husband and daughter are in BUPA, one private healthcare. It goes up every year whether you use it or not, but, they pay the whole amount except £100 excess per calender year NOT per illness.. My husband joined at 40 he is now 60 and we pay £240 month. In those years he’s had…cataracts, carpal tunnel, 2 back ops, cortisone injections shoulder repeated, shoulder op, wisdom teeth extraction and he can gave a new knee when he’s ready for one. That’s on top of the NHS as he is a diabetic and has regular feet, eye blood screening and now wears a disposable disc which works with an app that measures his sugar and 3 injections a day. Fabulous. Ps forgot emergency head op I spoke about in comments.
The original NHS Charter says "free at the point of need," not the point of use. It's a subtle difference but "at the point of need" refers to a patient while "at the point of use" refers to a customer.
Obviously it isn't free as on "no cost for nobody", but there is a difference in paying a small some every month, so small that you won't even notice and getting all needed services when you need them at no extra cost. And one big thing in favour of insurance is that you pay in when you're able to work and get it back when you aren't
Because how many sick, ill and injured people are able to work a full job while getting treatment.
Exactly 12 months ago I had an emergency appointment at the GP surgery, made that morning. I saw the nurse who sent for an ambulance which arrived in 15 minutes. I was taken to hospital and straight into A&E where I was diagnosed with a heart attack. Fortunately there was a bed available immediately. The following day I was in surgery having a stent fitted. I was home in three days with follow up from the community team. I now take 8 tablets a day but I'm still here and I don't have to worry about the cost. Love the NHS!🩵🩵🩵
Hi. You say you would be there with the little sniffle thats why there are queues because people do
Appendicitis will usually come with the quite significant and obvious symptom of "fever", especially if it's in the late stages of causing excruciating pain. The nurses/doctors probably took note of this during Evan's "obs" and perhaps silently concluded that the pain was gastric in nature, but to be sure they have the patient wait. I personally haven't been in a long wait situation where I haven't had regular updates or new obs taken, but I imagine how busy the hospital is dictates your average wait time. I know for sure that one thing I'll never take for granted, is the National Health Service in this country as an institution. It may be a "socially funded" establishment, but it's one that means failing health for any of us as citizens..... while not guaranteeing our lives, should we need to call upon it, we are able to do so without being financially ruined.
Oh I do love your gentle voice. Love to hear you narrate something interesting. ❤
25:00 - All air ambulances in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are operated by charities. The Scottish Ambulance Service have two air ambulances, and a charity operates an additional two air ambulances in Scotland.
So if an air ambulance (or one of their rapid response cars) were to be dispatched to you in the UK, it is likely that neither taxpayers or the government are paying for it but the donors/fundraisers of a charity (e.g. those whose lives they have previously helped save).
Nothing but good experiences. Been to A&E three times and only waited half an hour last time and it wasn’t super a serious condition either
I just want so say how nice and mellow your voice is! It’s really nice.
Same feeling I had 5:30 when I was sent to the ER/A&E with suspicions of kidney stones (it turned out to be a strong stomach flu, but I learned that the symptoms I had are commonly observed in people with kidney stones). While the intake was faster and the ER waiting room was in no way busy, I was still waiting for about 4 hours before I got all my results.
When getting wheeled to a CT-scan, the volunteer who did that asked me how I was doing, and my response (after days of sleeping bad, and being unable to keep most food in so I was slow and slightly "out of this world") was something along the lines of "Eh, reasonably well, even though my stomach is killing me, I feel blessed at these moments not to have to travel for 3 hours in a van on my way to the first hospital".
12:30 You suggest him to drink more water: when I had the stomach flu in 2018 I could also not keep water in.
The stabbing pains he seems to describe sound like what I had in 2018, I could not walk up straight anymore from the pain, with a V-shaped spot on my chest from sweating my ass off when the flashes of pain happened.
as a young man with 2 parents who have both had cancer the nhs gave them care that i will be forever gratful for the surgeon's the nurses all the way down to the gp's, if it was privatised not only would i have lost my dad and had to look after a disbaled mum whos recovering from cancer my family would of been financially crippled forever, at least the little bit of money my dad was able to leave went to my mum to ease some of the burden, im not allways proud of my country and society but the nhs is the best thing we have in this country.
I'm in the UK.
I had appendicitis last year.
Stomach ache on Friday night.
In pain on Saturday; thought it was a stomach virus or something.
Still in pain Sunday and the pain had moved to my appendix area, so I phoned 111.
111 booked me into the walk-in centre and told me to get there within the next two hours.
The doctor at the walk-in centre prodded me a few times and said "You have appendicitis, I'm booking you into Surgical Assessment at the hospital. Go there now".
Got to the hospital, got examined and admitted into the ward.
I had a CT scan first thing in the morning, in surgery a couple of hours later.
I had a bit of a turn 111 sent me to urgent care who sent me to A&E, I had had a TIA, mini stroke, a CT scan discovered I have a mass on my brain and I'm getting treated very well. Investigation is ongoing but I feel reassured that im having scans, heart check, all sorts of things. I'm so grateful for the NHS right now.
NHS nurses in the UK are known as angels. There used to be a tv show by the same name that ran from 1975 to 1983 about nurses.
I broke my finger and during the treatment over several months I had 3 different X rays, 4 appointments with a doctor at the fracture clinic and five appointments with a hand physio. I dread to think what it would have cost if it was a private service. Very grateful for the NHS here in the UK - I think we tend to take it for granted. Needs more investment, of course, but so glad it exists.
It needs to stop pissing money away more than anything as they're the ones that spend the budget given to them by the government, especially on locum staff which cost the NHS £3billion in 2023, not to mention all the migrants that come to the UK getting free NHS treatment straight away without paying a penny into the system and putting a strain on an already breaking service.
@@vinniedixon1140you forget to mention the NHS as it stands is propped up by immigrants itself, without immigration, NHS will be worse, unless you can convince British workers to work in the health service
@@vinniedixon1140 that strike money there could have given the junior doctors their 35% rise, + more as 35% would only cost about 2 billion or so. leaving 1 billion free to have improved services. But no. Also, you forget to remember that immigrants literally prop up the NHS, why all of a sudden, after Brexit did it get so bad? Less immigration for the NHS itself. Follow the money. Most people were lied to, all because of Nigel Farage.
Not sure about Evan’s story appendix is on the right side lower abdomen. Yes I’ve had it and had mine out on the nhs. He was clutching his left side, I suspect that’s why the hospital doctor told him it wasn’t appendicitis! Good news is he got better.
I live in the UK, a couple of years ago I was going to bed and had severe chest pain. I thought it would subside but at midnight I was still in pain so my wife called 999 and described the problem. They despatched a paramedic team who arrived at my house, gave me an ecg and told me I was having a heart attack. They carried me to their ambulance, gave me morphene and some other stuff, one guy phoned ahead to the hospital to have a surgical team ready then we set off to the hospital. A team was waiting, I was prepped and on the operating table. Time from the telephone call to being on the table was less than 30 minutes, that is how good the NHS can be. 3 stents fitted and a week of care in hospital plus all my medication for the rest of my life all free of cost. 7 years ago I was diagnosed with a cancer, weeks of radiotherapy, drugs and aftercare since then, all free of cost to me, not even prescription costs. This is because one of the NHS rules is that following cancer, there are no prescription charges for anything.
I've seen the NHS From both sides. The good and bad. Twice they screwed up on my wife's health because of doctor's indifference. Only when we pushed and her new GP agreed with us that something was not right, did we finally get a answer. A Brain tumour. Her head is now full of glue and bearings, to starve it. Three ops a year for five years to complete this work. A year of then down to Sheffields Royal Hailsham Hospital for Gamma knife radio treatment. 7 hour's in the coffin as they called the lead lined box. About ten years ago my wife's weight started to incase. After trying different thing to lose it (the brain surgery my of saved her life but the damage it did left her with mobility problems) she approached her GP. He put her on a fat buster drug. For the first 4 months the weight was coming of. Then it stopped, and started going back on. The GP after a while the GP stopped the tablets. Even though we told him her food intake was going down to one point 6/700 calories aday and she was still gaining wait, plus everytime she moved she felt like a brick had dropped in her stomach he ignored her. You could see the look on his face when we walked in, 'weigh again' she collapsed, i eventually got her up and into the car. The hospital was brilliant as soon as i went to check her in the desk clerk called forca doctor he took one look whisked her away while i gave her details over tovthe clerk. Yes it took two MRI and load of questions. But they did have an answer. Tumour in her stomach About 30cm in diameter. Two weeks later she was in hospital 3hour surgery ended being 8 hours long. The Tumour weighted in a 2.5 stones. Thus is the NHS From bad to good. Like all things in life. Would i change the NHS no never. Good video
No matter the problems with the NHS you will be hard pressed to find a person who would like to swap it for the usa healthcare system
any other European countries systems would be better than ours
infact, adopting the US system would probably be an upgrade... That's how underinvested the NHS has been. I don't advocate for that though, the US system is trash. whereas the NHS is fairly cost effective, just lack of investment from tory governments 🙄
Couple of years ago I got a small superficial thrombophlebitis in my leg after covid vaccination and it was late and I was home with my 5-year old and they sent an ambulance to check on me at home and I never got a bill for it. In Finland.
His friend is Dodie Clark...singer/songwriter/musician...also a TH-camr - DoddleOddle is her channel name.
If an emergency arrives in A+E the nurse has to inform you of the extra waiting time. Quite a few people will always get up and walk out !! not so much an emergency after all ehh? so the waiting time then drop's lolllll win win. The thing is some people go to A +E when they should just be booking a GP appointment.
No one, and I mean no one, can get an appointment at my GP. So they go to A+E. Quite rightly too.
@@VMM34 I hear what you are saying, that's why i left the UK when all those problems started. I should of said that's how it should work but doesn't.
@@VMM34i regularly have to wait days to get a GP appointment. It's terrible.
I was taken by ambulance to A&E in August 2001. I arrived at about 3.15 am. I'd already been in agony for over 2 hours. Finally, they gave me morphine at around 06.45. I had a week in Derriford Hospital. Just over a year later, I had my gall bladder removed due to polyps growing on it. 😊❤😊
When I was taken into hospital by ambulance due to suspected appendices I was given morphine for my pain once at the hospital..unfortunately mines had burst so big open surgery and weeks stay in hospital. My daughter was six weeks old and Id had her by c section so had not fully recovered from that. I had a few negative experiences throughout but in general was thankful to the NHS for saving my life.
There are waits to be endured, but the last time we were in hospital, about 2 years ago, they came around with free tea, coffee and sandwiches.
2 yea rs ago i had heart bypass surgery at the royal brompton in chelsea, excellent care doctors and nurses were brilliant. god knows what that would cost in the U.S. they even took me home free of charge. god bless the NHS.
I just got released from the Royal Infirmary after a 3 month stay. My GP rushed me to hospital after an abscess burst on my leg and it turned out I had sepsis. It developed into flesh eating bacteria and the surgeon had to cut most of my belly flesh away. Spent the 3 months using a VAC machine, 24/7, to clean the wound and pull it's sides closed to lessen the amount of flesh needs to do a skin graft. I'm currently waiting on plastic surgery to close up the little wounds I have left. NHS literally saved my life and I wasn't charged a penny...
Sorry about his experience in Accident and Emergency dept but I have never had anything like that. Waiting for a long time is normal - patients are triaged to treat the most urgent ones first - but everyone is usually quiet and well-behaved. After waiting to be seen by a doctor, all my tests, diagnosis and treatment haves always been first class. And all 'free' of course - that is to say, paid for by our taxes, but certainly no terrible high bills afterwards. And the ambulances are 'free' too of course. It's a good system. Could be better but it's already better than a lot of others.
I had something similar, quite a few years ago. While in Stoke I had pains from hell, in my tummy. I didn’t think it was Appendicitis, not the correct area, but pain! I think it was a hospital in Hanley, on a Saturday night. My girlfriend, then, took me to hospital, she stayed with me for the hours of wait. Crikey, Saturday night was busy. It took about 3 hours until I was on a bed waiting. Then, guess what, the pain disappeared the moment the doc walked in. I apologised profusely and left. My girlfriend kept assuring them that I had been in pain for hours. Anyway, they told me to come back is it recurred. It came back a few times over the years, until something went badly wrong when I was in Namibia. I ended up in the Catholic Hospital in Windhoek, I had a stomach ulcer. Simple operation, but not allowed to lift anything heavy for 3 months. BTW, I married my girlfriend. Funny part of this was when we drove from Windhoek to Cape Town (she drove, obviously) we went to visit the Fish River Canyon on the way. Anyway, when we returned to the car (Landcruiser GX) she noticed that we had a puncture. Over to you, said I, I’m not allowed to do anything strenuous. So, in mini-skirt and high heels las she changed the wheels. Strong girl. Funny part is that a hundred metres away was a group of young Afrikaner’s having a braai (barbecue - with beer of course0. They thought this was hilarious, this 196 cm guy sitting there watching this. ‘That’s the way to treat your woman” said they! “Nothing strenuous eh?” Asked my girlfriend, “no sex for you then!” “Hmmm!” Said I, “no sex for you either”. So off we toddled to the Bushmanskloof Lodge, near Clan William (Western Cape) for some recuperation. Beautiful place, adventure holiday for the old and informed (I wasn’t old then). Anyway, apart from this I’ve always had good care at NHS Hospitals. My last visit was about 5 years ago. I had a bad fall when coming down from Ska Fell Pikes (highest mountain in England). Banged my elbow, split the skin, wouldn’t stop bleeding. Long story short, next day I went to the Royal Infirmary in Lancaster. I went in, registered, just needed to give my NI alpha-numeric, then they had all my details. Told to go through and wait in A&E waiting room, until a triage nurse came for me. Not too busy, couple of minutes a nurse came, checked me, said ‘oooh! That needs a stitch, go back in the waiting room until the doctor calls you’. Doctor came, I went to a cubicle with him, he look, did a small op, stitch, clean up, then out. I checked my parking ticket, from taking the ticket, to return to pay - 15 minutes. I kid you not!
Fun fact. Appendicitis pain usually starts around the upper mid abdomen, or around the belly button, then changes over time to lower right quadrant.
On the last 9yrs ive had cancer twice. Had my kidney out andpart of my bowel and bladder, chemo etc. Also had transport to and from christies for treatment. And all on our NHS. Wouldnt be here without them
"If it was free, I'd be there with any little sniffle" is actually a huge problem for the NHS and (one of the reasons) why the wait times are so long. Unfortunately a lot of people will use up a GP slot or even go to A&E for something a local pharmacist could help with.
Well i didn’t want to steal his thunder but my appendix burst I had peritonitis (blood poisoning) I was rushed In after seeing my family doctor, I was in hospital hour later, given a private room, operated on the next day, it was serious, I was in 7 days fed , medication, cared for!! Saved!! God bless the nhs
as someone who has had to do many many stool samples, the way you usually do it is: they give you a little tub/bowl to put in the toilet bowl that like balances there to catch the poop, then you poop into that tub, then you use a little scooper (that’s attached to the lid of a little tube) to scoop bits of the poop into said little tube before screwing the lid on. tada, done. you become pretty good at it lmao.
I like to think of all the times a certain situation DID go in my favour; e.g. getting in the 'fast' queue at the check out, catching that bus, or finding my item in stock. It's easy to remember the bad times.
I've always thought that at A+E a nurse should come out and say it's going to be a 3 hour wait every half hour.
Just to see how many people leave that shouldn't have been there in the first place.
As someone who was diagnosed with appendicitis as a child by a GP and who was walked to the hospital by my mother after diagnosis (getting an operation within the hour), I do get the impression that Evan isn't the best patient when it comes to medical matters.
I was always told (even by Dr's) that if you dont remove the appendix when it is inflamed you risk it rupturing and then you are basically screwed. Which is why i had to have my appendix removed when i got appendicitis. This is the first time i have ever heard someone be told " Meh just go home and take some meds"
Mine was caused by a tomato seed getting stuck in their.
I would happily pay an extrat £20-30 a month in tax if it was to go toward funding the NHS and I'm reasonably confident most people would feel the same.
I lived in Tennessee for 3 years, with ‘good’ health insurance via my husband’s employer. $350 per month and $1500 per person out of pocket per year, most procedures 20% co pay. I once waited 4 hours to see my Dr with a pre booked appointment and paid $186 for the appointment. No apology for the wait (the NHS Drs usually apologise even if they are only 20 mins late, not that I expect them to). The costs for out of pocket/co pay were still terrifying! Health and education are the top debts in the USA and it’s terrifying wondering if your insurance will pay. They often mess up the bills etc too and I received several incorrect bills.
I value the nhs enormously! Is it perfect? Of course not! Hardly anything is! Does ‘going private’ mean a better service? Maybe it can but in my experience, private healthcare is just as hit and miss as the NHS, just with less care at times and more unnecessary tests and procedures (I was booked in for surgery I neither wanted nor needed)!
No, I think it's just that 111 is memorable! (101 is our non-emergency number for the police, by the way.)
As a retired NHS hospital worker for 40 yrs (and our daughter is an NHS hospital doctor) one of the main issues with long waits and under-funding is the huge numbers of people coming from outside the UK to use the service who have never contributed any payment into it.... there are only so many beds and staff to go round the service - very sad.
I've had my appendix removed the intense pain was on the lower right side, Evan was clutching his middle.. it sounds like he was constipated and dehydrated causing a distended bowel, one epic fart and it got better
Five years ago, I was taken to hospital by ambulance, after a road accident. I had my hand cleaned, x-rayed, and stitched up. I was seen by two doctors and attended to by a nurse. Cost was £0.
The frequent name or 'term' for conditions such as this felt by Evan, is
"NAD" ("Nothing Abnormal Detected") which is then written on your medical notes, and you may be sent home - after a period of "Obs" ("obsevations").
😏🏴❤️🇬🇧🤔🖖
Sounds like he had trapped wind rather than appendicitis. In the US, that would have been one heck of an expensive fart!
We have a great NHS despite its problems. They always there 24/7 for all who need it and don't charge a penny. Say what you want about the NHS but it's amazing and has helped many many millions and millions and hopefully will continue to do so 😊
I remember being rushed to hospital in agony, the pain was the worst I’d ever felt, they thought it was my appendix and after many hours waiting they put it down to acid reflux 😂
Just spent a month in hospital (in France). Total cost: £/$ 0.00 (+ $3 per day for Wi-Fi). Before people complain that we pay high taxes they should consider that most healthcare is either free or refunded with an add-on insurance, which shouldn't normally be more than $60 per month and then only for those that can afford it, otherwise the add-on insurance is free as well.
Had a stroke a couple of months ago and was laying on the bathroom floor. My son phoned 999 and an ambulance was there within 10 minutes and rushed me to the hospital where I rushed straight through for scans and treatment. I owe the NHS for my life and the fact that I’m well with just a slight slowness of my right hand. I was released from the hospital 10 days later to recover at home with nurses and physiotherapists support. After a couple of visits they said that they didn’t need to call again as I had made such good progress and was managing well on my own. The cost for all this…..£ 000000, that price included ambulance, CAT scans,CT scans, a room of my own en suite and three meals a day.
50 000 dollars!!!!!! You ain't rocking in the free world JJ. Come live here in the U.K, you'd fit in just perfect.
I had a "grumbling" appendix when i was about 12. Was is hospital for 3 days. They watched me. Then it got better and they never took it out. That was about 45 years àgo. Never had a prb since. I live in NZ and our system is like England
111 Is for non urgent medical issues, if you need an ambulance you need to call 999 within the UK. 999 Is also the number for Police and The Fire Brigade emergencies only. As others have mentioned here 101 is for the Police non emergencies. Hope that clears things up.
Although, people often will call 111 first for a medical opinion to ensure a nurse also thinks that your condition is worthy of making the trip to hospital, this is due to public concern about only using the medical resources when it is needed, and helps prevent resources being wasted on issues the Doctor's Surgery should be dealing with. Evan did the right thing by calling 111 first, glad he was alright in the end.
I prefer our tax at source here in the UK. It helps everybody, even those with Private Health Care. Private Health Hospitals do not have ER, so emergencies always go to the NHS hospitals.
Have a Heart attack, emergency situation, you will always go to the NHS first and foremost.
Then it's your choice to be moved to a private hospital after your emergency.
Most NHS hospitals have Private wings, and most NHS medical staff (Surgeons, Doctors) also work Private Clinics.
I was seen initially by an NHS consultant regarding my hernia. I was referred for an operation and could choose my hospital on the NHS.
The Private hospital had the shortest waiting list, (two weeks).
The surgeon at the private hospital who conducted my operation, was the same surgeon that recommended me for surgery.
Amazing service. A minor operation I know.
I had a heart attack 2 weeks ago and spent 27 hours in a&e before i got a bed, lol 2 extra hours, awww bless lol
imagine if you where in America, 250 thousand bill.
@@jamestoni if i lived in America I'd be dead lol
His friend is Dodie!!!
Famous musical TH-camr.
And absolute sweetheart
I was at A&E a few months ago with a dog bite. They operate a triage system, so the nurse takes your details, a doctor will check everyone out and treat the worst first.
I've been told a grumbling appendix can heal but if it goes bad I don't think it'll get better and no amount of paracetamol will heal it.
My friend collapsed, went to A&E and was told if he had waited any longer it would have burst and he could have died. He told me he was in agony.
I waited 8 hours to be seen in A&E in the UK, 3hrs is very good! Tho I’m pretty sure you can’t diagnose an appendicitis without having blood work (tho the blood work would only show an infection, it doesn’t say where the infection is) so you could have something viral. I think Appendicitis’s are actually pretty hard to diagnose and you treat based on the symptoms (fever, abdo pain, extreme pain) and blood results, sometimes you need an abdominal scan. Abdominal pain can be caused by so many different things it is hard to say one way or the other (it cause be constipation, kidney, urinary, testicular, gastro, viral etc). Also want to add that I live in Scotland and we don’t pay for prescriptions here, so wouldn’t of even paid £9.
Blast from the past hearing charing cross hospital mentioned, my mum worked there back in the 80s and its where i was born lol
8:29 that's why you have to take your medication as prescribed. because if you're overdosing on pains, the pain you should be feeling you won't be. and yes, he will absolutely feel the pain on codeine with appendicitis 😂
I had appendicitis. I was on holiday in Germany, Dr gave me ibuprofen. I didn't know it was appendicitis. Went to my GP when I got back to UK, she sent me for an untrasoind, from the pain she thought it was gallstones. Scan done, they sent me straight to A&E. Had the usual wait for a blood test and results, as soon as they got the results, they were fast. 6litres of fluid on IV, anti iotics and a CT scan, turns out my appendix had burst a week earlier and the liver pain was from the infection leaking around my liver. Can confirm it did not leak into my ovaries. Anyhow, I was operated on the following day, full laparotomy, was in hospital for 8 days, but I'm fine now. Only issue I had when I left was my iron was very low, but I just made sure to eat plenty of pate 😂
111 came about to help relieve pressure on overcrowded A&E areas of hospitals. These nurse practitioners over the phone can decide whether you should go to your doctor or go to your local hospital. They can advise you on symptoms and care. It’s a good service.
I had really bad pain like that in January. Went to the doctors and they sent me to the hospital. It was a kidney stone. I managed to pass it without any major problems. I heard it can be really painful.
Just to point out to, US Americans, You only wait in Accident & Emergency. if your condition, is none life threatening. If you ring 111, and they feel your condition is serious. they will call an ambulance for you. If you feel it's serious, you call for an ambulance. You immediately goto hospital, and go straight to a an assessment room, and seen straight away. All for FREE
I nearly died with Appendicitis when I was around 7ish. I was on a trip and it burst and my parents are hours away. So the police had to go to my parents and get my dads signature on his book for the surgery. I woke up after the operation and was in hospital for a week.
The trip staff accused me of lying for days until I woke up screaming at 2am in pain, they phone a GP. He checks me over and calls 999, I had hours to live by that time. The police, doctor and surgeon were legends.
My friend and I were in Orlando on holiday when she started with a severe migraine, I got her to the local hospital which looked more like a prison. They demanded her credit card before they even let us in! The doctor she had spoke to her like she was a child gave her an injection and charged her 200 dollars, that was in 1996!
america is a business and the govt give no effs about the citizens
London is appox 745 square kilometres
The zones are tbe travel zones on the tube
What many Americans don't understand is that the NHS is not free, we pay for it through our taxes.
This brings back so many memories of the night I had my appendix removed. Only after they cut me open and had my appendix out did they see that my appendix looked perfectly healthy and I actually have endometriosis. Absolute nightmare pain!