MEDICAL MATTERS

[Tizer]

I agree with the argument that we should be giving most help to those who are most genuinely in need through no fault of their own but one of the biggest obstacles is the law of unintended consequences - as soon as you try to restrict services or materials to the groups you believe are most deserving you find you've denied them to other groups who also are deserving. The UK governments have often come up with schemes that are meant to differentiate between the needy and the `not-needy-but-greedy' and they always end up on the scrap heap because they've messed up some good people as well (`collateral damage'). The other factor is that if you get anywhere near a workable solution it usually turns out to be not cost-effective - it ends up being cheaper to offer everyone the service or materials.

[Marilyn]

So is it that the 'tax payer' funds the entire NHS?
( I have no idea how your health system works to be honest)
Or is there a private and a public system, like schools?
Does everyone pay the same? Or does everyone have free treatment?

I know we have a 'reciprocal' health agreement with the UK, which means that if one of your travellers becomes ill ( like Cazza says) they can front up at a public hospital and wait in the queue for treatment. If they have an 'emergency' they will be treated urgently, same as us. But we do have 'ambulance ramping' here ( emergency is full so patients have to wait outside the doors in ambulances that could be better disposed rushing to help those in cardiac arrest !)
Of course, they are 'triaged' and seen in order of emergency.
I thank heavens my husband didn't have to go to a public hospital because he could have died waiting. ( I truly believe that)

[Tizer]

Our National Health Service is funded directly from taxation and the funds are granted to the Department of Health by Parliament. The 2012/13 budget is around £108.9 billion for a population of about 66 million people. The NHS web site says: "The NHS employs more than 1.7 million people. Of those, just under half are clinically qualified, including, 39,780 general practitioners (GPs), 370,327 nurses, 18,687 ambulance staff and 105,711 hospital and community health service (HCHS) medical and dental staff. Only the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the Wal-Mart supermarket chain and the Indian Railways directly employ more people."
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/abo ... rview.aspx

We have private companies offering medical insurance but the medical staff they use are often NHS employees and the services are largely dependent on the NHS for equipment and backup people. My own experience of UK private health treatment (in the days when I worked for a large company) were that, medically, it wasn't much different from the NHS but it was all wrapped up in a superficial layer of gloss - fine if you consider being pampered the most important thing when you're seriously ill. Also, some of the doctors were stretching out the work (and therefore making extra money for themselves) which pushed up insurance premiums into silly figures. For instance on the advice of my GP I had a bit of extra skin removed from under my armpit and it was done by a cosmetic surgeon who surrounded himself with expensive trendy furniture and fancy women in short skirts - a fun experience but not medically any better than the local NHS yet far more expensive, and he kept wanting me to come back for checks (all charged to the insurance company).

[Stanley]

"poor service/long waiting lists/limited choices "
Not the case in the vast majority of cases Maz. The problems are highlighted by those who are mostly either congenital complainers who expect everything to be done yesterday or those who have a financial interest in making money out of private treatment. Of course there are occasional cock-ups, it is a huge system, but on the whole it is a wonderful service. I'm waiting at the moment for an elective operation on my eyes but this is no problem as I can manage and if it was acute I would get straight in. I am not complaining....
There is a trap embedded in most private health insurance. A friend of mine was insured and had a stroke. He was treated immediately at a private hospital and got good service but as time went on he ran out of benefit on his insurance and had to transfer to the NHS for further treatment. His troubles started from there as he was not an acute case and had great difficulty getting back into the NHS programme. I am told this is quite common in any illness that needs long term care.

[Tizer]

That raises an important point for anyone who has public service carers. If you decide to opt to pay for private care instead you can't then get back to public care later if you need to or choose to.

[Tardis]

"poor service/long waiting lists/limited choices "

Which one would you put Oliver Rushton in?

[Tardis]

Yesterday I registered at the Earby surgery

What a very pleasant place and very friendly people

[Stanley]

Daughter Margaret recovering well after a serious head operation in Perth. An ear infection was eating the bone of her skull away, nasty! Grand Daughter Laura sent me a pic of her looking seriously distressed but added that she was nibbling a grape shortly afterwards.

[Marilyn]

All the best, Mags.

So...trying not to appear too confused...it was grand-daughter Laura that was recently over visiting in the UK?
(And it is grand-daughter Laura that has previously had heart surgery?)

So... ...which grand-daughter is the mother of Alexander again?

[Stanley]

I get mixed up as well Maz! I call Jess (Susan's daughter) Katie many a time! Katie, Margaret's eldest daughter is the one who had heart surgery and presented Alexander James to us eight months ago. Laura is Margaret's younger daughter and yes, she was over here but is back home again now. Katie is picking Margaret up from the hospital today hopefully and you don't want to see the picture of the side of her head where they went in! Margaret's comment was "Don't use this hairdresser!" Kids are great but the price we have to pay is occasional sleepless nights.....

[Marilyn]

Oh aye...it was Katie I was thinking of but the name just wouldn't come to me.
We don't hear much about Jess.

[Stanley]

She's getting on nicely with her life and keeping a low profile....
Margaret rang yesterday, she's at home and being nursed nby Mick and Laura. She sounded good....

[Tardis]

Organ Donation & Transplantation Activity Report 2012/13 reveals a record year but action needed to save more lives

http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/statist ... ty_report/

For the record, one of the 466 who died was called Justina, a friend of mine

[Tardis]

Three weeks to get an appointment to see a GP

[Stanley]

Why do my ears produce enough wax to keep a medium sized furniture polishing establishment going?

[Tizer]

Why do my ears produce enough wax to keep a medium sized furniture polishing establishment going?

Are you poking anything into your ears, like the corner of a towel for instance? Anything that irritates the ear will make it produce more wax as a self defence.

[Cathy]

Stanley your ear wax is probably just hormonal, (you do still have hormones don't you... hehe )

[Stanley]

I don't poke with tea towels. I use a Dremel with a wire brush.... Cath, do hormones explain the nose hairs as well?

[Tardis]

Amazing how talking to the pharmacist and rearranging the times of taking my medication can have such a marked effect in only a couple of days. Not quite as debilitating as it was.

[Cathy]

Good to hear of your obvious relief Tardis.

[Tizer]

...do hormones explain the nose hairs as well?

No, that's just your beard hiding from the razor!

Tardis, the effects of taking medication at the wrong times is well illustrated in the case of my father-in-law who has Parkinson's disease. It can have a dramatic effect, changing him from able to disabled.

[Nolic]

After just over a week at home Cath is slowly improving. She remains very tired and as the operation wound is still open she is very limited in what she can do - no bending or stretching at all. District Nurse now only once a day but on emergency call outs if the wound starts leaking. Its going to be a long haul and on top of it all Caths dad now needs specialist care and we have to find another nursing home. Fortunately Cath is heeding advice and letting me sort it out. Nolic

[PanBiker]

As long as she's improving Nolic. Hardest job I had when Sally was recovering from her surgery was stopping her doing stuff. I think that comes along with a positive attitude which is good in itself but does need managing. Not helped in your situation with other family matters but good that she's letting you take the strain.
Now, who's watching you? make sure you don't run yourself ragged. With a bit of luck the District Nurse will have you in her sights as well.

[Tizer]

Good advice from Ian! Sorry to hear that Nolic's having to look for another nursing home for Cath's dad. We're now looking for a nursing home for Mrs Tiz's parents and making a list of questions to ask. Even deciding where to look is tricky with the parents being in London, us in Somerset and Mrs Tiz's sister and their family in Buckinghamshire. Her dad's now not able to look after his own financial affairs and they've asked us to activate the power of attorney on both of them but it's going to take a couple of months and his bank, Lloyds, is not being helpful at the local branch here. The parents had to switch to private care because the public service was so bad and have a bill to pay each month with one outstanding now and another at the end of September. The PoA can be used to `maintain' the person while waiting for it to activate but it's at the discretion of the bank whether they co-operate or not. Dad's Lloyds account was based in Cardiff where he spent most of his working time before retirement and knew the staff well. The branch in our local town won't do anything immediately and had the cheek to tell us to pay dad's bills out of our own money until the PoA had gone through! We've written to the manager of the branch to complain.

[Stanley]

Ian is definitely right! Look after yourself. Sounds as though Cath is being sensible, six weeks minimum for damage like that to finish its initial healing and you have to be careful afterwards. No reaching up to high shelves! How are Charlotte and Dan coping? Give them my love, we tend to forget that it's worse for them than us oldies.....