I've been having trouble with my ankle and my GP kindly gave me an NHS referral to the leading orthopaedic hospital on Oswestry.
Having heard about the horrendous waiting times I enquired about a private appointment. £200 and you can see the consultant on the 11th October.
Pretty good - except I got a call from the hospital last week inviting me in today. So I've just got back from a very satisfactory consultation on the NHS 8 days before I could have got in privately!
And I'm booked in for an MRI scan, to be followed by a poke about inside, all for free!
My Mrs went private before she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Cost us £250 to find out she was ok gynaecologically wise. NHS gave her the bad news next day. For free. 🙄
Mrs B was signed up with BUPA for years; when she was in ICU with double Pneumonia we realised that BUPA is a waste of time unless you want some comfort whilst recovering from cosmetic surgery.
Long live the NHS!
My daughter got a surprise phone call last Sunday morning calling her in early for the ENT clinic. Got in to see them at 11am instead of 7.45pm, absolutely brilliant, just a 6 month 2 weeks and 2 1/2 day wait instead of 6 month 2 weeks and 3 days. Now we just have to wait another three weeks for an X-ray barium thingy and we might be a bit further forward.
Also....When things went tits up with Mrs EGF, her surgeon got her on a private ward anyway, free telly, fridge etc. No better actual 'care' than any other ward she was on during the 6 weeks she was in.
We're in Stafford - that well known awful hospital. Except it wasn't. It's just a bunch of busybodies drew attention to stuff that every other hospital in the land was doing.
It's quite quiet there now. Mrs BigJohn dislocated her finger on a bike ride a few weeks ago - she was in and out and mended, including X-ray inside an hour.
Trouble is, no decent doctors seem to want Stafford on their CV. Hence me going 60 miles away to Oswestry.
Mind you, I did divert via West Kirby for a lovely morning windsurfing first. It's not far from llandegla either
Plus.....Mrs EGF was in the same hospital she works in, word gets round & it was like...'are you the nurse off Woodlands'?
Which may or may not have had an influence. But both Mrs EGF & I hope not.
Everyone should be treated the same. (Perks of the job exepted)
I live in France a country I love but god do I miss the NHS its world class wonderful and if you people let it be dismantled your all bonkers.
For free
😯
[glsd folk are ok]
Mrs B was signed up with BUPA for years; when she was in ICU with double Pneumonia we realised that BUPA is a waste of time...
But that's not what BUPA is for, it doesn't advertise itself as an alternative A&E. That's like me cancelling my RAC membership because I am at the carwash and the RAC are not helping.
BTW, I am all for the NHS and have had some brilliant care from it.