French Health Service v NHS

1finny

1finny

Well-known member
Recently in France pulled the balcony window shut on my finger. It was messy.
Hotel called the ambulance.
First paramedics on the scene in 15 mins.
Then ambulance 20 mins later before they whisked me for surgery,
I was in a pretty sleepy part of France btw

Yesterday in Lincoln. Old lady falls in a care home and bangs her head. 6 hour wait for an ambulance.

Just wondering whether I was lucky and this old lady was unlucky?
 
1finny said:
Recently in France pulled the balcony window shut on my finger. It was messy.
Hotel called the ambulance.
First paramedics on the scene in 15 mins.
Then ambulance 20 mins later before they whisked me for surgery,
I was in a pretty sleepy part of France btw

Yesterday in Lincoln. Old lady falls in a care home and bangs her head. 6 hour wait for an ambulance.

Just wondering whether I was lucky and this old lady was unlucky?
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The NHS 'best in the world' mantra just isn't true. Many countries are better and more efficient. I can get a same day appointment with my GP. The waiting times for non emergency ops usually less than a month. I have to pay towards it but then again I dont pay high taxes.
 
HundredRoom said:
The NHS 'best in the world' mantra just isn't true. Many countries are better and more efficient. I can get a same day appointment with my GP. The waiting times for non emergency ops usually less than a month. I have to pay towards it but then again I dont pay high taxes.
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Perhaps a different perspective but I think the best in the world element is in the context of 'bang for buck'

There was a pretty comprehensive study released a few years ago where a range of key performance indicators were provided per capita and per £ investment and the NHS was right up there.

Much more difficult to demonstrate now that our own government want to undermine the whole thing as much as possible.

For other services heading in a scarily downward trajectory see also - Social Care, Justice and many others the current government don't give a fvuk about
 
Look familiar?
www.theguardian.com

French medics warn health service is on brink of collapse

Doctors and nurses protest outside the French health ministry amid strikes at dozens of hospitals
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

I believe the Freanch model of funding is slightly different?

How does UK healthcare spending compare with other countries? - Office for National Statistics

Healthcare spending in the UK compared with other countries.
www.ons.gov.uk

I'm an advocate of a standalone NHS tax. Yes I know we have NI but its lumped in with Pension payments (supposedly)
 
Recent experience I had, granted one isolated experience, was woeful. 111 service pitiful, utter guesswork, Nurse at GP practice dismissive, rude and more concerned with the cost of mediation to be issued. Patients condition deteriorated, ambulance required under the circumstances - was told a 2 hour wait, phoned back after 2 hours to be told no record of initial call so start form scratch again. A&E for, by now, one VERY and in pain patient, over 7 hours (on a saturday night - the night Usyk beat Joshua no less) before seeing a doctor and finally getting a qualified assessment and some actual treatment. Stay in hospital for a few days would take another couple hundred words but point well enough made. Its well overdue that at least A&E had a separate section for drunks, drugged and those under arrest - disgusting that genuinely ill, old and very young have to be exposed to that kind of scumbag.
 
I've used the french and UK health services (it's ten years since I used the latter) a fair bit over the years and to be honest have always had good treatment from both. If you have a problem that is easily identifiable you'll receive first class treatment in either, but where they both fall down for me is in their diagnosis of illness where the symptoms are less clear. I've been down blind alleys under both services.

The french system as stated earlier is easier to access and the hospitals are generally less crowded and better maintained. This is probably because it is partly privately funded and there are hospitals that are private and open to the general public with an emergency service. The size of France means that if you're in the sticks you have to travel fairly long distances to major hospital services.

The same goes for specialist doctors and GPs who are easy to access, usually next day, but in the sticks they are hard to find and usually have a full waiting list. I've been in my new place over a year and don't have a GP yet, I use a mobile doctorbus that tours the villages. Lots of villages offer large financial incentives to attract them from the cities - maybe covid will play a part in encouraging them to move.
 
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I’ve been ill since the beginning of May.
The service I’ve had at times from the NHS, particularly from my GP surgery has been shocking, lacking compassion, inefficient and has added to the stress of being ill. So much so I had to pay to see a private GP to get properly diagnosed and a private consultant to get answers and an action plan. They just hide behind covid….
 
ConLeche said:
Recent experience I had, granted one isolated experience, was woeful. 111 service pitiful, utter guesswork, Nurse at GP practice dismissive, rude and more concerned with the cost of mediation to be issued. Patients condition deteriorated, ambulance required under the circumstances - was told a 2 hour wait, phoned back after 2 hours to be told no record of initial call so start form scratch again. A&E for, by now, one VERY and in pain patient, over 7 hours (on a saturday night - the night Usyk beat Joshua no less) before seeing a doctor and finally getting a qualified assessment and some actual treatment. Stay in hospital for a few days would take another couple hundred words but point well enough made. Its well overdue that at least A&E had a separate section for drunks, drugged and those under arrest - disgusting that genuinely ill, old and very young have to be exposed to that kind of scumbag.
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Also had a **** poor NHS experience recently. My eldest daughter had an outpatient appointment at James Cook so me and the wife took her. We were met by a member of staff who's arrogant and obnoxious behaviour ***ed us both off from the get go. "Only one parent allowed per child". Why I asked? "To mitigate risk of covid spread" she snarled back. I told her myself and my wife were both vaccinated and lived in the same house. "Doesn't matter, those are the rules" she shrieks back. At this point my daughter is in tears as she doesn't like anything medical related so for her sake I retreated with the promise to my daughter to take her for a happy meal afterwards (which she was most appreciative of).
Yes I get working in a hospital is a stressful job, but many other jobs are too. But it doesn't give you the right to speak to people the way this jumped up, power trip staff member spoke to me and my wife as if they are untouchable because of the current situation.
 
As in life everywhere, there are good and bad. Good and bad doctors and good and bad nurses.
That of course is no consolation if you're on the receiving end of poor care.
The NHS kept my old fella alive for 20+ years.
He had just about the lot. Heart failure, cancer, severe depression.... it goes on and on.
Of course at times things didn't go well but I couldn't imagine he would have got better care anywhere else in the world and I thank god for the NHS,
If we'd have been in the States as a family we'd have been bankrupt several times over and he'd have died years before he did.
As far I'm concerned it really is the jewel in the crown.
 
My own experience this week has been mostly positive but not without some niggles. The 111 and out of hours GP service I used on Sunday didn't seem to think I had any more wrong with me than a virus and didn't run an ECG, and on Monday when I had my heart attack it took a long time for 999 to answer and then an hour for the ambulance to arrive, although the local first responder was pretty swift. The paramedics arranged for me to come to Norwich which has a catheter lab like JCUH which was a good call. I was whipped into the lab almost immediately.

Since then I have found the staff to be superb on the most part. Some of the night shifters seem stressed but I can see they have a massive workload in a high intensity environment, I.e. 40 cardiac patients, and some patients are very demanding and difficult, often not by choice. The system is obviously under a lot of strain with the pandemic still and we have a government intent on shifting blame for everything.

I don't think I could work in the medical profession anyway.
 
Coming here early in the year the Health service here in NZ is much better than I thought. Certainly we were slow on the uptake with vaccinations but there is a massive campaign to get everybody up to 90%. I know we have exceeded the UK in terms of the percentage of eligible population with a first vaccination now And we are sure to beat UK’s second vaccination level too. This is a result of a massive media campaign, strict lockdowns in Auckland and incentives to the Pacifica people in particular such as shopping vouchers, free sandwiches etc.

We do have an anti vaccination lobby but they are very small and ineffective in their spread of their message.
 
I called an ambulance for my 86 yr od dad who was delirious with sepsis at 9.30 at night and it didnt come until 6 oclock the next morning, it was the evening the pubs opened up again, april 16th i think, the call handler said they were overwhelmed with drunks !
 
Emmersons_BrazillianDong said:
Perhaps a different perspective but I think the best in the world element is in the context of 'bang for buck'

There was a pretty comprehensive study released a few years ago where a range of key performance indicators were provided per capita and per £ investment and the NHS was right up there.
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absolutely that. Now if we funded it correctly, the value we get would be applicable to more people
 
locomansimon said:
I called an ambulance for my 86 yr od dad who was delirious with sepsis at 9.30 at night and it didnt come until 6 oclock the next morning, it was the evening the pubs opened up again, april 16th i think, the call handler said they were overwhelmed with drunks !
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They want leaving in the gutter where they belong, that is scandalous that your dad had to endure that. I honestly would abandon drug and alcohol abusers, let them make their own way and then have them wait separately to everyone else - boils my pish that one

Randy said:
Also had a **** poor NHS experience recently. My eldest daughter had an outpatient appointment at James Cook so me and the wife took her. We were met by a member of staff who's arrogant and obnoxious behaviour p****d us both off from the get go. "Only one parent allowed per child". Why I asked? "To mitigate risk of covid spread" she snarled back. I told her myself and my wife were both vaccinated and lived in the same house. "Doesn't matter, those are the rules" she shrieks back. At this point my daughter is in tears as she doesn't like anything medical related so for her sake I retreated with the promise to my daughter to take her for a happy meal afterwards (which she was most appreciative of).
Yes I get working in a hospital is a stressful job, but many other jobs are too. But it doesn't give you the right to speak to people the way this jumped up, power trip staff member spoke to me and my wife as if they are untouchable because of the current situation.
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Very similar experience, some d*ckhead playing doorman on A&E - "what're you here for" not a medical professional of any description so he shouldve been told were to go directly but the condition the patient to be was in it wasnt worth having confrontation to manage as well. As patient was an adult they had to wait alone while barely able to look after themselves, vomiting and other stuff going on plus had been hallucinating earlier in the evening from the medication prescribed by the clueless nurse. You done very well to maintain composure and I imagine you could only do so to avoid further upset to your daughter. The attitude and demeanour of so many hospital staff is appalling but yeah bang pots for the NHS, watch their cringe inducing tiktok videos and indulge their voracious appetites for free pizzas and kebabs. I hope your daughter is fully recovered and she enjoyed her happy meal!
 
ConLeche said:
They want leaving in the gutter where they belong, that is scandalous that your dad had to endure that. I honestly would abandon drug and alcohol abusers, let them make their own way and then have them wait separately to everyone else - boils my pish that one



Very similar experience, some d*ckhead playing doorman on A&E - "what're you here for" not a medical professional of any description so he shouldve been told were to go directly but the condition the patient to be was in it wasnt worth having confrontation to manage as well. As patient was an adult they had to wait alone while barely able to look after themselves, vomiting and other stuff going on plus had been hallucinating earlier in the evening from the medication prescribed by the clueless nurse. You done very well to maintain composure and I imagine you could only do so to avoid further upset to your daughter. The attitude and demeanour of so many hospital staff is appalling but yeah bang pots for the NHS, watch their cringe inducing tiktok videos and indulge their voracious appetites for free pizzas and kebabs. I hope your daughter is fully recovered and she enjoyed her happy meal!
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Yes we got the good news we wanted from from the consultant. Well my wife and daughter did anyways as I like I said, retreated to the outdoor smoking area as I could feel a rant coming on and didn't want to upset my wife or daughter.

A plus point of taking her for a happy meal was I got to devour a strawberry milkshake too. They are back in stock!
 
Working in the NHS I have seen a gradual reduction in resource with a gradual increase in demand over the last 10 years. What is most striking is the complexity of people and conditions in this time too.

It's rare that a case comes in that is nice and straight forward anymore. It is usually a bundle of complexity with several physical heath issues and mental health issues combined.
 
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