NHS

[Workingman]

Worth fighting for, isn't it Frank?

It certainly is.

Suff, I really am sorry to hear of your personal dealings with the NHS and the loss of family members. Those are not the kind of things any one of us would want to go through with our nearest and dearest and you have my sympathy.

However, there will be similar stories from around the world simply because no system, anywhere, is perfect. You even hint at it when you say: "you need to be in the right place at the right time to get it. If you are not, then you are out of luck." I know that you mean the NHS, but it applies everywhere.

I cannot really say too much about many of your ideas for the NHS because I am not to sure about some of them. Where I will agree, and I said it in my other post, is that the NHS management side needs a massive overhaul. There have been far too many management failings up and down the country in the recent past for things to carry on as they are and nobody ever pays the price. Unfortunately there are too many vested interests involved for major changes to be put in place.

[Kaz]

The NHS is a millstone round the neck of the UK

No.

[medsec222]

We are lucky to have such a fantastic NHS. It is worth fighting for but various ways to fund it need to be looked at and certainly it should not be open to abuse from people outside of the UK who may not be entitled to free care. I would hate to see a system where those with money would have no difficulty accessing the best of medical services whilst those struggling to make ends meet may not be able to afford even the basic the care that they need.

[Kaz]

Definitely, we certainly do NOT want to go down the US route

[AliasAggers]

One of the things that is causing financial problems in the NHS is the prices of medications
that are, in many cases, unnecessarily inflated by the pharmaceutical industries. Perhaps,
if it came to pass that we had a Labour Government, these manufacturers, hopefully, could
be nationalised, which would no doubt solve a lot of the present problems. With the cult of
greediness that has arisen in recent years as a consequence of an affluent society, stronger
actions such as this are necessary, and it's no good expecting Conservatives to do anything
along these lines.

[meriad]

The NHS has many faults, but equally it has lots of positives. The care you are given here for free is amazing, and I don't think there are any other countries that give you that.

Both in SA and in Germany you have to have some form of medical aid / insurance. Usually if you're in full time employment then it's a scheme the company provides that you join and if you're no longer employed then you have to afford it via other means. When my mom had her hip replaced two (or is it 3) years ago here treatment in Germany was outstanding. She went in the night before (Monday), operation next day then end of that week she was transfered to ReHa (rehabilitation) where she stayed for 8 weeks. Because she lives on her own she wasn't allowed home until she could do everything she needed to without a problem, wash, go to the look walk up stairs, stand long enough to cook etc etc.. but she paid for that via her medical aid.

I honestly don't understand that given the influx in population here in the UK, companies aren't forced to provide access to a medical scheme for employees. It would be tough for smaller companies so maybe there needs to be a set criteria such as number of employees or turnover that would decide whether a company has to give the option of a scheme or not, but I think going down that route would be a step in the right direction.

As for A&E departments not coping, esp over weekends because of drunk and disorderly people - I think everyone that is admitted in that state needs to pay; £100 or more; credit cards accepted. Munich Oktoberfest have that - a drunk tent. Police patrol the area and if they think you're out of it so badly they'll take you there and then you have to pay before you can leave. And if you can't pay then someone that can has to come fetch you. It's made a huge difference.

Aggers, re the medication; one of the things that people are prescribed is paracetamol. Why? you can buy it for less than £1.00 in most stores. Why make something like that available through the NHS at who knows what costs

[Suff]

Aggers, re the medication; one of the things that people are prescribed is paracetamol. Why? you can buy it for less than £1.00 in most stores. Why make something like that available through the NHS at who knows what costs

Probably because the restrictions on how many you can buy would mean that if you really needed it you would spend an inordinate time going around buying it.....

Mrs S and I both use Solpadene but because of the paracetamol content (not the codeine), you are stuck with only being allowed one pack of 32. Mrs S and I used to buy 3 packs of 70 without an issue!!!! You can't get solpadene in Europe.

[Workingman]

Mrs S and I both use Solpadene but because of the paracetamol content (not the codeine), you are stuck with only being allowed one pack of 32.

If it is only the paracetamol you are after why pay for a branded make with other ingredients you do not want?

Solpadeine tabs only have 500mg of paracetamol in them and are sold in packs of 32 (max otc sale) yet 500mg paracetamol tablets are sold in supermarkets in packs of 16 but you can buy two packs per sale. My local Asda has them at 19p per pack compared to Solpadeine at ~£2.75 for the same strength and number.

[Suff]

No it's the codeine I need with the caffeine. Paracetamol is useless to me and I would find it better if they substituted aspirin. Aspirin you can buy by the hundreds.

I never buy paracetamol on its own, there is no point.

[Workingman]

Suff, I am now so confused. You said "Mrs S and I both use Solpadene but because of the paracetamol content (not the codeine),"

I am not sure, but I do not think that codeine on its own is available otc, but it is available as a co-ingredient in things such as co-codamol. Again, they are cheap as chips in generic form. If you want the caffeine as well then down them with a cup of coffee or a Red Bull - other caffeine drinks are available.

I am with you with paracetamol and take my doctor's advice - take it with ibuprofen or any other otc painkiller.