It's Only Fair, Isn't It?

[allenlondon]

Mrs A (70s, congestive heart failure, weak) has developed lumps in her side and abdomen.

Ok, says GP, we'll send you for an ultrasound scan. We get letter from local (private) clinic. She phones up, they say "Oh, next appointment is November 13th."

Next day she phones again and says she's a private self-funding patient, and asks when the next appointment is. "Tomorrow." Which is only fair, isn't it? People who've worked hard for their money should be able to get proper service.

My Jim Royle.

(And yes, before the intellectual skinheads roar their disapproval, we're going private. We don't spend it on booze/meat/gambling/holidays/cars/etc, so we'll buy her some time instead).

A

[naomi24]

//The treatment you get privately is never better than that you’d get on the NHS.//

That’s debatable. Private patients are certainly better treated.

[Peter Pedant]

// I'm not sure what point you are making, and what response you are hoping to receive?//
why not shorten this to pure AB - -

wot you on abart den?

Hi Andy - general point that NHS fails so you pay
( and feel a bit guilty about it )

now when I was awaiting my rituximab in Alphaville Hospital no 2
someone bust in to the clinic - and someone ( a nurse gloobing coffee or sumfing) screamed "all rise - administrator!
A_ for it was she - oh Dr thank you thank you - my day-dy really is ill! and you are the only one ...
and the dr said "yes I am"
and the doctor said = pas de tout - nichty or sumfing forrin

Daddy when he was wheeled in as a monarch in gloire said to nurse "I have just got off the plane from Malaga you know and I am 92" nurse squeals etc - oh daddy got rituximab - ten thou a bag

so dont feel bad

[Peter Pedant]

Private patients are certainly better treated.

erm yeah - like the fella who has the private scan and wants someone to tell him what it says ! ( shouldve been in the package)
or like the
heart case who croaked outside the Prive - they have changed now ....

generally - crap for emergencies and children
OK for anything else
and what about this readers?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/derek-mcminn-cover-bmi-edgbaston-hospital-staff-body-parts-b673790.html

a surgeon so wed to his vocation that he takes his work home wivvim. took - not now in practice

oh well - AB on a wet Sat am

[Peter Pedant]

// That’s debatable. Private patients are certainly better treated.//

poop grenade is just what I have heard on yOU TUBE about Harry and Meghan

as my gomboolatib went in for the tenth time Alphavilkle Hospital no 2 remember- I said -
jesus if we were private they would make a bomb from this
and the nurse said
" I worked darn da pryve. and you really do say to the patients, your insurance has run out and so if you dont bring in £10 000 next week then it is no more gomboolatib for you"

I was unnaturally quiet after that

That’s debatable. Private patients are certainly better treated.- a deep thought - truly a deep thought

[allenlondon]

Andy-Hughes writes: “... everyone who is interested has made a note that you have a social conscience.

Is that it now?”

Not sure how being snappy and generally unsympathetic qualifies a person as being moderate, but I’m sure I’ll learn.

[mallyh]

i've read all the comments but i just don't understand peters

[woofgang]

//The treatment you get privately is never better than that you’d get on the NHS.//

"That’s debatable. Private patients are certainly better treated."


from my experience, privately the place was massively cleaner and the staff (overall) more thoughtful. There were sufficient pillows and blankets and quiet surroundings. The food was better, still simple and more available if you missed a meal and were then hungry. They didn't run out of food supplements or basic supplies (catheter bags, appropriate dressings, clean linen). Medical staff were more available and contactable. generally the system was run more smoothly (no waiting for tto's discharge paperwork, test results).
medically (and this may be a local thing) the same oncology and GU consultants work across NHS and private practice. I have already told the story here of contacting a consultant OOH to force his being seen faster in A and E and also to get appropriate pain relief when local pharmacys had none. I should not have had to do either of those things. OH and of course the investigations, diagnosis and treatment came a lot faster.

NHS hospitals can vary massively (yes private can too) One of the NHS hospitals we used was really good...the other well I wouldn't have put someone else's sick stuffed animal in there and still wouldn't.

[naomi24]

Woofgang, Oh no! Day two ... and we're still agreeing!

[allenlondon]

My experience of private has been that the carpets are better (probably not a good thing for cleaning), you get more tea and coffee, and the reception staff are (a little) more smiley.

As I said earlier, the only reason we're paying for Mrs A's scans is TIME - the same people/same scanner/same everything would be doing it in November as are doing it next week!

A

[naomi24]

Allen, //My experience of private...//

You've paid for private treatment before, Allen?

[bednobs]

i was treated on the private ward of my nhs hospital when they had run out of beds on the ward i should have been on, the only difference i could see/feel was carpet on the floor and a doily on my saucer. when i was waiting for my knee replacement i was offered to have it done on the NHS at the private hospital, but i declined.
Paying clearly has an advantage for getting diagnostic tests done quicker. However The Nov date is only (!) six weeks away, which doesn't seem all that bad to me

[andy-hughes]

Allen - // Andy-Hughes writes: “... everyone who is interested has made a note that you have a social conscience.

Is that it now?”

Not sure how being snappy and generally unsympathetic qualifies a person as being moderate, but I’m sure I’ll learn. //

I am sympathetic to your wife's situation - please see my post at 16:50 yesterday.

I am not sure anyone needs 'qualifications' to be moderate, I have never been moderate in my life.

[allenlondon]

Naomi has got me banged to rights! “ You've paid for private treatment before, Allen?”

Shout it from the treetops! Allen spends money in capitalist enterprises!

Allen sees a way of stopping his possibly dying wife from having to wait six weeks for a scan and goes private! Rattle all the bars, get all the hounds a-howling!

Naomi, and I know I’m at risk of being added again to our immoderate moderator’s Little List of Rude Answerers, you ain’t half stoopid.

[woofgang]

Naomi "Woofgang, Oh no! Day two ... and we're still agreeing!"

do you feel well? Could it be a symptom of an undiscovered virus? :)

[anneasquith]

This post has turned into ‘ the Andy Hughes ‘ show .

[andy-hughes]

allen - // Naomi has got me banged to rights! “ You've paid for private treatment before, Allen?”

Shout it from the treetops! Allen spends money in capitalist enterprises!

Allen sees a way of stopping his possibly dying wife from having to wait six weeks for a scan and goes private! Rattle all the bars, get all the hounds a-howling! //

It appears that you started this thread by telling everyone that you are paying for your wife's treatment privately, and confirming stridently that you don't care about the adverse reaction this will cause.

The only adverse reaction has been towards your confrontational attitude - because apart from sympathising, no-one cares about your private health arrangements, certainly not enough to come on here and fight with you about them.

Obviously you have not had the fight you were looking for, and here you are again, trying to stir it up - daring anyone to confront you because you are paying for your wife's health care.

It's your business Allen, no-one is bothered, it isn't tilting the earth off its axis because a socialist is paying for private health care.

Your thread was redundant when you started it, and it remains redundant now.

[ToraToraTora]

left winger goes private! I thought you lot wanted us all to live under socialism! PMSL!

[royfromaus]

Does your wife know you are using her illness as a vehicle to attack people on the internet, allen?

I wish her well, btw.

[naomi24]

Woofgang, I'm very well, thank you for asking. A little shocked perhaps by unexpected occurrences over the past couple of days, but no doubt I’ll cope. Allen, on the other hand, appears to be ailing quite seriously.

[ToraToraTora]

prudie: "My understanding is the hard left have always wished to abolish all capitalist perks such as private education, private healthcare, private ownership etc. If that's their thinking then they shouldn't partake surely? " - indeed so it's a bit odd that one of them is going private. I think there is a word for that.