NHS (National Health Service)

After Flagday raised some important questions about a National Health Service, I thought I'd take her advice and do a blog. I realise that in America right now it is a major topic and yet it has been hard to find out what living with an NHS system is actually like. I'll do my best to answer the questions Flagday asked because I'm sure a lot of US Residents are wondering. If you have anymore please feel free to ask

(This is a long blog so if NHS does not concern you, I advise against reading it and for those who are interested take it a bit by bit to read)

What is the effect of your healthcare system on someone like yourself?

I'm middle class and so the national health system is a godsend, without it the poorer and middle class society in Britain would not be able to afford a lot of the treatment. We still pay for Dentistry and Opticians but if you are on benefits or low income, these too are subsidised and partly payed for, as is Medical Prescriptions(otherwise Prescription medicine costs around £6.50 per prescription for non- benefit and those under the age of 60)  . For me who is Self-employed a dentist check-up costs £16. Besides these three everything else is free, this includes mental health departments.

Taking a typical UK resident  (I will use the pronoun you)  Like what does one pay as a monthly premium?

We pay for our NHS mostly through National Insurance Contributions(NI), which is 11% for those earning  above £110 -£840 per week. For earnings above £840 you will pay more, and for less than £110 you'll pay little if any. Self-Employed people like me pay £2.40 a week. Although NI is not just for NHS, it is a contribution that goes into NHS funds.

You CAN  still have private healthcare if you wish, with people such as BUPA, but NHS is free to everyone no matter what your income.

 Do you have a choice of doctors? 

You can have your choice of doctors as long as they are in your vicinity, like for me I could not have a doctor based in London as my home is out of the area(actually by about 250 miles away).

We have  a GP, which is the doctor for general checkups and such, than there is the Consultant who you would be referred to if you have a specialist need and finally the Surgeon who helps you through the operation and aftermath, all these are generally from the area you live in but occasionally you can be sent to other zones depending on where your nearest specialist place is for things such as Heart surgery.

Are there long waits for regular visits - for specialists - for emergencies?

Regular visits to the GP are immediate as and when you need them the appointments are made, the system varies. My GP for example won't allow you to pre-book appointments for another day, but others do still allow this.

Specialists are as a rule under the NHS only referred to you if the GP things it is required, again the length of time to visit a specialist can vary depending on where you live and what the case is. Some will take months, others you will be referred to within days.

Emergency cases are dealt with as quickly as Private cases once the outcome is decided. And for A&E (ER) visits it depends on what you arrive there with. A cut thumb and you could be waiting there for 9 hours at the out-patients department, but a medical emergency such as a heart attack and you go straight to A&E.

One important rule is that if you call an ambulance they MUST come out and if you want to go to hospital even if they feel there is nothing wrong, YOU MUST be taken to hospital whether they think it should or should not be so.

Do people hate your system?

We get frustrated at the system but do we hate it? No I don't think so, and I think it is proven by the lack of numbers who sign up to private healthcare. The NHS is the  second biggest employer in the world and it saves millions of lives that would not be saved otherwise, our health insurance never stops so treatment is constant no matter what our paypacket. A hospital is always close by and if not we will have an ambulance, even air ambulance to make sure you are taken as quickly as possible. That's not to say it's perfect, for instance an expectant mother has to go to Ormskirk instead of Southport here as we no longer have the facilities or Childrens A&E. Each hospital specialises in something, BUT you can go to the hospital with these cases and emergency ones rarely get transferred to another hospital.

Can one get a job which provides better health insurance beyond what the state offers?

We receive every treatment the same no matter the job. Private patients have advantage such as private rooms or quicker times for non emergency cases, but overall both Private and NHS patients get the same treatment as far as medical emergencies are concerned. Jobs can come with Private healthcare but it all depends on the employer.

Do doctors have to pay a kings ransom for an education in the UK or does the state turn out subsidized doctors?

Medical students are all given grants to attend university and accomodation and unlike other professions they don't have to pay back the loans.

Overall I'm happy with the NHS, yes there is much that needs fixing, even as the second biggest employer they are still very much understaffed. Matrons who were gotten rid of years ago,need bringing back to the hospital wards to ensure high standards of cleaning and care are kept check of. And a better system is needed for drug supply, any new ones on the market, if too expensive can often take time to reach the general population.

But I know that without the NHS my father would have died 20 years before he did, and as for me I'd more then likely be lying in a gutter with a wooden leg, they've done a pretty good job in keeping me healthy and I haven't paid a penny.(well except for the NI).

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