Not so good news but wonderful NHS

[Guest]

I find the Aussie system more flexible but the NHS better at being free. Can't really comment on hospital as recent birth of baby was at a private hospital in Brisbane. Midwives were amazing, mostly NHS trained Brits.

[Johndoe]

I find the Aussie system more flexible but the NHS better at being free. Can't really comment on hospital as recent birth of baby was at a private hospital in Brisbane. Midwives were amazing, mostly NHS trained Brits.

 

Mater Private? They have sponsored many UK nurses when the public sector ceased.

[blondie]

Your daughter and yourself sound very brave, I hope she is well. It's good to hear she has a great medical team. I am struggling with the idea of him going to Germany in March on a school trip and that's just a short flight away if I need to get there quickly so Aus to France must have been a big worry for you.

[blondie]

I'm a GP, worked in the NHS for 10 years and now here in Aus. Sorry to hear about your son. Diabetes care is improving all the time with better patient training, and new technology - it's not as scary as it used to be, just very tough for a teen to adapt to.

Both systems want to get the management of childhood diabetes right - for compassionate reasons of course and the huge savings for the system in the long run. Everyone can sympathise with a kid having to face this diagnosis, so I hope you continue to get great care.

The next few years will sadly see the NHS break up, and the care of 'private' and 'public' patients will be different - much like the Australian system. Don't be fooled by the Torys promise of 'increased funding' in the UK. Relative amount of money going into the NHS is falling, whilst demand and costs are rising. Funny how they don't think making £22 billion pounds of 'efficiency savings' counts as a cut. Just a government of spin and no substance.

Work as a doctor in the NHS is damn tough and demoralising at the moment. Not a day goes by that the press don't publish an anti-doctor/nurse story, or the government don't try and blame us for their shortcomings. If you think you're getting good care, let staff know. A thank you after a long day on the front-line makes it all worthwhile.

 

Thanks for this message. I actually did email the hospital (Musgrove at Taunton) and thank them. I hope it was passed onto the staff. I worked at a public hospital in Sydney for 3 years, some things were better than UK some not. My daughters experience at a Brisbane hospital was pretty horrendous (nurse came in wearing a hazard suit and mask and asked her to take her own blood pressure) they thought she may have had swine flu as there was an epidemic of flu at the time. My son though broke his foot and although he walked around for several months on it once the GP requested an MRI scan, it only took a few weeks until the doctor found two hairline fractures. This was at Westmead Children's Hospital. So good and bad always wherever you go. I always believed the value of a country was in how it treated its old and sick and I don't believe that a persons health care should be dependant on what they can afford to pay, but saying that the NHS has got to change. We have longer life expectancy now, it's bound to put a strain on any system. A consultant once advised me to take private health care for the minor things and rely on the NHS for the emergencies. Sound advice I believe.