Would you move to the UK now?

[ali]

12 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

They are indeed waiting longer. A friend of mine knows a paramedic who was telling her a few days ago they got a call out within minutes of starting their shift.  The person needed taking to hospital and they were sitting in a queue outside the hospital waiting their turn to drop the patient off for over 5 hours. They only got to do two calls in their whole shift because of this.  Someone on a local Facebook page has today said they went to a nearby hospital end of last week for a blood test and counted 11 ambulances queued up outside. There maybe a lack of ambulances, that I don’t know but the lack of ambulances available right now is certainly to do with Covid or at least very much affected by Covid dominating the hospital situation. 

It will be lack of beds Tulip.  Our service in the last few weeks/months has had our ED in gridlock and also no available beds.

[Tulip1]

On 11/01/2021 at 21:12, Paul1Perth said:

What was the old bloke who broke his leg doing out of his house. I know that sounds callous but he should have been in his house with the central heating on.

Why? Can a bloke not go out for a walk? Sure it was cold, there was a bit of ice about it seems and perhaps it may have been sensible to stay in but he did no wrong. I went out for a walk at the weekend. Should I not have? 

[Tulip1]

20 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Your right, it's not China where they did exactly that. Look where China is now though. No cases (If you believe them) and life back to normal.

The UK is civilised, we don’t lock people in their homes. We restrict what they can do but draw the line at caging people. The guy wasn’t at an all night rave, he was just out for a walk.  

Edited January 12, 2021 by Tulip1

[Paul1Perth]

3 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

Why? Can a bloke not go out for a walk? Sure it was cold, there was a bit of ice about it seems and perhaps it may have been sensible to stay in but he did no wrong. I went out for a walk at the weekend. Should I not have? 

Did you think you might slip and injure yourself? If so, knowing how overloaded the NHS is, it would probably been wise to stay in or wait till it warmed up a bit.

[calNgary]

5 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

The problem is also because people ring for an ambulance with things that aren’t an emergency. You’ll mostly only see the ‘exciting’ ones on tv but many are for people that feel a bit unwell or have a bad cold. Perhaps a slight exaggeration but certainly many should have just phoned 111 for advice. You also get many that have a partner in the house and a car on the drive. They could easily have driven the unwell person to hospital or an out of hours doctor but it’s easier to just ring for an ambulance. I know a few paramedics and it’s not uncommon for them to turn up at a house and find that the old guy hasn’t eaten much for a few days and the family is worried or they’re a bit off colour and they thought it’s best they get checked out.  They’ll even sometimes say things like I’d have taken them myself but thought they’d get seen quicker if you took them. I’d say that it’s more likely people misuse the service than there’s a shortage, perhaps a bit of both. 

Definitely, and people who do call for silly reasons should be fined. Mental Health seems a big issue too,the call centre staff and paramedics often verbalise this, the amount of calls and ambulances sent numerous times over a short period to someone who doesnt really need an ambulance is terrible.

 I know on a few episodes they have had numerous serious calls (heart attack. not breathing etc) and do not have enough ambulances to cater. A 92 yr old guy was left on the floor for over 3 hours as all ambulances were busy and keep getting diverted to other calls, its terrible, so you can only imagine how bad it is now Covid is in the mix.

  Cal x

 

[Tulip1]

5 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Did you think you might slip and injure yourself? If so, knowing how overloaded the NHS is, it would probably been wise to stay in or wait till it warmed up a bit.

No, I didn’t think I may slip and need the nhs and I didn’t see any ice when I went out. Who goes out thinking I think I may slip today,  The guy in question probably found the small bit of ice that was about and was incredibly unlucky. Where do you draw the line? Sit inside all winter in case there’s a bit of ice somewhere. I can say hand on heart I have stuck to the rules throughout this.  I have worked throughout it and in half an hour I’ll be driving to work. I hope I don’t have an accident and put a strain on the overloaded nhs. I have driven continuously since 1982 and I’ve never had an accident so my chances are tiny. I have also walked about throughout uk winters and I’ve never slipped and needed to use the nhs.  I have stuck to the rules throughout this and will always do so. Please don’t try and make me feel bad for taking the once a day bit of exercise I’m allowed.  There’s plenty out there selfishly breaking the rules as you know, it’s those that cause by far the biggest problem for the nhs and for the people they help send to an early grave. By all means be judgemental to those breaking the rules, I certainly am (judgemental, not rule breaking) 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Tulip1

[FirstWorldProblems]

8 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Did you think you might slip and injure yourself? If so, knowing how overloaded the NHS is, it would probably been wise to stay in or wait till it warmed up a bit.

No that is most definitely a flawed assumption and quite incorrect. 

There's a balance to be found.   Do no exercise, sit indoors all day and you will negatively impact your health and your mental health.  All the more so if you have pre-existing conditions.  This too will overload the NHS.  Heart disease, suicide, dementia and breast cancer are the leading causes of death in the UK (2019 data).  Two of those will be exacerbated by staying indoors.

The balance is found in reducing risk.  If you are prone to slips and falls, then going out for a walk is a significant risk.  If you aren't it's a low risk.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by FirstWorldProblems

[MARYROSE02]

4 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

No, I didn’t think I may slip and need the nhs and I didn’t see any ice when I went out. Who goes out thinking I think I may slip today,  The guy in question probably found the small bit of ice that was about and was incredibly unlucky. Where do you draw the line? Sit inside all winter in case there’s a bit of ice somewhere. I can say hand on heart I have stuck to the rules throughout this.  I have worked throughout it and in half an hour I’ll be driving to work. I hope I don’t have an accident and put a strain on the overloaded nhs. I have driven continuously since 1982 and I’ve never had an accident so my chances are tiny. I have also walked about throughout uk winters and I’ve never slipped and needed to use the nhs.  I have stuck to the rules throughout this and will always do so. Please don’t try and make me feel bad for taking the once a day bit of exercise I’m allowed.  There’s plenty out there selfishly breaking the rules as you know, it’s those that cause by far the biggest problem for the nhs and for the people they help send to an early grave. By all means be judgemental to those breaking the rules, I certainly am (judgemental, not rule breaking) 

Twenty four years ago my mother walked down our drive in the UK and a dog that had slipped its lead in a neighbour's house jumped up at her. Result? Major burden on the NHS - seventeen days in Southampton General Hospital. What was her mistake? She knew that the posties often dropped rubber bands on the road when they opened their bundles of letters and she needed one. She died without ever leaving the hospital. Was she irresponsible leaving her home knowing the potential dangers of walking down the drive  of her home?

Last week a young bloke missed a step going into the swimming pool at our apartment block. A friend in England also missed her step going down the stairs. Possibly both of them regret not holding onto the banister?

You can slip on anything. I stepped on a fruit of some sort once - 180 degree swirl through the air, luckily doing no damage. Was it my fault for not noticing the bit of fruit? I did it again walking into a cafe slipping on a wet floor. There was no warning sign that the floor had been washed recently so I suppose I could deflect the blame.

On the beach at Surfers Paradise today I heard and saw the warnings - "Stay on your feet, stay between the flags, marine stingers", etc.  I did not swim but there were plenty who did under the eyes of the lifeguards. Were those swimmers foolish and negligent just the same? Imagine the extra burden on the Queensland hospital service especially during the Covid emergency? Come to think of it why didn't the lifeguards ban swimmers from people even going into the sea given the potential dangers? Plus the dangers of sunburn and sunstroke of course.

[newjez]

8 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

No, I didn’t think I may slip and need the nhs and I didn’t see any ice when I went out. Who goes out thinking I think I may slip today,  The guy in question probably found the small bit of ice that was about and was incredibly unlucky. Where do you draw the line? Sit inside all winter in case there’s a bit of ice somewhere. I can say hand on heart I have stuck to the rules throughout this.  I have worked throughout it and in half an hour I’ll be driving to work. I hope I don’t have an accident and put a strain on the overloaded nhs. I have driven continuously since 1982 and I’ve never had an accident so my chances are tiny. I have also walked about throughout uk winters and I’ve never slipped and needed to use the nhs.  I have stuck to the rules throughout this and will always do so. Please don’t try and make me feel bad for taking the once a day bit of exercise I’m allowed.  There’s plenty out there selfishly breaking the rules as you know, it’s those that cause by far the biggest problem for the nhs and for the people they help send to an early grave. By all means be judgemental to those breaking the rules, I certainly am (judgemental, not rule breaking) 

I went down on my ankle last week. Manhole cover where the bitumen in the path had dropped. Fortunately I had walking boots on which helped, and I went with it so as not to stress the ankle. No damage done, but I could have broken or sprained my ankle. Reason for the trip? Needed to pick up a prescription.

[Paul1Perth]

12 hours ago, FirstWorldProblems said:

No that is most definitely a flawed assumption and quite incorrect. 

There's a balance to be found.   Do no exercise, sit indoors all day and you will negatively impact your health and your mental health.  All the more so if you have pre-existing conditions.  This too will overload the NHS.  Heart disease, suicide, dementia and breast cancer are the leading causes of death in the UK (2019 data).  Two of those will be exacerbated by staying indoors.

The balance is found in reducing risk.  If you are prone to slips and falls, then going out for a walk is a significant risk.  If you aren't it's a low risk.

 

 

Did I say "do no exercise"? No I didn't I said maybe he could have waited till it warmed up a bit. I know how important exercise and just getting out the house for a walk is. My Dad in law is 89 and is lucky enough to live on a very quite lane that goes down to the canal. He can go out and see hardly anyone, it does him good just to get out. It must be tough if you live in a City though.

 

[newjez]

8 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Did I say "do no exercise"? No I didn't I said maybe he could have waited till it warmed up a bit. I know how important exercise and just getting out the house for a walk is. My Dad in law is 89 and is lucky enough to live on a very quite lane that goes down to the canal. He can go out and see hardly anyone, it does him good just to get out. It must be tough if you live in a City though.

 

I scalded my hand yesterday. Silly thing. Cup stuck to the surface as I tried to lift it, then it came away and boiling water went flying over my hand.

I know, I know. What was I thinking making a cup of coffee during a pandemic.

Cold water from now on.

[Island]

Hi Newy

I haven't read all the other posts but we moved from Sydney to Bristol in September 2020.  We had lived in Oz for 16 years, our kids are totally Australian. Definitely biggest mistake ever! wish we could turn back the clocks. I love my family and friends in the UK, we are renting an amazing farmhouse, we have two dogs, beautiful countryside etc. I go for gorgeous walks every day. But my kids have been home schooling for weeks and weeks and there is no end in sight. In my opinion the UK has never been in worse shape, politically, financially, mental health wise, it's terrible. Terrrrrrible!!! I can cope. My husband has creative fulfilling work, he can cope. My dogs can cope. My kids ARE coping, but this is not a life to wish for, it is not a life in which your kids will be thriving. We are a close family and get outside loads and are trying our best to make the most of it, but it is no substitute for the life we, or more importantly, THEY would be having if we were still in oz now. I would say don't rush back. Wait and see what will happen next with Covid. The uk is not well equipped to deal with pandemics. Its just not. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions, but I've realised that my own happiness and desire to move back, means nothing when I look at my kids life and realise I'm not doing the best by them. If you have a good life in oz, just wait till this mess is sorted and then the decision will be so much easier!!

[SPRINTER]

We made the big mistake of moving back early Feb 2020, the biggest mistake of our lives, the UK is in chaos, the lunatics are running the country. Think very, very hard about moving back, it will take years to pay of the debts the country is running up and the youngsters starting work will be paying for most of their lives, It seems impossible for the idiots running the country to accept that shutting the borders on an island as the UK is will stop a lot of the infections entering the country, you only have to look at other island nations such as NZ and Australia to see that it works and if there is an outbreak it can be quickly dealt with, even the Isle of Man which is within the UK area shut it's borders and is virtually Covid free.

[Lavers]

11 hours ago, SPRINTER said:

We made the big mistake of moving back early Feb 2020, the biggest mistake of our lives, the UK is in chaos, the lunatics are running the country. Think very, very hard about moving back, it will take years to pay of the debts the country is running up and the youngsters starting work will be paying for most of their lives, It seems impossible for the idiots running the country to accept that shutting the borders on an island as the UK is will stop a lot of the infections entering the country, you only have to look at other island nations such as NZ and Australia to see that it works and if there is an outbreak it can be quickly dealt with, even the Isle of Man which is within the UK area shut it's borders and is virtually Covid free.

All the UK is bothered about is the economy and the NHS not getting overrun. Which is stupid because the way they have handled it has probably been a bigger blow to the economy than if they had shut the borders.

The money they are dishing out to people is ridiculous, the big payments being given to self employed even though alot of them are still managing to work.

We came to Aus Jun2019 and so glad that we made the move and my kids are able to get an education and free to get out and about.

Everyone's circumstances are different but there is no way that I would even contemplate moving to the UK at this time.

 

[MARYROSE02]

11 hours ago, SPRINTER said:

We made the big mistake of moving back early Feb 2020, the biggest mistake of our lives, the UK is in chaos, the lunatics are running the country. Think very, very hard about moving back, it will take years to pay of the debts the country is running up and the youngsters starting work will be paying for most of their lives, It seems impossible for the idiots running the country to accept that shutting the borders on an island as the UK is will stop a lot of the infections entering the country, you only have to look at other island nations such as NZ and Australia to see that it works and if there is an outbreak it can be quickly dealt with, even the Isle of Man which is within the UK area shut it's borders and is virtually Covid free.

I have not been following your posts so forgive me for asking, "Why did you move back?" I  went back myself in 1996 for a "holiday" which lasted for twelve years. Nothing planned about it, no huge desire to return "home", just the way that things worked out. I lost my job after twelve years, my parents were still alive and living in the UK, so I went back to see them. I got a job, with Royal Mail, and stayed, settled back in after a few months. After my parents passed away I came back to Sydney because my two brothers were there.

[Drumbeat]

1 hour ago, Lavers said:

All the UK is bothered about is the economy and the NHS not getting overrun. Which is stupid because the way they have handled it has probably been a bigger blow to the economy than if they had shut the borders.

The money they are dishing out to people is ridiculous, the big payments being given to self employed even though alot of them are still managing to work.

We came to Aus Jun2019 and so glad that we made the move and my kids are able to get an education and free to get out and about.

Everyone's circumstances are different but there is no way that I would even contemplate moving to the UK at this time.

 

Didn't you just relocate to Australia in 2020 (not 2019)?

[Lavers]

5 hours ago, Drumbeat said:

Didn't you just relocate to Australia in 2020 (not 2019)?

Haha yeah 2020

[Red Rose]

8 hours ago, Lavers said:

All the UK is bothered about is the economy and the NHS not getting overrun. Which is stupid because the way they have handled it has probably been a bigger blow to the economy than if they had shut the borders.

The money they are dishing out to people is ridiculous, the big payments being given to self employed even though alot of them are still managing to work.

We came to Aus Jun2019 and so glad that we made the move and my kids are able to get an education and free to get out and about.

Everyone's circumstances are different but there is no way that I would even contemplate moving to the UK at this time.

 

There are a lot of freeloaders in the UK unfortunately and the problem which a lot of lefties gloss over is this: the more you give, the more they expect. 

[Tulip1]

9 hours ago, Lavers said:

All the UK is bothered about is the economy and the NHS not getting overrun. Which is stupid because the way they have handled it has probably been a bigger blow to the economy than if they had shut the borders.

The money they are dishing out to people is ridiculous, the big payments being given to self employed even though alot of them are still managing to work.

We came to Aus Jun2019 and so glad that we made the move and my kids are able to get an education and free to get out and about.

Everyone's circumstances are different but there is no way that I would even contemplate moving to the UK at this time.

 

It was June 2020 not 2019? 
 

I agree about the money being given out. I know of several self employed people that have not had any deduction in income but have been able to get thousands and thousands in free grants simply because they are self employed. It’s a joke and even they say so but few would turn down free money.  Someone told me they’d heard about it from someone else, logged on and within hours they were thousands better off even though they had worked throughout. 

[Lavers]

1 hour ago, Tulip1 said:

It was June 2020 not 2019? 
 

I agree about the money being given out. I know of several self employed people that have not had any deduction in income but have been able to get thousands and thousands in free grants simply because they are self employed. It’s a joke and even they say so but few would turn down free money.  Someone told me they’d heard about it from someone else, logged on and within hours they were thousands better off even though they had worked throughout. 

Very annoying, a few lads i worked with did it. They got £7000 paid to them twice, they argued that there earnings had gone down because they only worked 50hrs a week instead of 55hrs haha

[Jon the Hat]

On 31/01/2021 at 07:29, Lavers said:

Haha yeah 2020

Feels like years already!!

[Jon the Hat]

On 30/01/2021 at 13:33, SPRINTER said:

We made the big mistake of moving back early Feb 2020, the biggest mistake of our lives, the UK is in chaos, the lunatics are running the country. Think very, very hard about moving back, it will take years to pay of the debts the country is running up and the youngsters starting work will be paying for most of their lives, It seems impossible for the idiots running the country to accept that shutting the borders on an island as the UK is will stop a lot of the infections entering the country, you only have to look at other island nations such as NZ and Australia to see that it works and if there is an outbreak it can be quickly dealt with, even the Isle of Man which is within the UK area shut it's borders and is virtually Covid free.

It isn't as simple as the UK is an island so should have done what Australia and NZ did.  The UK is an integrated part of the European economy, and to cut that off would result in shortages of everything from food to medicine to cars.  Australia and New Zealand import stuff of course, but the majority of that comes in containerised or bulk shipping, not in a trick with a driver from the Tunnel or Ferry.  

You could argue that allowing holidays was stupid and I think you would have a point, but the idea that we could close the border in any meaningful way is nonsense.

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said:

It isn't as simple as the UK is an island so should have done what Australia and NZ did.  The UK is an integrated part of the European economy, and to cut that off would result in shortages of everything from food to medicine to cars.  Australia and New Zealand import stuff of course, but the majority of that comes in containerised or bulk shipping, not in a trick with a driver from the Tunnel or Ferry.  

Erm - do you think planes arrive without pilots, or ships without crews?  

The borders between states in Australia were closed, but trucks still crossed the border - there were exemptions to deal with that and there could have been exemptions to deal with it in the UK, too.   

As you say, all holiday travel (to AND from the UK) could have been stopped. Also, business and government travel, unless it's a critical need (most other stuff can be done on zoom anyway), and that would have made a significant difference.   

Edited February 1, 2021 by Marisawright

[SPRINTER]

19 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Erm - do you think planes arrive without pilots, or ships without crews?  

The borders between states in Australia were closed, but trucks still crossed the border - there were exemptions to deal with that and there could have been exemptions to deal with it in the UK, too.   

As you say, all holiday travel (to AND from the UK) could have been stopped. Also, business and government travel, unless it's a critical need (most other stuff can be done on zoom anyway), and that would have made a significant difference.   

As Marisawright said there is not a problem with freight in and out of the UK, drivers are checked. What about the 10000 people a day reported by a newspaper coming through Heathrow (if you can believe the figures) from various parts of the world, all essential travel?? I have even seen figures of only 3 in 100 being checked to see if they are self isolating where they say they will be. Still we can have one claim to fame, we nearly have the worst record of deaths. How many poor souls could have been saved if borders were closed early on?

[Marisawright]

19 minutes ago, SPRINTER said:

As Marisawright said there is not a problem with freight in and out of the UK, drivers are checked. What about the 10000 people a day reported by a newspaper coming through Heathrow (if you can believe the figures) from various parts of the world, all essential travel??

The question is, were they all essential travellers?  I see that "elite sportsmen" are still on the list of exemptions, and until the middle of last month, performing artists and TV producers were on the list too, as well as CEO's, IT professionals etc.     

Also, all of those people can just travel for any reason, unlike the Australian system where they have to make an application with a solid reason for travel, and wait for approval before they fly.  Under the British system, they just need to brandish a letter when they arrive at Heathrow and there are, apparently, no checks are made to make sure they're genuine.  

To be honest, I don't see much point in closing borders now, when the disease is already so rampant.