THE NATIONAL HEALTH.

Here in France the system is centralised and we all carry a card called a Carte Vitale. How the system here works is that we pay a monthly fee to the government to cover our family. It's not cheap, but what it provides is 65-70 per cent of our reimbursement. To get more, we have to take out a top up insurance. When we have both, we pay at the doctors, but we get it automatically refunded by both the government and the insurance company.

helencbradshaw wrote:

I hear one of the latest NHS schemes is to link all doctors surgeries together....will cost millions, and the only people who gain are the business consultants, not the marginal few who might feel the benefit from shared records!

Yep, that has just happened here to my local doctor. About 3/4 surgeries have gone together- a big move when you think how small Kettering is!!

Do you think then that the health service is better in France then in Britain, using your means of payment?

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

helencbradshaw wrote:

I hear one of the latest NHS schemes is to link all doctors surgeries together....will cost millions, and the only people who gain are the business consultants, not the marginal few who might feel the benefit from shared records!

Yep, that has just happened here to my local doctor. About 3/4 surgeries have gone together- a big move when you think how small Kettering is!!

I meant computer wise

It just seems a huge job, most government Computer systems appear to fail, by the very nature of systems (I know, mine are failing everywhere this week!!) and this is definitely a place where money could be better spent

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

Do you think then that the health service is better in France then in Britain, using your means of payment?

It was same in Aus, I paid $40 for each doc appointment but i got it back.

In fact I could claim dental work back as well, which was great considering the cost I paid (and I had a root canal out there!)

If you were a proper resident and not just on a business visa like me, then you didnt pay when you went to the doctor (and you could walk in anywhere really)

I got to keep x rays (and I had the tooth problem and another problem requiring an x ray out there) so there was no duplication on that score.

helencbradshaw wrote:

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

helencbradshaw wrote:

I hear one of the latest NHS schemes is to link all doctors surgeries together....will cost millions, and the only people who gain are the business consultants, not the marginal few who might feel the benefit from shared records!

Yep, that has just happened here to my local doctor. About 3/4 surgeries have gone together- a big move when you think how small Kettering is!!

I meant computer wise

It just seems a huge job, most government Computer systems appear to fail, by the very nature of systems (I know, mine are failing everywhere this week!!) and this is definitely a place where money could be better spent

oops, silly me!!

Quote :

Do you think then that the health service is better in France then in Britain, using your means of payment[/b]

I believe so. Here we are diagnosed much earlier and preventative medicine is practiced. Screening is much easier, and I can see all the results of blood tests etc and have all my own Xrays here at home to take with me on appointments.

I think the quality of care here is fantastic, we only ever hear about the bad cases. Of course, people would probably get their operations, etc, quicker if the private health companies didnt use NHS staff, resources, operating theatres, etc

And for all those of us, who want to keep our NHS public, sign up here! http://www.keepournhspublic.com/index.php

My GP is wonderful. I have to wait for a while to get an appointmnet if I want it to be with him but unless I am really sick I wait as he ios the best GP I have ever had and always refers me quickly fi I need it.

My husband has PPP cover for the whole family through his work and we have used that too. My step son got run over and badly broke his leg, needing skin grafts etc and we went private for that as the treatment was superior to that at the NHS hospital. (We live next door to Queen Victoria Hospital with the McIndoe Centre who are famous for treating burns victims and doing skin grafts).

I think for minor health problems my GP on the NHS is wonderful and I would not chnage it but for major thinkgs like operations - if you have the cover private is the way to go.

Quote :

My GP is wonderful. I have to wait for a while to get an appointmnet if I want it to be with him but unless I am really sick I wait as he ios the best GP I have ever had and always refers me quickly fi I need it.

I think you are extremely fortunate.

Thingywhatsit wrote:

Quote :

My GP is wonderful. I have to wait for a while to get an appointmnet if I want it to be with him but unless I am really sick I wait as he ios the best GP I have ever had and always refers me quickly fi I need it.

I think you are extremely fortunate.

I agree and hope he never leaves as he is kind, sympathetic and knowledgeable. Not afraid to suggest new things for me even if they are expensive treatments for the NHS. I can talk to him about presonal things and I know he is listening and not bored etc.

There is another GP at my surgery who I saw when I was exhausted after having my son who never slept properly and he basically just laughed at me and told me to get on with it, even though I was in tears and obviously not coping. I will never see him again even he is the only one left.

I had a doctor like that, I fell down the stairs and was black and blue, I could not move or sit down and when I went to see him as soon as I did it he just laughed at me for falling down the stairs and told me to have a hot bath.
I stomped out and went to the private hospital and turned out I had a Slipped disk and tissue damage- and would in no way be cured by a hot bath.

I also think the hospitals are dirty and all the equipment looks like it is on it's last legs; the staff are tired and ratty and it is not a nice environment.

Machinery is old and dirty etc because the NHS has no money, and if that comment about the cost of taking a pint of donated blood is true on the first page of this thread, i am not surprised.

I worked in the NHS in estates at a london hosp recently, and in fact still work for them now through an agency in admin. a huge part of the reason they have no money is because they keep paying out for agency staff. People are much savvier now and would rather do temp work and get paid more than work for the actual hospital. When i worked at lewisham i spoke to one of the works dept (handymen) and he said that he worked thru the agency, I asked him why he didnt take the hospital up on their offer of a contract and he said he gets paid more if he does it that way.

Hospitals should actually make vacancies known as and when they need them rather than assuming hiring temps is the best way to do it- because its way more expensive that way. I am covering somebody on long term sick leave and I am only working at my current care home for 10 weeks over the summer, but if they took me on a short term contract, the nhs wouldnt have to pay me so much.

Strayed fromt he last comment a bit there..... anyway! I also wanted to say i was disgusted when I went to the doc's 2 weeks ago and asked for a repeat prescription for my thyroid medication. the doctor issued it, and then i went on to tell her i have been having repeated stomach aches and she told me she couldnt examine me or discuss it because that would make us go over our 10 min slot! I know surgeries have a certain quota to fill but they still need to treat patients accordingly. I made an appointment with another doctor the following week to sort it out but made sure i mentioned that behaviour of the previous doctor.


PHEWWW, What an essay- i may has well have written a review.

fabulous_girl wrote:

Machinery is old and dirty etc because the NHS has no money, and if that comment about the cost of taking a pint of donated blood is true on the first page of this thread, I am not surprised.

It is true fabulous_girl. As I said in the earlier post, I worked in the haematology dept. at Wrexham maelor for a short time and took part in ordering the amounts needed. I was very surprised at the price of each unit. But really, it's almost expected when you think about transportation, sterilisation, treating, storing and wage costs.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/dispatches/undercover+mother/620287

Will be interested to see this tonight seeing as though I have just spent a week in hospital on these type of wards, and am still under their care from home visits.

I must admit overall I recieved outstanding treatment, but it was obvious on some wards they were understaffed. For example before I gave birth I was told Caleb was in a weird position and if my waters broke it could be dangerous for him and I would have to stay in hospital to be monitored every hour in hope that he moved. I was moved to a ward at 1pm and not one person came to see me untill 12:30am, and even then it was because I went and asked when I would be seen.

The NHS gets a lot unwarranted criticism. In my experience all the staff I encountered were a credit and the hygiene was exemplary.

It's a bureaucracy, a true machine operation, and for that reason is inherently full of inefficiencies..(like some inefficient companies I guess)

there is a massive amount of waste really...and agency staff is a huge part of that...a private corporation would (normally) not sustain it for so long.

I never understrand why the NHS gets so much stick. Its a paradox. The better they treat people the less people die and so the more they have to spend. Cant win.