robin1234

dunroving, very sorry to hear you have had setbacks with your recovery.. hope you get well soon!!

Celticspirit

That sounds appalling. I hope you are feeling better.
There was an article on the BBC America website from Northern Ireland stating how people use the 999 number for silly, non emergency reasons. Apparently a man called 999 to report that his local Chinese restaurant was not answering their phone and he was hungry......so NOT funny.

chris955

Unfortunately that is true anywhere, it was certainly the case in Australia and no doubt happens in the States as well.

Bevm

Sorry you're having problems, Dunrovin.

NHS 24 hours should be scrapped. Everyone seems to agree it's little use, because if there's any sort of problem they tell people to go to the A&E and apparently the A&E people have ended up with more people coming in than before.

Bev

Fish n Chips 56

Wow, You seem like a pretty fair guy, I feel you must have good reason to feel this way, Want to tell us more or was it just his poor attitude.

dunroving

Not really appropriate for this forum (TMI). Suffice to say it was a lot more than a lack of bedside manner. I talked with my GP about it this morning and she was shocked. I'm concerned he is treating other patients the same - for vulnerable older adults, it would be enough to make them lose the will to live.

Fish n Chips 56

Thankyou, maybe your Dr can put in some type of report.

luvwelly

Sorry to hear about that Dunroving. I have had good and bad recent experiences.
On a recent trip back to the UK 2 years ago, my son had a bad experience over a language barrier with a local GP (at my parents' practice) who had zero appropriate manner. My son had an ear infection with vomiting and I wanted antibiotics for him which I duly got BUT aside from the language barrier was the fact that there was no seat for me the parent to sit on and I had to stand (never come across this before anywhere) and during the consultation my son had a sudden nosebleed and he didn't even notice. I had to point it out, ask for tissues...but there was no charge...even though there should have been as we were just visiting and had insurance. I offered to pay at reception but they refused.
When I got back my parents apologised to me that we had been given the 'duff partner' and I told the tale to some GP friends in another part of the UK and they were horrified at the lack of a seat for the accompanying parent.

Recently my 11 year old had a procedure under GA at the local Childrens' Hospital and they were fantastic. Effective EMLA cream patches on the back of his hands so he wouldn't feel the i/v insertion, bedside visits from nurse, medical doctor, consultant and anaethetist, written report on discharge and clear instructions re aftercare and I was told to come into the anaesthetic room with him and didn't leave until he was unconscious. This was standard procedure even though he was not afraid as everyone had been so pleasant on the bedside visits. I do have BUPA but used NHS as thought it would be better for kids' stuff. The wait was pretty short too and it wasn't an urgent matter.
So yes NHS Medical is a wonderful thing but we should not be complacent, it needs to be properly funded and quality patient care should be the focus.
Do not want UK doctors paid per procedure as in USA.

Abriton

I don't know where to post this on the forum so here goes! I am a 73 year old permanent resident in the US and receive Social Security and Medicare Part A. I also receive the UK Pension which is paid to me over here. I did not take Part B Medicare as I could not afford the premium at the time. I did not realise until much later that it goes up 10% each year you do not take it. It is now at $179 per month and, if I did pay it, it would leave me with hardly enough to live on after rent, utilities, etc.

I am a little over the amount where I could get help with Part B payments. A Medicare official wondered whether I could get help under the totalisation agreement on the basis that just under 2/3rds of my total pension income is from the UK and carries free healthcare. I have no other income.

Do you know of any precedent for this? Or anywhere I might get help with Part B premium?

Thank you

dunroving

You might get an answer here, but this forum is mainly used by people planning to return to the UK.

Because your situation is related more to receiving US benefits, I'd recommend starting a thread in the US forum. Those folks are living in the US and many are either retired or close to retirement. Some either have health problems themselves or have spouses with health problems so there may be someone with similar experiences. Good luck; health care in the US stinks if you don't have a decent work-related health care plan.

cheers

Hey partner I'm only 74 years old and will be for the next 14 days when I tick over to 75.
Based on what you say, my first thought is for you to return to the UK because of your finances.
I have to pay out $189 per month for the part B. I do that through AARP Health plan.
Why are you in the US may I ask?
Cheers

Giantaxe

The simple answer is that there is no reciprocal agreement for healthcare between the US and the UK. It sounds like you should be giving serious thought to returning permanently to the UK where you would at least be eligible for the NHS.

aries

The NHS is a bit of a mixed bag, but there are too many issues I could relate since I returned 13 months ago, so I will just quote from recent times.

I'm writing this in a hospital bed, this being my third day. I felt unwell last week with dizziness, and when Saturday night became a feverish nightmare, and I saw that my blood pressure was unusually low (I have a monitor), I phoned the out-of-hours service for advice. Two doctors came, and after an examination they called for an ambulance.

Blood tests and an x-ray showed a serious lung infection, doctors believing it to be the same one as in October when I was in hospital for a week. I am in a room by myself and receiving good medical care, but yesterday an aggressive male nurse came in, and because of his nasty attitude, I asked him to leave. He then began to loudly say I was rude (a typical response when those in the wrong wish to lay blame on someone else), and when I denied his allegation, he became louder and said he had a witness. Another male nurse was in the room, and he seemed stunned by what was happening. I eventually got the aggressive one out with him constantly yelling that I was rude, and I told the other one and a female nurse that I wished to speak with the ward manager.

She discussed the matter with the male nurses first, the quiet one not taking sides and saying it was a clash of personalities. I have never experienced an aggressive macho male nurse before, but if he thought I would cower before him he was sadly mistaken. Apparently he was told never to tell patients they are rude because it sets up a confrontation. If he wants to know what rude is, he should take a spell in A & E on a Saturday night, not confront an ill 74 year old who needs care without hassle. Some years ago in Australia I was told by
someone in the system, that it is usual for health employees when they are in the wrong, to attack and try to mentally knock their opponent down. I guess it is the same here, but I'm the wrong one to take on.

And for the past year I've been trying to see a cardiologist. Eighteen months ago in Australia I was advised by my cardiologist that I need to see one in England as soon as possible to get into the system, my dual chamber pacemaker and cardiac condition being passports into the system. However despite two referrals from GPs nothing has eventuated. My pacemaker was checked andthe technician saying she will arrange for me to see a certain doctor who was named, and all I had to do was wait for an appointment letter. After 3 or 4 weeks nothing came, so I phoned the hospital. Cardiology had never heard of me, and had no record of a pacemaker check. I was then told that a referral lasts for only 2 weeks, and I should go back to my GP. A referral was arranged, and in due course an appointment to go to the hospital was arranged for 19th December. However when a young doctor in this ward followed up 10 hours ago, she told me it was a follow-up from my previous visit, not to see a cardiologist. I was told that I needed another referral from a GP, the third!

It was all beyond the young doctor, so she left me to stew about the incompetence of the system. I looked on my iPad for someone to phone in the hospital, and after I explained the circumstances and that I was a patient in the hospital, I was told that someone in Cardiology would call back this week. Bizarrely I was again told that there was no record of me, yet I had contacted my hospital's cardiology department in Australia for details of my case, and I passed it onto the hospital here.

Has the NHS become too big to be competent?

Fish n Chips 56

Wow thats awful, from what I understand everyone is on the same system across the UK so they should have some knowledge of you, they really need to waken up and attend to your issue and Quick...

The Male, Huhhhhh what a moron, people go into hospital to be made to feel better not worse, he needs an education and a different line of work, its obvious he is clueless when it comes to caring for people, It costs NOTHING to be Nice.

The best of luck to you, I hope it turns around and gets better soon...

mikelincs

I would make a WRITTEN complaint and send to the complaints officer, then the issue will be discussed and they HAVE to sort it out and write to you to let you know what is/has been done. The male nurse should, at the very least receive a warning, and also should be sent for 'customer care' retraining to eal with obvious anger management issues. No nurse should mistreat a patient or shout at them, and if he can't treat patients with compassion, then he has no right to be working there.