chris955

We went to Florida in 1996 and had a great time but no way could I live there. In the 2 1/2 weeks we were there we found ourselves in 3 or 4 'uncomfortable' situations, through no fault of our own. Being 6'5" helped in all those situations That was more than in all my time in the UK AND Australia. There were funny experiences as well like being asked by a cute young blonde being the counter in KFC whether we had guns, obviously shocked we said no. I asked whether she did and she replied oh yes but I dont bring it to work
America, a nice place to visit.

chris955

I'm not sure if there is a typical village but for us 2 pubs plus a pub/restaurant, a village shop plus what is more of a farm shop. A (very good) hairdressers, a doctors surgery, small school (less than 100 pupils), very friendly people, lots of Labradors and Land Rovers.

aries

Before coming to Devon I spent 6 months in a Lincolnshire village, and although there was pleasure living with my sister (sadly she died from cancer last year), the village itself didn't give me any joy.

Nor did the medical practice. Before leaving Adelaide I was told by my cardiologist that I needed to see another one here asap, but the bossy village receptionist told me I can't just ask to see a cardiologist, but in 10 days I could see a nurse practitioner. When I eventually saw the nurse she immediately said she couldn't help me, I needed to see a cardiologist!

It didn't take place during my 6 months in the village, so when I moved to Devon I began asking again at my local surgery. A doctor made a referral for me, and I was given an appointment for my pacemaker to be checked. Resulting from this I was told I would be referred quickly to a cardiologist.

I needed to follow up with the cardiology department, but despite my pacemaker check, and despite providing copies of medical documents from Adelaide, they said they had never heard of me, and I would need another referral from my GP!

This was done, but again the hospital claimed they didn't know about it, and I would need a third referral. I told them it had become ridiculous, and after much distress because it was my heart and welfare at stake, I saw a cardiologist a year after returning to England.

I was given another pacemaker check and an angiogram, and it was determined that because of my level of atrial fibrillation, my usual medication needed to be substantially increased, and I needed to take Warfarin. I had also twice received an admission because of a septic lung, and could have died if I had not applied pressure to my local surgery to send a doctor. He was most annoyed that I was given false information, and an ambulance was called.

Thus for me my return to the UK has not been good, I am certainly not impressed with village life nor the NHS. Perhaps village life is better if you have a car to go to other places?

chris955

Aries, my honest view is that you should return to Australia. It is clear from most of your posts that you find most things better in Adelaide and thats OK, we all have different views and experiences. For us it has been the opposite, our few dealings with the NHS have been wonderful and stree free including when our son broke his arm, when our other son broke his arm in Brisbane the whole experience was awful. There is no one size fits all.

dunroving

I think the NHS is fantastic for emergencies like a broken arm or cardiac arrest. For other things that require seeing a specialist, I think they can tend to drag on.

It also depends a bit on your postcode. I just asked to see a specialist about my other knee and at the suggestion of a friend, I asked the doctor to send the request to a different hospital (not in Glasgow). This time the specialist appointment has come in about a month instead of 6 months.

Grayling

You could always pay to see a specialist....Just like you have to in Australia.

Incidentally.....I went to an emergency dept. in Mansfield (UK) last year....was seen within half an hour and saw a specialist that same afternoon (no cost)..can't complain at that

chris955

I reckon the NHS is brilliant, I can only base that on our own experiences of course. Because we are in an area with lower than average population things happen quickly. In an area with high population density it would be different as it would of course anywhere in the world.

aries

Chris if I could magically move there without the hassle of selling my flat (most here are on the market endlessly), and without the hassle of sending my new furniture, travelling for 24 hours, and then have to look for somewhere else to live, I would go. However I also now have only 9 months left to comply with the terms of my Permanent Resident Visa.

However, a friend in Beaumont who is a general manager in the SA Public Health Service doesn't think it would be wise for me to return. Apart from the summer heat which was not good for my heart and resulted in A & E admissions, I now don't have close family in Adelaide. My eldest sister aged 85 lives in a retirement village near Gawler, and her daughter and family live even further out in the sticks.

Last year despite my health problems, I travelled a lot visiting family in Warwickshire, and flying 3 times to visit a friend in Germany, this is not something I could easily do living in Adelaide. Chatting via Skype doesn't have the same impact.

My ideal would be to have a flat in London overlooking the Thames with easy access to City Airport, but it isn't something I can afford!

aries

I didn't have to pay to see specialists in South Australia, I am an Age Pensioner and it came under Bulk Billing.

I recently paid £265 to twice see an orthopaedic surgeon here, so I am not averse to doing so.

dunroving

My friend down in Stranraer got his knee surgery done in about a quarter of the time it took me to get any treatment, and my experience with this other hospital (over towards Stirling, rather than Glasgow) seems to indicate the same.

It seems counterintuitive (you'd think major facilities being situated in cities would lead to more prompt treatment), but in Scotland certainly that appears to be how it works (faster treatment in more rural/lower population-dense areas).

Bud the Wiser

I just googled < NHS postcode lottery >. It seems absurd to have so much discrimination in what after all is a NATIONAL health service.

Lots of links to articles on the subject from various sources via the google search.

dunroving

I believe that, if you can afford the transport and other inconvenience, you can choose to receive your treatment anywhere within the NHS system.

I considered asking to have my knee replacement done in Manchester for various reasons, and am having my other knee seen to over towards Stirling based on advice about quicker and better treatment there.

Of course, those who most need to do this are usually the ones who can least afford it.

My neighbour who already has two replaced hips and one replaced knee is having her other knee done in Glasgow, purely because she doesn't have transport to get to the hospital I am going to. She's been on the waiting list for ages.

chris955

Postcode lottery, Broken Britain etc etc just ridiculous tabloid nonsense. Like anywhere in the world more population means more demand equals longer wait.

Bud the Wiser

I think you'll find that references to the NHS postcode lottery go way beyond tabloid journalism.

Here's just a couple..........

Cancer - Health service journal -

http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/cancer-car...e#.Uu53kLCYa1s

Cataract surgery - Action for blind people -

https://www.actionforblindpeople.org...of-sight-loss/

Not something that should be dismissed lightly regardless of your views on the NHS.

Grayling

What's the public health service like in Florida Bud?