"Health and Social Care levy", or is it just another tax??

[svenrico]

Originally Posted by ethariel

They don't want to have to use thier resources for the low price your company negotiated thier contract for.

The NHS generally does not 'Sniff' at the use of private healthcare but actually picks up the pieces when private ***** up which happens a lot more than people realise. A full on private hospital can cope with most eventualities but it's easier to pawn someone off in a private ambulance to A&E when it goes tits up rather than the liability of dealing with it (private 'Clinics' are much worse as they are usually woefully underequipped to deal with any mishaps at all).

That said the NHS pays a huge premium farming out services such as MRI scanning to a 'private Hospital' that has slots available as they dont have any capacity left themselves.

Oh back on topic - It's just another stealth tax. it's a 'Ringfenced' buffer that will let NHS funding by general taxation be reduced/not increased by as much and will 'help hide this from the general population'.

How do you know what the company I worked for paid for private health
care ? The company paid so much and I contributed so much into the private health care scheme which was the health care schemes standard rates as far as I know. How do you know about all these **** ups in private medical treatment ? I admit I am not familiar with the difference between private hospitals and private clinics.

[redtrummy]

I can only relate to mine and the other halves experience of the NHS vs Private.
Back in the day, I had very severe sciatica and the NHS treatment, was frankly appalling (1977 -78 ish) It was at the time of the nurses strike admittedly, I had been bombed with Xrays, fitted with a corset (although I had told them the only relief I could obtain was to lie on the floor and twist side to side), had 'heat treatment' was 'stretched', had 'massage' and only further deteriorated. I nearly lost my job, I had early retirement forms personally delivered by HR .
In desperation I had a consultation with, at the that time, the only Leicester Chiropractor. He took two rays and said I can fix that! (in time.) He did but it took over 12 months.
On returning to work, still not fit enough, I developed a hernia that I put up with until it developed into an emergency. The NHS fixed it there and then, all well and good.
After that I signed up to the Post Office sanatorium society , I guess a rebound reaction.

Fast forward 40 odd years, the hernia returned, after jumping through NHS hoops I saw a consultant who told me 12 - 18 mth waiting list time to op. Contacted the now Benenden health, op done in 6 weeks.(by the same consultant)

Wife had a hip replacement and a revision on the NHS, all good but no long waiting lists then.
She then developed cataracts on both eyes, after the NHS consultation it was a 7 months op wait, and they would not offer the fitting of Toric lenses (which would correct her severe astigmatism). Benenden did it in 6 weeks with the Toric lenses (although we had to pay a grand extra for each eye) -but now she can see for the first time properly for over 50 years.
She has just had another op where the consultation alone would have been a year long wait. All done and dusted in 3 months.
So in conclusion, my thoughts are the NHS should be sufficiently funded so its fair for one and all, and private admin is certainly no better than the NHS

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by redtrummy

I can only relate to mine and the other halves experience of the NHS vs Private.
Back in the day, I had very severe sciatica and the NHS treatment, was frankly appalling (1977 -78 ish) It was at the time of the nurses strike admittedly, I had been bombed with Xrays, fitted with a corset (although I had told them the only relief I could obtain was to lie on the floor and twist side to side), had 'heat treatment' was 'stretched', had 'massage' and only further deteriorated. I nearly lost my job, I had early retirement forms personally delivered by HR .
In desperation I had a consultation with, at the that time, the only Leicester Chiropractor. He took two rays and said I can fix that! (in time.) He did but it took over 12 months.
On returning to work, still not fit enough, I developed a hernia that I put up with until it developed into an emergency. The NHS fixed it there and then, all well and good.
After that I signed up to the Post Office sanatorium society , I guess a rebound reaction.

Fast forward 40 odd years, the hernia returned, after jumping through NHS hoops I saw a consultant who told me 12 - 18 mth waiting list time to op. Contacted the now Benenden health, op done in 6 weeks.(by the same consultant)

Wife had a hip replacement and a revision on the NHS, all good but no long waiting lists then.
She then developed cataracts on both eyes, after the NHS consultation it was a 7 months op wait, and they would not offer the fitting of Toric lenses (which would correct her severe astigmatism). Benenden did it in 6 weeks with the Toric lenses (although we had to pay a grand extra for each eye) -but now she can see for the first time properly for over 50 years.
She has just had another op where the consultation alone would have been a year long wait. All done and dusted in 3 months.
So in conclusion, my thoughts are the NHS should be sufficiently funded so its fair for one and all, and private admin is certainly no better than the NHS

even further proof that there should be no private health care. if everyone was forced to use the NHS then things would be made to be better. all those private clinics and hospitals would be NHS.

i personally think that the whole NHS funding should be ring fenced and each year adjusted too needs. want some fancy new nationwide hospitals?? then the NIC goes up to cover it.

[redtrummy]

I totally agree Bibio. However It does not appear to be the Governments aim.

[ethariel]

Originally Posted by svenrico

How do you know what the company I worked for paid for private health
care ? The company paid so much and I contributed so much into the private health care scheme which was the health care schemes standard rates as far as I know. How do you know about all these **** ups in private medical treatment ? I admit I am not familiar with the difference between private hospitals and private clinics.

Lived with an A&E ENP for years, she was used to having daily 'Private Patients' come in for emergency treatment, often aftercare and a fair few blue lighted in when something went wrong during a procedure. It was a usual 'after work cursing the day over dinner' line that never ended.

Don't get me wrong, some private hospitals are spectacular, best equipment available, top of their field as consultants etc, but then there are the others too (just like NHS hospitals, not all are stellar in thier accomplishments)

[redtrummy]

My perceptions right or wrong
If treated by the NHS it could be a junior Doctor doing the procedure - never seems to be the case in Private hospitals, (obviously they have to learn some how). I have heard that private patients being told to go to the NHS if any complications arise after surgery. Indeed the wife was told if she required any extra medication after her op to get it from her Doctor. It seems that the boundary between NHS and Private is becoming more of a blur.
One positive of Private care is you can contact the consultant easily should you have any queries after treatment.

[ethariel]

Years ago I needed to get a broken nose fixed before the RAF would accept me, went to good old NHS and was told there was a 15 month wait for the procedure - Private on my dad's work cover? Same hospital, same consultant but on one of his '2 days a week private' and just a 24hour wait.

Private is nice if you can afford it, if not then it's join the masses waiting on the NHS.