time to start charging for parts of the NHS?

[pace89]

All the research that’s ever looked at charging has found it to be a false economy. You’d need a huge number of exemptions for it to be fair and then a massive administrative system to process the charges and the exemptions. It would be hard to make it pay for itself let alone make efficiencies.

It would be regressive as the poorest would proportionately have to pay more and it would put up costs as people who are ill would probably not want to attend until they become very ill and need much more expensive treatments once they eventually end up in hospital. The public health implications of people not seeking treatment for infectious diseases could be very serious (and expensive).

That said, people today are going to A&E with complaints they wouldn’t have bothered a GP with a generation or two ago. There’s myriad of reasons for this but a lack of basic medical knowledge and the fact that if you google more or less any symptoms the top search results are for Cancer doesn’t help. In the past A&E’s just put people who have nothing wrong with them to the back of the queue but the 4 hour target doesn’t allow for that.

 

[malg]

Do ambulances turn up for these minor ailments though?

I recently called an ambulance for a 74 year old relative who was vomiting and couldn't open his eyes because of severe dizziness. After an hour of asking when it was coming, I was told if it isn't life threatening, they ain't coming. So we took him ourselves and he was considered serious enough to be kept in hospital for ten days.

Yes, they definitely go out to them, and depending on what they tell the crew, they must be taken to A&E - regardless of what the paramedic thinks. This is why more deserving cases (the 92 year old lady who has been mentioned) have to wait up to 2 hours for an ambulance.

 

[Blue Hefner]

The problem is if we start charging for things like ambulances it might put of those who are in need as they as be scared of a charge or they may not be able to afford one of it came

Who 'needs' an ambulance? A man who wants to jump off a bridge or a rugby player that has broke arm?

If you are pissed and need an ambulance should you be charged? Should a fat man who has a heart attack be charged? What If an IV drug user gets a blood clot?

My point is there are lots of guenuine and diverse reasons people need ambulances and other parts of the NHS, the cost of administrating who should and shouldn't be charged then chasing it up will probably cost more than the original charge.

More education is needed. If you can't get to your GP go the the pharmacy.

'A' stands for accident not anyone and 'E' stands for emergency not everyone

 

[malg]

The problem is if we start charging for things like ambulances it might put of those who are in need as they as be scared of a charge or they may not be able to afford one of it came

Who 'needs' an ambulance? A man who wants to jump off a bridge or a rugby player that has broke arm?

If you are pissed and need an ambulance should you be charged? Should a fat man who has a heart attack be charged? What If an IV drug user gets a blood clot?

My point is there are lots of guenuine and diverse reasons people need ambulances and other parts of the NHS, the cost of administrating who should and shouldn't be charged then chasing it up will probably cost more than the original charge.

More education is needed. If you can't get to your GP go the the pharmacy.

'A' stands for accident not anyone and 'E' stands for emergency not everyone

All the instances you've mentioned would appear to me to need an ambulance. I understand the bit about maybe genuine people being afraid to phone, but the situation is running out of control. I'm sure if you spoke to a paramedic they'd tell you how many calls are not 'emergencies'. You're absolutely right in that it needs a bit of education, and maybe it's time we had a national advertising campaign detailing what ambulances and A&E are for?

 

[law74]

Scrap or privitise the remainder (is what the Tories have not already given to the companies they have a stake in), as all the NHS does is keep poor people alive, and these poor people then need houses and welfare payments.

 

[Blue Hefner]

The problem is if we start charging for things like ambulances it might put of those who are in need as they as be scared of a charge or they may not be able to afford one of it came

Who 'needs' an ambulance? A man who wants to jump off a bridge or a rugby player that has broke arm?

If you are pissed and need an ambulance should you be charged? Should a fat man who has a heart attack be charged? What If an IV drug user gets a blood clot?

My point is there are lots of guenuine and diverse reasons people need ambulances and other parts of the NHS, the cost of administrating who should and shouldn't be charged then chasing it up will probably cost more than the original charge.

More education is needed. If you can't get to your GP go the the pharmacy.

'A' stands for accident not anyone and 'E' stands for emergency not everyone

All the instances you've mentioned would appear to me to need an ambulance. I understand the bit about maybe genuine people being afraid to phone, but the situation is running out of control. I'm sure if you spoke to a paramedic they'd tell you how many calls are not 'emergencies'. You're absolutely right in that it needs a bit of education, and maybe it's time we had a national advertising campaign detailing what ambulances and A&E are for?

How much would you charge? Let's say a tenner. Lots of families can't afford that, would they have the right to appeal?

What would happen if a mother thought thier child had drank some methadone, bleach etc but when the ambulance got there it was found out to be one big misunderstanding? Would she be charged?

There could be cases of the well off treating it as a taxi service - no appointment with the GP, no problem ring an ambulance, pay a tenner and straight to A+E!

The key? I'd say is in education, people don't.value the NHS because they are free. That doesn't mean we shoudl charge, we should make people more aware of how lucky we are to have it and how to use it when necessary so everyone can get the best out of it

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I don't think they should give doctors appointments on a first come first served basis they should look at your record of past visits and if you have only been a couple of times in the last five years you should get priority because you obviously only go when you are really ill, people who go 10 times a year with a cold or a headache should go to the back of the queue

I like this but can't help thinking that the 11th time they went they might be having a heart attack, drop dead in reception and fuck the rest of us over in compo!

Paying for hospital food should also be a matter of course. If they weren't ill but at home watching Bargain Hunt they'd have to pay for their own bowl of soup!

 

[city saint]

my nephew is a paramedic and he reckons the night shift is basically a taxi for drunks

 

[Blue Hefner]

I don't think they should give doctors appointments on a first come first served basis they should look at your record of past visits and if you have only been a couple of times in the last five years you should get priority because you obviously only go when you are really ill, people who go 10 times a year with a cold or a headache should go to the back of the queue

I like this but can't help thinking that the 11th time they went they might be having a heart attack, drop dead in reception and fuck the rest of us over in compo!

Paying for hospital food should also be a matter of course. If they weren't ill but at home watching Bargain Hunt they'd have to pay for their own bowl of soup!

Eating, and more specifically diet, can be vital in recovery. It would be unfair to charge on the basis of what you are saying as people have food at home(paid for) so may not be able to afford extra food if the hospital admission was unexpected.

What about those in NHS mental health hospitals for years, would you have them pay? What about those that cannot eat/drink, would you charge per drip?

 

[tidyman]

They used to charge for ambulances. I don't know when it stopped. Assuming it has.

I got run over in the late 80s and broke my leg and got a bill for about £30 I think.

I didn't bother paying it and didn't get any follow up letter but the system was clearly in place to charge, even back then.