time to start charging for parts of the NHS?

[malg]

Maybe one of the reasons the NHS is so overstretched is that some are taking the piss due to it being free. Some examples of waste (?):

1. Ambulances are being called out to morons who have had a joint and half an hour later are feeling a bit weird!
2. Ambulances being called out to people with toothache.
3. People attending A&E with headaches, toothache, sore throat, stomach ache, shampoo in the eyes.......(mind you, some people class sore throat as an emergency!).

I'd suggest that some people attending A&E do so because they can get free pain medication, which would otherwise have to be paid for over the counter. Therefore, from my point of view it's about time that people who don't have an emergency should be facing a bill, especially where ambulances are concerned - there's some poor sods out there waiting over an hour for an ambulance because some fucking tosser is wasting their time.

Don't know why I started the thread actually, as I'm sure everyone on here will agree with me.....

 

[RP2]

I agree - not just for NHS but for the police etc. too.

 

[jimharri]

About bloody time as well. Between people going into casualty with a broken fingernail, or calling out an ambulance because they stubbed their toe, poor dears. And worse still, these sad old cases taking the valuable time of their local pharmacist with a tickly cough. In fact, fuck it. I'm going to write an angry letter to the Daily Mail, champion of the right thinking moral majority.

 

[johnny on the spot]

The question should rather be 'Why are ambulances being deployed to calls like this?'.

The problem is that the NHS 111 service is far from adequate to deal with the volume and scope of minor calls, and each time I've called them (three times in two years), they've just sent an ambulance anyway.

 

[malg]

The question should rather be 'Why are ambulances being deployed to calls like this?'.

The problem is that the NHS 111 service is far from adequate to deal with the volume and scope of minor calls, and each time I've called them (three times in two years), they've just sent an ambulance anyway.

.....and if not an ambulance, they'll just tell you to attend A&E!

 

[metalblue]

About bloody time as well. Between people going into casualty with a broken fingernail, or calling out an ambulance because they stubbed their toe, poor dears. And worse still, these sad old cases taking the valuable time of their local pharmacist with a tickly cough. In fact, fuck it. I'm going to write an angry letter to the Daily Mail, champion of the right thinking moral majority.

Add my rant to bottom please:

A&E means accident and emergency not an extended fucking GP clinic because you're too fucking stupid to understand you aren't about to die anytime in the foreseeable future.....but by all means moan about it on facebook that you had to wait 4 hours to be seen (you waste their time so it's a quid pro quo).

The biggest problem with the NHS is the people who use it.

 

[BlueBearBoots]

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

 

[tidyman]

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.

 

[BlueBearBoots]

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.

Took them 2 hours to come for mum who is 92 and on floor unable to get up, suspected broken hip, because she wasn't unconcious or vomiting it wasn't an emergency. They eventually came and it was a broken hip

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

My daughter is a student paramedic and it pisses her off that they often get called out to people who are effectively wasting their time when they could be dealing with something more important. She says they some sort of charge should be levied if that's the case.