If you remember I was having ongoing infections before we travelled to England, now cured by kidney surgery. It was a case of infection arrives, get antibiotics, infection disappears and reappears. If I had antibiotics at hand, it would have a five day course, then maybe six or seven days of relief before the infection returned. A double course of antibiotics might give me ten to twelve days of relief.
This had been ongoing from March 2022 and was not fully diagnosed after many scans and tests until early this year. The there was the long wait for private surgery, which I only chose because I thought it would be much quicker. I doubt it was quicker than the public health system and instead of being free, the surgery cost me a lot of money even though I have private health insurance.
With a double script from my specialist and a couple of scripts from my doctor, I was well prepared for the month away. I had all my medications for the month we were away. Except Chemist Warehouse mucked up. I was told there weren't any more antibiotic prescriptions, that all had been filled. I assumed it was true to its word. But no. I was two short it was the chemist shop's fault as for some reason my doctor's prescriptions weren't on the chemist list and had not been added to my phone app. I never checked the app while away and when I arrived home, there were two antibiotic scripts showing. I was cross but what to do? What to do is take more care myself about mistakes others might make.
So, almost to the day I can predict infection after the last course of antibiotics. To get a dose of antibiotics two days before infection arrived, I tried England's National Health Service. I could have made a private doctor appointment but I was advised that walk in clinics would be the best way to go. Sister 1's partner drove us and her neighbour who was having eye problems to the clinic.
I understood that Australia has a reciprocal arrangement with England whereby citizens of either country could access the same medical system as locals do. Reception was not interested in where I came from, only for an address where I was staying in England. I take it from this that medical care in England is open to all foreigners.
Once at the clinic patients see a triage nurse. After a wait of about 15 minutes I was triaged by a friendly but no nonsense nurse with the answer being we can't give you antibiotics if you don't have an infection. Return when you do have an infection. In spite of being able to get antibiotics in advance from my own doctor at home, I understood where the triage nurse was coming from. I wasn't happy, but I understood.
Sister 1's neighbour also received short shrift. She had a hospital eye appointment in a bit over a week and she did not need any short term treatment. I think this system is quite good. At home you might go to Emergency at hospital, be triaged and then free to wait. If you have a sore thumb, you may well sit waiting for many hours, possibly overnight. There will be many more cases that require urgent treatment rather than your sore thumb. The triage nurse kept the waiting room clear by judging each patient's needs.
So I concluded that while I came away without antibiotics, the system was efficient and well organised and cost me nothing.
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It is a very good system when it works as it should. It is a shame that so many people take advantage and are bringing it to its knees. You would certainly have received what you needed at the time you needed it. I am so very grateful for our NHS which has helped me many times in my 60+ years.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, how do people take advantage of the system?
DeleteThe nurse triage is very good and sorts the chaff out from the weeds.
DeleteAndrew, when I worked at our local hospital one of the midwives told me that they would often have pregnant women turning up at A&E in labour. Obviously they were then admitted for the birth and associated post natal care even though it transpired that they were from overseas and strictly speaking not entitled to free NHS care. No bills were ever paid.
DeleteIt does sound like a good system. And ours should (but doesn't always) work as well. On the times we have fronted up to Emergency we have been seen almost immediately - though they have never been for trivial matters.
ReplyDeleteEC, generally our system is excellent for emergencies and as in England, we don't pay. Our system and England's system both have their flaws which I hope are always under scrutiny and sorted out.
DeleteSurprised to hear about your better experience there. Chemist warehouse often refused to order the stocks that they do not get many kickbacks. Then they called it short supply or whatever.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, that is interesting about Chemist Warehouse. It does make mistakes with my medications and the staff are always helpful and seem qualified. Thinking a bit more, it really now is a position of power and I am surprised any individual chemists survive. When I found my medication bill dropped from $85 at my local chemist to $35 at Chemist Warehouse, I was converted and that was many years ago. I was prepared to pay a little more to support local businesses, but not that much.
DeleteHopefully Test 2 doesn't involve getting antibiotics because you DID have an infection.
ReplyDeleteCaro,woudn't that make for a boring post? I did say my infections were predictable.
DeleteSure happy to hear you are finally cured of that horror.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, cured of ongoing infections, yes. But I am not right. It is ongoing.
DeleteSo how is your kidney now and did they ever find why you kept getting infections?
ReplyDeleteRiver, they did find the problem pre surgery and that resulted in the surgery. Now I am still in the aftermath of surgery and things aren't quite right yet.
DeleteI am glad you found the NHS to be efficient and well organised. However for it to continue much needs to be done to improve the service and make it accessible for all and not a postcode lottery.
ReplyDeleteMarie, clearly you have some knowledge. I would like to think it wasn't a postcode lottery. Public health will always require more and more money. It is a growing beast in our societies. Just feel sorry for those in the US who don't have anything like our systems.
DeleteWhat a relief to hear a good news story about the NHS. It is good, when it works well, and emergencies are usually dealt with efficiently.
ReplyDeleteJB, I have no doubt emergency care is good. In spite of not getting what I wanted, I thought the system worked well.
DeleteI don't believe in "emergency" service in the hospital, since a friend of Rick had cut half of his thumb off and went to emergency, holding the other half in his hand, so that they could sew it together and he was sitting there for 2 h ! A shame, fortunately they still could sew the thumb together ! We have quite a good health service, but sometimes there are strange issues !
ReplyDeleteGattina, perhaps the timeline was known for sewing back on thumb and there were more important things to deal with. Whatever issues you may have with your health system, just be pleased you don't live in the US.
DeleteIs that true (what Fun60 suggested) you can only visit within your own area - or are they referring to funding?
ReplyDeleteI really really hope you didn’t need actual treatment while you were there. Nothing spoils a trip more than I’ll health
Cathy, no. You can go to any walk in centre anywhere, or to any doctor who has an open list after making an appointment. I take it Marie means that medical services, including walk in clinics are better funded or work better in some postcodes than others.
DeleteMany foreigners get free assistance from the NHS. My wife was a nurse and dealt with at least two recently arrived African fellows who knew they were HIV positive before flying and at least two Asian women who flew over because they knew they were pregnant and wanted to have their babies here. This is not what our health system was designed for. Sometimes attempts are made to get payment from such health tourists but it is so easy for them to slip through the net.
ReplyDeleteYP, the cases you describe are an abuse of the NHS, but how did such people get to England? I seems like a border control issue rather than a NHS issue. At the end of the day, in no civilised country, with one major exception, will see people suffer through the lack of medical care. I did once read that for small amounts, the paperwork to retrieve treatment costs from foreigners is difficult and it is easier to let it slide as 'written off'.
DeleteSounds like a good system and stops people from waiting for hours.
ReplyDeleteUnderstand no script if no infection, makes sense Andrew.
Margaret, it is a good system, and yes, no infection, no script. I returned to the clinic two days later.
DeleteYou don't want to think what that would have cost here in the USA.
ReplyDeleteTP, I've been reading a lot of UK v US health care. I can only say your system is horrifying.
DeleteI have heard from friends who live in England good things about the NHS system. That triage nurse at the GP clinic is a great idea. Hope you are feeling better Andrew.
ReplyDeleteSami, it was not quite a GP clinic. All I saw were nurses with some very highly qualified. I object to having to see my doctor here to stick a needle in my arm. So much better that a nurse could do that. I am not quite right yet.
DeleteI wonder if your GP in Australia could have sent the prescription to a pharmacy in the UK for you to pick up? I think you're right about health care in the UK being open to foreigners, as the NHS treated Dave's dad when he was visiting us and got sick several years ago. I've heard talk of a system meant to make people who aren't residents repay for their care, but I'm not sure it was ever put in place.
ReplyDeleteSteve, the answer to that is no. England does not recognise foreign prescriptions, I expect for very good reasons.
DeleteI really did think that only the citizens of countries with a reciprocal agreement would be treated as English locals. Now I wonder what happens here for English citizens.
I'm sorry for your ordeal. Fortunately, our US state offers excellent healthcare options. My husband shopped around before his big surgery this year and this agency has served us well. Best wishes on your health and advocating for yourself. It's a chore sometimes, but necessary.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, a family doctor diagnosed me with hepatitis B. Bewildered and upset, I went to a specialist who put me through a tremendous amount of blood testing. At long last I learned my primary care physician was wrong, only to receive a phone call from her office *the next day* telling me I needed more blood testing for my liver.
They forever lost me as a patient after that farce. Take care!
Darla, care levels do vary here from one state to another and you seem to be a very good state.
DeleteTo receive a false report as you did would have me changing doctors too. Didn't someone wonder about how you presented and with a little knowledge about you, that perhaps a second look might be appropriate.