Private Healthcare vs The NHS

Nookie Bear said:
Just snide comments made among themselves in front of me , the care generally back then was pretty poor glad to say more recent experiences have been very much improved
Click to expand...
Thats bad like. I went for some private healthcare treatment years ago that ended up being done (still privately) at the RVI with NHS nursing staff involved and noticed something similar in the form of passive aggressive remarks about having to work overtime because of big wait lists or something. Think me being me hoyed something back about think of the money. No need for it man :lol:
 


It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next couple of years. There are going to be huge backlogs in NHS and so an increase in private might be demanded. Not sure where the people come from to do either.
 
Had private for 1 year as work paid a decade ago and it happened to coincide when I needed an op. Was in the consultans room and he said it needed the op, which I was expecting, and I asked how long I would have to wait and he went 'what about Wednesday?' which was 2 days away. blew my mind. Had to phone my boss right there and then to ask for the time off

now had private for the past 3 years for all the family as work pay for it
 
Private sector definitely has its place. Shame that it's the NHS that has to deal with the complications of private work. But then I can't imagine intensive care medicine is very profitable for Spire or Nuffield.

@Lankester Merrin any idea off the top of your head what the tariff is for an ITU bed? I can't bring myself to look at the spreadsheet
 
for me its all about the personable experience.

nhs treatment feels like you're just a number on a conveyor belt. the private experience was more of a 'you're paying for this, so we will respect you as a customer and treat you accordingly'.

the best is when the nhs send you to a private hospital for treatment. yes the wait is the same but other than that it was great.

i had an op on the day of the england australia world cup qf and the doctor let me wait 15 mins before going down so i could see the end. the surgeon was class, explained things before and after very clearly and specific to my sport, and the aftercare was good too. nhs just do what they have to then cya.
 
Had surgery late 2019 at an NHS hospital and was rushed out so quickly it was ridiculous.

From waking up in recovery room to effectively been shown the door was about an hour, real lack of aftercare and was in the taxi heading home not really having a clue what was going on.

Really unpleasant experience.
 
I had an serious accident the other year and I thought I'll go private this time.......

Er hang on...

Still waiting for that private emergency ambulance to take me to a private A&E....
 
becs said:
I had two abdominal surgery operations a couple of years back. The first one was in the QE and the second was in the Spire but on the NHS, not as a private patient.

In the QE I had a cubicle with a bed, chair and a flimsy curtain across it that kept wafting open when people walked past so no privacy. There was nowhere to put my stuff so I just had to put my clothes in my bag on the floor. The bathroom was shared by everyone in the day surgery unit, and a walk away from my cubicle, which I found awkward going to after the operation as I was unsteady on my feet as they'd accidentally given me too much anaesthetic. I was offered a sandwich after the op which consisted of value white bread, minimal butter and that cheap chicken roll stuff. It was in one of those triangle plastic boxes and it was warm and dried out. I just forced it down as my sats were low and they said I needed to eat something. The nurse said I was lucky that I was given a sandwich as they often run out and have to send people home without offering them any food! I wasn't comfortable in there and I was desperate to get out!

In the Spire, I had my own bedroom with ensuite bathroom which looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room. It had a proper door so there was a lot more privacy and a cabinet to put my stuff in. The bathroom had mini toiletries in it. I was asked if I'd like something to eat and was brought a menu with several main course dishes and snack meals on. I wasn't that hungry and just ordered a cheese toastie. It was nicely presented on a plate with a side salad like what you'd expect to get in a cafe and it tasted freshly made with good quality ingredients. I was really comfortable and I would have happily stayed in there longer.

If he can afford it, I would definitely recommend going private. It's just a different class of service altogether. If I could afford it, I certainly would.
Click to expand...
Exactly the same experience, apart from when I was in the Spire my operation was cancelled at the last minute due to some reason or other and the surgeon came in and apologised then rang me when I got home to check I was ok. Apart from having marker pen 'cut here' marks on me, I was fine and got sorted the following day, The Surgeon owned the Aston Martin I saw in the carpark, which explains the £300 15 minute consultation fee he charged the insurance company
 
marathon9 said:
Queue jumping is wrong... Buying better healthcare is the same as people behind you nicking the next checkout that opens...scum of the earth..
Click to expand...

Not really queue jumping. You are choosing to not even stand in the queue but go somewhere else which makes the queue shorter for everyone. If I go to Sainsbury's for my shopping I'm not queue jumping at Tesco.
 
Darlo1973 said:
Not really queue jumping. You are choosing to not even stand in the queue but go somewhere else which makes the queue shorter for everyone. If I go to Sainsbury's for my shopping I'm not queue jumping at Tesco.
Click to expand...
Bollocks.. If I steal still from your mum and give it to my mum that's ok is it..
 
Last edited:
Lankester Merrin said:
Yup.

Plus private sector doesn't have any capacity to deal with complications so if something goes wrong they have to transfer them into the NHS.
Click to expand...

Same with private security. They deal with the simple stuff but when the proverbial hits the fan the police are called it. That doesn't mean that there isn't a role for the private security industry.
 

Back
Top