NHS accused of waving white flag as it axes 18-week operation target

[Northerner]

Patients will face longer delays for operations after the NHS decided to shelve one of its most important waiting time targets as part of its ambitious survival plan, which will also result in hundreds of thousands of people being denied surgery.

Simon Stevens, NHS England’s chief executive, has announced that the NHS is significantly relaxing the requirement on hospitals to treat, within 18 weeks, 92% of all patients in England who are waiting for a hip or knee replacement, cataract removal, hernia repair or other non-urgent operation.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSE) immediately accused the NHS of “waving the white flag on the 18-week target”.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...ery-target-operations-cancelled-simon-stevens

 

[Greyhound Gal]

They kept that pretty quiet. I wonder if it'll be worthy of a news slot instead of constant Brexit....

 

[Northerner]

They kept that pretty quiet. I wonder if it'll be worthy of a news slot instead of constant Brexit....

They were talking about it on BBC Breakfast. The government are getting there, slowly but surely, in discrediting the NHS and forcing people down a private route if they can afford it - before too long you'll only be able to get the 'non-urgent' stuff done if you have insurance for it outside the NHS

 

[mikeyB]

When folk talk about the NHS, it's worth remembering that it is NHS England you are talking about. If that were announced in NHS Scotland there would be a public outcry, and quite rightly. It's a matter of pride in Scotland that the NHS is doing its best. This is not me showing off, or boosting Scotland, it's just the way it is. It is so different, it's like a completely different service.

 

[Greyhound Gal]

They were talking about it on BBC Breakfast. The government are getting there, slowly but surely, in discrediting the NHS and forcing people down a private route if they can afford it - before too long you'll only be able to get the 'non-urgent' stuff done if you have insurance for it outside the NHS

And trying to get private medical insurance with diabetes is expensive enough, but when so many of us have other conditions it is just prohibitive.

 

[grovesy]

And trying to get private medical insurance with diabetes is expensive enough, but when so many of us have other conditions it is just prohibitive.

Medical insurance in its current form won't cover Diabetes.

 

[Northerner]

Medical insurance in its current form won't cover Diabetes.

Which is one of the big issues in Trump's attempts to repeal Obamacare in the US - they've got 25m people with diabetes, and another 70m pre-diabetic or undiagnosed 😱 Some Republicans want to exclude pre-existing conditions

 

[Steff]

i went on compare the market . com put in all my conditions and it came back with low as £.6.26 single trip I compared that to OH who was £10.96 (2 mini strokes)aint that weird he is higher and im the diabetic.

 

[trophywench]

No Steff it isn't. Diabetes on it's own isn't a death sentence, despite what some quarters say. If it was - Insurance companies would be entirely justified in charging everyone more just for saying we have it. It isn't discrimination when there is prima facie evidence that we DO cost them more. But - we don't !

Start ticking a few more boxes - which would be the norm - though eg we have to have our BP lower than someone without D of the same age and nowhere near anything to worry ANYbody - hence we're classed as having high BP an awful lot sooner than Joe Soap. Likewise, because our chol gets tested younger/sooner than the non-D population - and we're automatically supposed to have a greater risk of all things cardio-vascular, we get classed as having chol higher than it should be. Even T2s have a greater risk of other auto immune conditions - so add hypothyroid to the list and we start to sound like we're at death's door.

When you have any breathing problem be it caused by tree pollen hay fever rhinitis asthma or COPD - then just forget it as they won't even quote - or want WELL into 4 figures for a month in France. Can't get a quote for my own husband either since he only finished radiotherapy for his prostate cancer last July - so if he gets flattened by a steam roller whilst crossing the road, and needs flying home to recuperate as both legs are in plaster - WE have to foot the bill for the transfer. He doesn't need cover for the prostate cancer - it's been removed, what they left behind has been blasted and even if it pops up again somewhere else - which they only test for 6 monthly - it's hardly likely to completely wipe him off his feet without any prior warning at all whether in the UK or deepest Peru. Were we abroad and he started to get any iffy symptoms, well - we'd just cut the holiday short and return home anyway - notwithstanding insurance cover. No bloke on earth really wants to be catheterised by anyone he can't communicate with ! LOL

 

[Steff]

Cheers jenny
I was under the illusion I would be more of an expense but apparently it goes on age and things like are you a smoker which I didn't realise either .

 

[mikeyB]

Hang on a sec, this discussion seems to have deteriorated into planning what happens when your government insists on using private insurance for fixing your dodgy knees. Has it come to this?