Americans React to US vs UK Doctor Visits - Private Healthcare

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Reacting To My Roots
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In this video we react to US vs UK doctor visits within the private healthcare system. This is the first time we're learning anything about how doctor visits and private healthcare work in the UK. I already know the NHS is very different from our healthcare system, but it also seems doctor visits in the UK vs US are completely different as well. It sounds like a British doctor visit may be an all around more pleasant and affordable experience than what we're used to in the States.
Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
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[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for reacting to my doctor visit video. It is really different that British people call their local HS doctors office the "surgery". They probably don't do any surgeries there, it's just the regular GP office! The ER is called the A&E.

[@glastonbury4304]

Dara spreading her wings...everyone should watch your channel...❤

[@marydavis5234]

Where did you go for the $1400 osteoarthritis shot, my cost for one shot was $400.00 and my healthcare insurance paid $350.00 of the $400.00

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@marydavis5234 the shots were administered in a special infusion clinic. The doctor would write a prescription and I would go to the clinic for the shot. After long conversations with my insurance company, I learned that the medication costs three times as much in USA versus England. And my American insurance covers almost none of it!

[@baronmeduse]

Also 'surgery' refers to 'hours of practise' An MPs office is also called 'surgery' when he sees constituents. It's also used for consultations by solicitors.

[@geoffos42]

Some GP practices do perform minor surgeries. I had one at my Surgery when my GP removed a benign cyst from my back a few years ago.

[@jillmartin3951]

When my mum was dying in hospital, I sat with her in a private area. Her end of life care was amazing. At the time I had a cast on my broken ankle, rather than using the crutches, the doctor wheeled me in a chair along several long corridors to her bedside. From 5.30am until late afternoon the nurses brought me breakfast, hot lunch and lots of tea. I only had to leave my mum's side to use the toilet. They made her passing as comfortable and peaceful as possible, and I was supported though those difficult hours. Thank you NHS

[@bryan7938]

Same. One of the nursing assistants from my mums ward came to her funeral and was the first to hug me as we walked out. You couldn’t pay for better care from the catering people bringing cups of tea to end of life care. Mum was 60. 6 weeks after burying her my Dad was diagnosed and we were back on the same ward and he died 3 months later aged 63.

[@nightowl5395]

@@bryan7938 💜

[@101steel4]

My mum has been having multiple scans over the last few weeks. The hospital phoned her at home on Thursday to discuss the diagnosis. Her treatment starts this Thursday. They've been brilliant from the beginning to now, and all on the NHS. I can't praise the NHS highly enough.

[@Eph.6_10-20]

I’m really glad for your mum, the NHS isn’t always so efficient (especially in England from what I’m told). I’m in Scotland where we fair a bit better BUT it still ain’t all that and a bag of chips. We deserve a better NHS than we have. There is so much money wasted, it’s shocking in reality. The NHS is in danger, we must fight to keep what we have. The NHS cannot cope with the excessive numbers it needs to deal with now due to migration. Not racist, just truth. Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable but it is where we are now. Feel better soon to your mum ❤

[@101steel4]

​@@Eph.6_10-20I'm in Essex in England. She's been using Colchester hospital and they've been brilliant tbh. Although I know what you mean, I used to live in London and the waiting lists were horrendous. Although saying that it can't all be down to numbers, as NHS Wales is shockingly bad, and there's far fewer people. I guess it's just luck of the draw, a postcode lottery.

[@johnstrac]

@@Eph.6_10-20 the standard demonising of migrants and blaming them for the UK's problems. There obviously has been an increase in load on the NHS as a result of immigration but the bigger problem is down to strangulation of funds by this Government (I do acknowledge that there are organisational problems within the NHS however). NHS staffing levels would have dropped through the floor if it wasn't for "the migrants" working within it.

[@loopyloo788]

@@101steel4I’m in the North East of England and currently going through treatment for breast cancer. My treatment has been second to none. Fantastic staff and nothing is too much trouble. Good luck to your mum. Hope all goes well for her. x

[@arnoldarnold4944]

Do you really think that all of those channel paddlers are doctors and scientists ?lf we didn't have a million new asylum seekers we wouldn't need so many NHS staff,

[@mrfill9999]

The difference seems to be US system - all about making money UK system - all about making you better.

[@VickyAitch]

GP surgery is what you’d call the doctors office.

[@andysroadtrips7770]

gp is short for general practitioner yes a doctor

[@marigoldlancs8937]

National insurance tax is 10to12% of your wages on top of all the other taxes the working people pay... that is what funds the nhs ....it's not free

[@BnaaUK]

​@@marigoldlancs8937 a lot of the taxes from cigarettes and alcohol goes towards the NHS too.

[@peterbrown1012]

​@@marigoldlancs8937national insurance is alsoment to fund unemployment benifit most other thing.

[@BlackHedgehog]

@@marigoldlancs8937 Yes but in comparison to the way the US handles it, it might as well be free. Because Americans will pay both healthcare AND taxes. At least we in the UK only pay one of those things.

[@KernowWarrior]

I once saw an American reactor, who now lives in the UK, she was saying about a the time she went to the doctors in the UK with a very bad cold/flu type thing, and the doctor just told her to go home, go to bed, lemon drinks etc. and just ride it out. She was amazed because first of all she didn't know you could do that, just let it take it's course and second it was the first time in her life that she had ever left a doctors office without a prescription.

[@winterlinde5395]

How did she feel about it?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yep! That does not surprise me!

[@lewilewis3944]

Yup, if the fever isn't above 104 don't even take paracetamol. The fever is the body's way of killing the virus. Fluids + vitamin C are all you need.

[@KernowWarrior]

@@winterlinde5395 I can't remember her exact response but it was amazement in a positive way and she said something about it cured it's self, probably as quick as if she had taken something for it anyway.

[@maxmoore9955]

​@KernowWarrior Think your talking about Yorkshire Peach .An American who married an English Guy .

[@colinbirks5403]

Did notice, she said that the Doctors just prescribed anti-biotics for ear infections. First step for a British Doctor, is to identify WHY, they are getting ear infections, then prescribe medication if it will resolve the situation, or investigate why they are getting ear infections. Americans seem to treat the symptoms, not the causes.

[@user-cd6wf6mu8t]

And they probably get bonuses for prescribing certain meds,you hit the nail on the head with that,nice one.

[@emmahowells8334]

No not in my experience & i'm from the uk, if it's the first time you've had a ear infection as the doctor would examine you then give you antibiotics, the doctor would only go further if you keep having them more regular, then the doctor would investigate why.

[@mcah2725]

In my experience pretty similar, even if you ask the doctor for antibiotics, quite often you get a response of them basically saying, unless you desperately need them we don't recommend them or else your body may get immune to them.

[@koipebbles4904]

@@emmahowells8334With me, my doctor didn’t actually give me antibiotics for my first ear infection. She had a look and suggested it should pass without them (UK doctors seem more hesitant to give out antibiotics, which I think is usually right). It was mild enough that it did pass without them by the time I saw her again (I was seeing her regularly for another reason). If I were to go back again for my third mild one, it would definitely be a case of ‘why have you suddenly started getting them? Let’s figure that out even if you’re not requiring antibiotics’

[@emmahowells8334]

@@koipebbles4904 That depends on how infected your ear is, if it's not really bad yeah they tend to leave it. As I said depends on the infection, the doctor. But our doctors are careful with antibiotics as it can lose it's effectiveness if given to often. But is it also the cost perhaps?.

[@Annemerricks]

I can honestly say the NHS have been amazing, my son collapsed so we rushed him to hospital after loads of tests it came back he had heart , lung , kidney failure, he was only 34 , I was told he had to be rushed down to surgery as he had 2 hours left to live , after 3 months and 5 operations one being a heart transplant, my son is still with us 4 years later and it cost the NHS 2 million pounds . I really can't thank them enough, the NHS is amazing

[@rhpiggy123]

How did you work out how much it cost the NHS?

[@Annemerricks]

We was told by the transplant team the cost of all the surgeries , biopsys and after care , the meds he is on cost £2000 a month for the first 12 months to keep him alive and stop his body rejecting his heart , we are so grateful to the NHS and raise charity money for them when we can

[@grahamguest142]

Almost all doctors working privately in the UK are NHS doctors doing extra work, the NHS does all the stuff private can't make big bucks on.

[@dee2251]

Not so these days. The NHS is now around 70% run by private providers, thanks to Blair welcoming in the private sector and VirginCare won most of the contracts and all those new hospitals Blair built are privately owned. The NHS have to rent back off them at extortionate prices, though the NHS is still free at the point of use for us. In 2014 my mother was very ill on HDU. Back then it cost £3,000 per patient, per night, with most of those costs going to the providers who own the hospitals. These providers are ripping off the NHS and tax payers.

[@grahamguest142]

@@dee2251 they are still NHS trained, many of my friends are NHS doctors, my wife being an NHS director.

[@CharlesDickson-nv2ol]

Because people can get free NHS healthcare then the private sector has to be very competitive in the UK.

[@dee2251]

@@CharlesDickson-nv2ol it’s not free. Every tax payer has to pay for our NHS. It’s just free at the point of use for those using the NHS.

[@grahamguest142]

@@dee2251 best way of funding IMO...I and most others would be happy to pay more.

[@jakeoliver9167]

Wait times in the UK are always for non life threatening things. It might still be serious... But if you need urgent care, you will be seen quickly. Some people go private just for these things, usually tests/non urgent procedures

[@geoffpriestley7310]

I had a cancer scare a about a year a go with in a week of tell them the symptoms I'd had a ultrasound, a cat scan and a camera stuck where the sun don't shine. then the following week a minor operation

[@2Balendin2]

however this isn't always the case. some of the stuff that isn't urgent can turn to urgent within the waiting time to see said specialist (i know i've had it happen to me with my IBD)

[@geoffpriestley7310]

@@ginacable5376 when they start rushing things through its worrying

[@alexandriawest]

@@geoffpriestley7310 nothing quite like going to the GP, being sent to the hospital, and a doctor does his best smile and tries to remain calm as he tells you your operation is in half an hour 😅

[@geoffpriestley7310]

@@alexandriawest worst still he tells you he's taking your driving licence off you and you have to go in an ambulance

[@Hexmark]

UK private health care is the equivalent of flying 1st class on a plane. NHS is the equivalent of flying coach/standard. They’ll both get you where you want but one is a premium experience. Private in US seems to be equivalent to UK Standard (maybe a bit better but you pay through the nose for it), unless you are very privileged and use very expensive insurance. GP surgery is our local doctors office. Everyone must be registered to one in their area for access to NHS services.

[@brianparker663]

That is a great summary. 👍

[@rayanog]

well said

[@user-xk3ej6jd5h]

That's not true I went to hospital for an operation and then stayed with my son in a different county to recover, I had easy access to a doctors surgery. If it's less than a month you can get signed in as a temporary patient anywhere in the uk.

[@sallycostello8379]

I went to my GP (surgery) recently and was found to have concerning issues with one of my organs. My Dr. fast tracked me through MRIs, endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound, xray, blood tests - a whole swathe of tests. Some of these appts were early Saturday/Sunday all within 2 weeks. Got seen straight away on each one. All on the NHS! I was very reassured.

[@MoominJude]

I'm pleased for you, but this wasn't my experience . I waited months for tests and months for diagnosis and then most of that was a total cock up. Just dreadful. I'm still months along and trying to find out why I'm in so much pain. The last GP I spoke to was 300 miles away. I have no faith in the NHS, I hate the way I've been treated.

[@temphtempg8819]

@@MoominJude Yup, that's the National HELL Service.

[@jaxbra7]

@@temphtempg8819 I think it REALLY depends on your GP practice. I’m in London in a populous area. I get an appointment scheduled same or next day. I will never leave that surgery regardless if I move. And I’ve been registered there 8 years and not once I’ve had an issue. And I’m under 40 and healthy and none were emergencies at all

[@Ruthy-F]

A couple of months ago I woke up in agony with a sinus infection. I called my GP and within an hour I had been seen and was back home with antibiotics. Absolutely amazing! And all it cost me was that £9 something prescription charge. Long live the NHS 🙌

[@paulknox999]

In the UK the same specialists often work for both the NHS and the private sector, you can wait if you want free care on NHS or pay to go private. what some people do is pay privately for the consultation, just so they get seen sooner then have whatever treatment reccomended on the NHS for free but may still have to then wait for the treatment.

[@Sarahj-ho1jx]

That's what my mum did and does. She gets insurance because it covers doctors, dentists, opticians, chiropractor visits etc. She has similar issues as the lady in the video too so it's actually funny to see

[@oufc90]

Yeah, even then though in my experience with the NHS I’ve thankfully never needed to wait more than a day for a GP appointment. Of course the more severe the need the more you’re prioritised, which makes sense

[@rayeasom]

I was surprised just how cheap you can get private medical insurance for. As little as £40 per month insured myself and my two children. As you’ve basically explained it is essentially a queue jumper pass.

[@HSolar]

​​@@rayeasomPremiums are higher if there's preexisting conditions when I lost my job due to prev undiagnosed genetic health snowballed & so private ins too I couldn't afford the premiums (I since discovered kids also have inherited to). No system likes incurable (mostly untreatable & poorly understood) chronic illnesses. I've been lucky to find a few wonderful consultants NHS & 2 good private but also poor private ones too took ££ & zero help I neurosurgeon didn't even tell me mri findings I didn't discover it till another mri 5+ yrs later my good NHS consultant, sadly going to lose him with retirement & don't know if hosp will find replacement for him, he's only Dr for condition in area next over 100 mls away.

[@thefiestaguy8831]

I pay £82 a month for Bupa private medical. I still have to utilise the NHS for their GP services especially when a physical examination is required. Having had a telephone consultation with a Bupa GP, they stated that they could refer me to a specialist but they wouldn't know who's best to refer me to (as I have numerous flu like symptoms, currently day 17 and having had 5 days worth of anti-biotics I've not improved a lot). As such they want me to be physically seen by my local GP. Called the GP at 8:02AM this morning (lines open at 8AM) after trying to book an appointment online and failing, only to hear an automated message stating that "there are no more GP appointments available today"... literally 2 minutes after the phone line opened.

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

It's amazing that they have the cheek to make you wait like that in the US to see your doctor when you turn up, given how much they charge you!

[@georgebarnes8163]

Same and often worse in the UK

[@user-ec7um1lq5d]

the same here in australia

[@lewilewis3944]

The UK uses a triage system. Not life threatening? Wait a bit. Life threatening? Instant action. I know from experience.@@georgebarnes8163

[@rogerward9492]

@@georgebarnes8163 There is nothing wrong with the NHS if you are really sick and dying you don't wait, if you are waiting to see him about Viagra then it could be a hard wait 😁

[@conniestyles3435]

You won’t wait longer than 15 minutes to see your GP in the UK. You must be talking about going to the emergency room :)

[@carolinefarren1935]

We in the UK are unbelievably lucky to have the NHS it is truly amazing

[@Symptomless_Coma_]

Amazingly awful. Elderly patients waiting hours in the back of ambulances to be seen at A&E.

[@charmainelamont2020]

@@Symptomless_Coma_ Depends on which country you are in. NHS England is not as good as in the other countries.

[@rayeasom]

To simply things think of private healthcare in the U.K. as a queue jumper pass in a theme park. You’ll generally see the same surgeons in the same theatres in the same hospitals as you would using the NHS, you just won’t have to wait the 2/3 years you’d have to on the NHS.

[@Spiklething]

There is a guy here on KZbin who is British and living in the US. He does a lot of shorts about Disney but also comparing the US and the UK. He recently put up videos about an issue he had with an eye. He saw a doctor who said he didn't know what it was but prescribed him antibiotics and was told to come back if it didn't get better. He showed the medication he had been prescribed TWO different antibiotics. Having been a nurse for over 30 years in the UK I have never once seen a doctor prescribe more than one antibiotic for one condition. Also, the antibiotics were not ones that I had ever heard of being used for eye issues, one I had never heard of, the other one I had only ever seen used for Urinary Tract Infections. I wonder if these were prescribed because the dr makes more money if he prescribes these particular ones. So (as I am no longer a nurse and not up to date with current protocols) I looked at the NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines for eye infections. NICE guidlines are used by medical staff in the UK so that care is standardised through the country and uses up to date evidence to recommend the best treatment programmes. The NICE guidlines recommend using either Chloramphenicol OR Fucidin eye drops/ointment and referral to ophthalmology if no improvement after 7 days If the Drs in the US are just throwing antibiotics at people without any care, they are just asking for more superbugs imo If you know more about this than me, or are more up to date with your knowledge, I am more than happy for you to correct me. I love to learn new things.

[@reactingtomyroots]

That sounds accurate! At least in our experience. Love the idea of the NICE guidelines for standardized care.

[@rbnhd1144]

I agree totally, Antibiotics are over prescribed here in the States, at some point we will become immune to them all, That's why you have to pick your fights.

[@chrisfisher2568]

local surgery= local dr office, ER= A&E (accident and emergency)

[@mattratratcliffe-zs3lk]

Do you remember when a and e was called casualty lol

[@stephenlee5929]

@@mattratratcliffe-zs3lk No, its weird, I remember it is/was often referred to as casualty (even a TV show name), From outside the hospital it always (back to 1970's) seemed to be A&E. I visited quite a lot, I rode motorbikes very poorly. In side (the Hospital) I have seen Casualty on direction signs (similar to X-ray or whatever blood is called), I think I have seen those signs in recent years (2 or 3).

[@markjones127]

I was the full time carer for both my parents in their final years and their local gp was incredible, if you're on a lot of meds like my parents were they don't just tell you and write down what you need to do, they start giving you regular consultations just to go through your meds and make sure you're taking them properly, this is with the surgery nurse, but when my parents got to the stage where they were having regular medical care at home, they would have check ups at home where every element of their care including meds was regularly gone over with a fine tooth comb. And on top of this the pharmacist at the pharmacy which supplies their meds was always on call to answer any questions and they're also highly trained and able to give advice, they even supplied the drugs already separated and organised into bubble packs so there was no confusion as what pills to take when, I couldn't fault the care my parents received, just before my father passed away we needed to call an ambulance, he'd arrested and I was giving him cpr from instructions I was being given over the phone, but the ambulance arrived just 4 minutes after I called.

[@zombymumf]

Just to indicate how quickly the NHS deals with issues. Last year I had an argument with a motorised chop saw and managed to cut a 3 inch long and 1.5 - 2.0 inch deep cut in my left breast (stupid I know). I went to my local hospital and after a 15 minutes wait (I was fast-tracked because I am 64 years old), I had it sown up (8 internal and 10 external sutures) there. It was all painless. I was given several dressings and sent home. After 6 days I had the external sutures removed. All fixed! The cost to me : £0. All Brits LOVE the NHS.

[@karencooper3428]

Untrue, your paid, we all pay quite a lot for the NHS

[@zombymumf]

@@karencooper3428 Ahah! I am retired, so I don't pay N.I. any more so I could argue that the cost is £0. However to be fair, I only referred to the cost for that issue, not all possible issues. For example, I still pay for my NHS dental treatment; my eye glasses etc. I was specifically referring to this issue which led me to be in A&E. Having waited a LONG time for my second cataract procedure, I am fully aware of some constraints the NHS operates under - so it is not perfect, just VERY good.

[@littleannie390]

To use the NHS you have to apply for an NHS number and I think they have only just done this. The specialist doctors in the UK are usually the same ones who work in the NHS and also have a private practice.

[@Smudgie33]

As far as I am aware every newly graduated doctor has to do a minimum of say 2 years working in the NHS before they can move into private practice. Don’t quote me on this though…

[@MrsIzzy52]

Everyone in the UK has a NHS number and has had since birth in England and Wales and every letter from a specialist etc will have your NHS number but in Scotland we had NHS numbers when I was a kid but we now have CHI ( COMMUNITY HEALTH INDEX) numbers which recognise us on computer systems throughout the whole NHS, so when you speak to a hospital they will ask your CHI number then they know why you are calling that dept to schedule or reschedule an appointment. GP surgeries are different all over, my GP surgery was one man and 2 part time nurses and 3 office staff, nurse always come out to get you, Dr has a wee ring that the receptionist will tell you to go into his office. My GP I had had for 30 years, he knows more about me than any living being apart from my husband. He and I are 7 years apart in age , my niece was his first pregnancy from conception to birth and she is 30 this year. He “retired” last August simply because his father is very sick and he aas going to help care for his father his father used to be the Locumn who filled in for Richard when he went on holiday then his dad retired as did his mum who used to do the well woman clinic within the surgery helping woman realise that getting a cervical smear or pap smear I it is in 🇺🇸. Having a woman like her helped a lot of woman not die from Cervical Cancer, my GP was awarded several times for being the “BEST “ GP for want of a better word. He is now a Locumn at the practice one day a week and we have new GP’S who have another practice but they do 2 days a week each. Before covid we ised to turn up at the surgery door and wait in line until it opened and then stand in the queue inside in the same order and we would be taken in that order, then it changed to calling in, told to turn up that morning and be seen, if he couldn’t see you he would call you or he would turn up at your door ( always at my door I’m complex medically). Now we still ring and get a call back or get a call and seen then meds or if not seen meds are sent to your pharmacy and in my case delivered from there the same day. Also to note that in Scotland we do not pay anything for any of our medications at all, not with medical prescriptions nor with Dental prescriptions ( specialist toothpaste or antibiotics etc). This is the case in Scotland because we have a devolved parliament. England pay for prescriptions but you can get certain grants , health certificates to cover for meds. There is so much more but it would be like writing a book. Waiting lists are long and longer due to COVID but they are coming down. I got a letter a week ago informing me that I have a pre-assessment this week for a minor surgery in 2 weeks which I thought would be 4 years in waiting it’s been 18 months if that and it’s an elective surgery to remove something not imperative that it be removed, I have to be knocked out for it hence waiting. I can’t fault our NHS because they have saved my life on many an occasion, they have cared for all of my family at one point or another. Private Healthcare are basically just NHS Dr’s /surgeons/specialists, you could see the same doc even if you saw him on the NHS and went private for Quickness of surgery etc. We need to teach you how to pronounce things and places in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 😜 let’s start with Ecclefechan , Sauchiehall , Edinburgh, Milngavie, Auchtermuchty, Findochty no cheating now!! Love from the burbs in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🩷Saor Alba

[@littleannie390]

@@MrsIzzy52 only UK citizens are automatically given an NHS number. They needed to apply for an NHS number because they are US citizens who live part of the year on the UK. They didn’t do it for some time and just paid privately. Dara explains this in one of her other videos about how they got their NHS numbers

[@nicolad8822]

@@Smudgie33A 2 year post qual Doctor would not be getting private patients.

[@heathermurray9939]

In the uk we don't have to go to our local hospital to see a consultant you can get your doctor to refer you to a different hospital in a different town / city

[@Coolcarting]

Which can take months. I have a pain in my groyne that has been there for over a year and I'm still waiting for it to get looked at

[@heathermurray9939]

You can get referred to a different hospital.

[@heathermurray9939]

I live in Cumbria and go to hexham hospital & Freeman hospital in Newcastle by ambulance transport hexham 70 miles around trip & Newcastle 90 miles around trip

[@Grumpy-Goblin]

There are people who complain about certain things in the NHS but it has to be put in context because some people will moan about anything. Now that is not to say the NHS is perfect because it isn't but when you remember that the NHS has 1.6 million patient contacts per day not everything is going to be perfect every time but when you add in the fact that it is free at the point of use it does a pretty good job. Complaints are generally about waiting times but these waiting time issues are around very common "elective" surgery which are non-life threatening but very common so things like hip replacements that can be very uncomfortable to live with but not life threatening. In my experience if it is life threatening such as cancer then you get seen and treated pretty quickly. Now everyone would love these wait times to come down but the NHS only has so many hospitals and so many surgeons and so many beds so if it wanted to eliminate wait times for replacement hip surgery then it would have to do literally nothing else for a year or two which is obviously not practical. Most people do not want to pay much higher taxes to pay for loads more capacity so the whole thing has to be a balancing act. My own experiences with the NHS have always been pretty good and when it has been life threatening it has been excellent so when people complain in the comments always bear in mind that yes we would all like to be seen when we think we need to be but the NHS does have to prioritise life threatening things first and does not always have the capacity to deal with things that are non life threatening as quickly as we would like but you will always get treated and, if you have the money, you do have the choice of skipping that wait by paying privately.

[@ashleycurzon6348]

My brother has been showing symptoms of a brain tumor for over 2 weeks now and it seems the NHS is taking as long as possible just to see if that's even the problem or not, never mind getting it treated.

[@garethm3242]

Absolutely. As Noam Chomsky has often pointed out, the mission of right wing governments is to defund public services as much as possible, so they become crippled and inefficient, so people start to believe that this is the flaw of the service, not the RW Tories who are under-allocating funds to it. The Tories *want* the NHS to fail. Which is why I treasure it all the more. As one of many with chronic illnesses, I'd be lost without it. I'd be screwed in the US of A, like many.

[@temphtempg8819]

The NHS is now officially rated as the third worst healthcare provider in the world with only 28% of people able to see a GP within 24 hours. It has the lowest cancer survival rates of any health care system in the developed world.

[@Symptomless_Coma_]

@@ashleycurzon6348 Did he have the jabs?

[@garryf1134]

We have a really good doctors surgery . I developed a urinary infection over this last weekend . I called at 7:30 am yesterday ( Monday) and was allocated an appointment at 9:50. I was prescribed antibiotics . the prescription was electronically transmitted to my local Chemist (Pharmacy) and was able to collect the pills on my way home from the Doctors Now on the mend , Cost £0.00

[@brianparker663]

Yep! That sounds just how my local surgery works.

[@mattsmith5421]

Same except they'd asked for a urine sample for some other reason I can't remember what, they phoned later that day and said I had an infection they'd prescribed such an antibiotic which someone picked up for me 15 mins later and the chemist.

[@susanroberts2289]

Exactly the same as my own experience with the GP.😊

[@Rachel-em4me]

I pay for prescriptions because I work and am under pension age, but you can pay an annual fee if you need lots of medicines which cover any prescriptions in that year. Think you can do 3 or 6 months as well

[@dasy2k1]

​@@mattsmith5421 even for a suspected UTI they will often take a urine sample, send it to the lab to see exactly what the infection is, and which antibiotic is best to treat it. It's considered better to wait 2 days and get the best treatment than to immediately start treatment that may or may not work and review in a week if it dosn't

[@TomMountainbiker1994]

A doctors surgery is like the first point of contact for any medical queries. its a 10 minute appointment to discuss a problem youve got and then they'll refer you to the right place in the hospital system

[@britbazza3568]

Hi Steve & Lindsay. $1400 for a jab for osteoporosis is ridiculous a member of my family has this bone issue and has the same injection but on the NHS it's already been paid for out of national insurance Contributions. This means that when the injection is needed it is completely free of charge at point of need One thing to mention here also is that the drs who treat people on the NHS in the UK most of them also have private patients so basically the NHS also has the exact same level of Dr as the private sector. The other thing there are times when the NHS will even send someone to a private Dr or private hospital for treatment if the waiting time is too long on the NHS. Foreign nationals do have to pay for healthcare in the UK if they haven't paid NHS contributions up front.

[@Brian-om2hh]

I very recently had an injection into my knee, to help with the pain caused by osteoarthritis. It was of course completely free, as most NHS treatment usually is....

[@nipboy9027]

A lot of them don’t, especially from the dark continent

[@marydavis5234]

She is wrong, had on shot in my knee for osteoarthritis pain, the total cost was 400.00 not the $1400 she says in the video and my healthcare insurance paid $350.00 of the $400.00, the shot did nothing at all, so I called a relative who is a arthritis specialist, she said to take one low dose ofadvil and to use my tens machine on the massage setting for intense pain.

[@johnmurray7905]

​@@marydavis5234The injection she was talking about was not a pain killer, it was Prolia/Denosumab which is used to prevent osteoporosis and would cost at least 1400 dollars in the US, and zero, zilch, nada on the NHS. So, no, she was not wrong.

[@user-xk3ej6jd5h]

I'm 70 have paid NI all my life. I went abroad for 5 year came back to UK because of illness and couldn't get free nhs treatment for a year. I was classed as a non resident. I couldn't afford private health care as a pensioner. Seems like money talks rather than nationality.

[@benthompson9517]

Story time, I suffer long term with a TBI ( Traumatic Brain Injury) Unfortunately it causes a vast array of wacky symptoms which can look like other issues. At one point where i was getting very confused about what was actually wrong with me, I booked appointments with multiple doctors to gain advice from different sources. One of these doctors was private. This was my first visit to a private doctor which i booked out of feeling desperate, should of cost around £200 for the appointment and due to being out of work was a big hit. The doctor spent about 45 minutes really taking the time to listen and I left with some good advice... I also guess he took pitty on me after hearing my story because as I was leaving he said "Don't worry about the charge It was nice speaking with you". And yeah I never had to pay. Makes me tear up thinking about that legend! The NHS have also been life savers! I genuinely would not be here without them and hope they are around for a long time! Seriously as I sure can't charm every private doctor. Remember kids, always wear a helmet and don't make tea in the microwave. Peace x

[@reactingtomyroots]

That's amazing! Really speaks to the priority of the healthcare provider in that situation. Hope everything's gotten sorted out for you and that you're doing better now.

[@benthompson9517]

@@reactingtomyroots Long road to go and finding ways to adjust lifestyle has been tough. The NHS are still constantly working to help and provide on going tests. Great to have this channel to distract me on the not so good days. A lovely community you have built here Steve, best wishes to yourself, Lindsay and Sophia x

[@tomharding3671]

hi,Tom here from Australia.I was UK born 80+ yrs ago but have lived in OZ for 55 yrs. My eldest daughter lives in the UK and we often compare the UK NHS and our Australian system, from what she has told us UK nhs is not as it should be, i think she said it's a mess. here in OZ our system is similar to the UK but i believe our health service is better, sure there are 0:04 😅problems and complaints about waiting times in Drs surgery's ETC

[@kevinengland7444]

What happened to you? [If I may be so bold].

[@kevinengland7444]

My longstanding friend in Sydney tells me half the doctors there are British.@@tomharding3671

[@user-cd6wf6mu8t]

When l was young our GP was open for business at 7 am,the surgery was open at 6.30 for people to wait. The reason so early was thar patients could come before work and not lose wages or school for kids.

[@sarahealey1780]

One of the major problems we have with the NHS right now is low bed availability within hospitals, we don't have enough care staff within the community to discharge patients safely. So once people go into the hospital, if they require follow-up help on discharge, they can't be discharged. This is causing a backlog of patients taking up much needed beds and preventing new patients from being admitted.

[@gillfox9899]

A local hospital is trying to sort the bed issue by buying a nursing home to use for patients needing longer term hospital care or those not able to return to their homes.

[@jakeoliver9167]

Doctors surgery is the doctors office. What we call the gp, general practitioner. No surgery actually happens... I don't know the reason for the name. What you call ER we call A&E (accident and emergency). I can't remember ever filling a form before seeing my gp. I was always confused by that on american tv shows. Whether you see a nurse or doctor is pot luck. You dont see one and then the other on the same day. This Is nhs gp though to be clear.

[@TheMightyHams]

Exactly, the equivalent in the US would be a family doctor/clinic. You'd get an appointment to go in and they treat you for minor ailments. Basically anything that doesn't justify a trip to the hospital.

[@tonygreenfield7820]

You might get some minor surgery such as removal of skin tags etc but yes in general no actually invasive procedures.

[@thomasmumw8435]

Just to say I have had minor surgery at my local town doctors surgery(NHS funded) by the doctor who had to remove a cyst on the back of my head and recently had to have a steroid infection/manipulation of my hand, again done by a surgical doctor.

[@alanmon2690]

Surgery- in times past the local doctor would also perform simple operations as well as prescribing ineffective medicines. Effective medicines became available after WWII. Prior to that most hospital treatmenf was surgery.

[@bpf5666]

Yes many minor surgeries - cysts drained etc

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

To answer Lindsay's question, I didn't use the NHS before because I'm not a UK citizen ... I didn't think I would be eligible! For me, when I went to see a doctor privately I did pay cash out of pocket. For people who live in Britain full-time, many of them have private insurance through their employers similar to Americans. In my past visits to Britain, I just was trying to avoid going to the doctor at all. But once we started staying as long as five months, I decided I needed to figure out a long-term approach to medical care!

[@jeanlongsden1696]

fancy seeing you here. lol

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@jeanlongsden1696 🤭🙃

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@SmearCampaignUK my strategy for the first 30 years of visiting the UK was to just not get sick or need medical care while I was in Britain! Lol But now that I'm turning 60, and we are living there for five months out of the year, it's stupid for me to not figure out a way to receive medical care in England. As for the denosumab (?) injections... the British doctor thought my bone density was not bad enough to warrant getting them. I should've never started them in the first place. But, I only had a couple. As for whether or not I'm improving... that is very hard to say! One of the bizarre things about bone density issues is that you only get a bone density scan every two years. Things worsen or improve very slowly! So, ask me next year how I'm doing after I get my next bone scan 😉. Take care, Dara

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@SmearCampaignUK Cheers! I am cautiously optimistic! 💖👍

[@reactingtomyroots]

Definitely makes sense to know your options, since you're spending time in both places. Thanks for explaining :)

[@danielferguson3784]

Most doctors in the UK work in both private practice & the NHS, & some NHS services use, & pay for private doctors, & private doctors often use NHS facilities etc. For any service on the NHS the patient will pay nothing out of hand, as long as they are registered with the NHS, & have paid the required National Insurance dues, which are very small compared to private charges or insurance payments. In the NHS you are often seeing the top doctors in their field, they do not employ any sort of second class medics, & all patients are treated the same, NHS or private. There are some private hospitals which may be more hotel-like, but charge for it. The doctors in the US, through the insurance companies, are beholden to the major drug companies to sell as many drugs as possible. In the UK the aim is to use fewer drugs, & try other forms of therapy first. Also the prices of the drugs are negotiated with the NHS, as the majority user, so this keeps the prices down, even in private practice. The only advantage of using private medicine in the UK is that of possible faster access where there may be longer waits for none urgent procedures in the NHS, & more fancy hospitals etc. The actual treatment will be little different from the NHS service, because the doctors are often the same, & even facilities are often shared. By the way, a vets office is also called a surgery, it's just a noun for a medical facility. Surgery as a verb means an actual medical operation.

[@alanmon2690]

National Insurance dues are for paying the current State Pension and other government handouts. British citizens automatically qualify for NHS free (at point of use) treatment as do certain other categories. The NHS is funded out out general taxation.

[@imagseer]

The thing with private healthcare in the UK is that when something goes really wrong you'll end up under the consultants in a NHS hospital anyway.

[@felicitywoodruffe4087]

If you do not need to be seen urgently or immediately then you can phone your doctors practice later in the day and book an appointment for another day .I do this every time and have no trouble getting appointments .I always try to bear in mind working people try to get as quick an appointment as possible whereas i have every day free and can go any time .

[@ericbatemanrodgers]

In the UK we have Doctors surgery where I live there's six of them you register with one surgery they have 5 or 6 Doctors in each you phone on a morning to make an appointment you don't have to pay for it

[@georgebarnes8163]

because you already have paid for it up front

[@felicitywoodruffe4087]

​@@georgebarnes8163this isn't clear to people who don't use the British NHS. We pay national insurance contributions and tax contributions from our wages and we are issued with a number when we are born .That number is on our records and is our national health service number .This helps to keep our records safe when we move and register with a new doctors surgery and our records get sent on to our new doctor and it also helps hospitals identify us when we need treatment .

[@MoominJude]

Crikey where do you live? I never see a doctor, we don't seem to have any . We have to queue for hours on a phone for an appointment, then it's with someone hundreds of miles away , a 'push doctor'. The service is appalling.

[@georgebarnes8163]

@@MoominJude correct, you have to be on the phone from the first second the reception opens and if you do not get a reply within the next 30 minutes you have to call back the next day as they only keep the appointment line open for 30 minutes each day.

[@jeffgraham6387]

​@@MoominJude...I phoned our GP last Thursday at 10am and got an appointment for 14.45...my wife phoned Monday at 11.00 and got an appointment for 17.30....the surgery phoned my wife on Tuesday morning to check she was OK....no complaints from us.

[@jeanlongsden1696]

Steve... I am so glad you are watching another of Dara's video's. as with her being a Texan, she can see the difference's between each side of the pond. I have been following MOT since the start, so it is great to see both my favourite American family's connecting. maybe in the future you could do a collaboration video, with you in the US and Dara and Ian in the UK.

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

the NHS saved my life twice when i was a baby.

[@errnee]

my wife paid for a procedure at a local private hospital.( BUPA) The surgeon/Specialist and follow up staff also worked for the NHS at various diffrent hospitals. The only difference is the lack or lower wait times with private health care.

[@aimeedean1]

Jumping in as someone with Rheumatology issues, once it was identified that it was likely arthritis, I got seen in the UK by a Registrar the same day. I went to the local hospital (actually this one is a prestigious teaching hospital) I was diagnosed with PsA and I got a follow up the next week to get my new medications. None of this I paid for. I have been monitored for years and even now I only have two appointments a year and they will see me roughly when my appointment time is and this full NHS. It depends if it is on time or a little after as it is a teaching hospital and often a PA or a Registrar will pop in to get advice from my consultant. My vitals are taken before my appointment time. The answer to both the US and UK question about the differences is actually the same thing. Money. The US system is predicated on the accumulation of money, the UK system is designed to be cautious of spending money on the medication as the NHS buys all it's medication itself and thus cuts out the middle men in this scenario.

[@enemde3025]

The GP SURGERY is what Americans call The Doctor's Office. Our "Emergency Room" is called the A&E (Accident and Emergency). I live in a town of 68,000 people and we have 5 GP surgeries throughout the town. You have more chance of getting an audience with the Pope than you have of seeing a doctor face to face, or even get an appointment ! You have to phone at 8am and be put in a queue, if you can get through, and you could be 100 in the queue. By the time the phone gets answered all the appointments for that day have gone and you are told to " try again tomorrow"! Some UK employers offer BUPA private healthcare insurance if you want it. All those tests and people you have and see BEFORE you get to the doctor in the USA are costing YOU more money ! UK GPs tend to work on a 10 minute appointment system and you are only allowed to talk about ONE thing per visit.

[@L0zzle]

our local docs is book online! log in at 8am on the morning of and book a slot.... simple. no phone and no queue lol.

[@OneTrueScotsman]

You must live in a poor area in that regard. I have no trouble seeing my GP. If it's a non-emergency, it might be a few days before I can see them. But a telephone appointment or a video call apt is usually available same day. More serious appointments are usually within the same day, or the next day.

[@sidneygriffiths5737]

Omg totally over exaggerated! Never been that bad an experience, asked for a doctor consultation last week, see him the same day 6 hrs after! Maybe your doctor/local council Is just s!#t ?

[@tgk3624]

​@ThetaSigmaTheOriginal Same. I can get a doctor appointment in a day or so unless my Doctor is on holiday,but I can see another one if possible.

[@user-TonyUK]

Here in my area of Essex I have a choice of phoning in and be placed in a queue to book an appointment with the Doctor or turning up at the Surgery where 6 Doctors opperate a walk in center to see the first available Doctor. After all when you are sick/ill you want to see someome soon not 3 to 6 weeks later.

[@lucybarnard3954]

Accident and emergency or casualty is your ER. Emergency treatment is given to anyone who needs it even if from abroad. Routine treatment is available free on the NHS for British citizens

[@poppletop8331]

We don't pay in the UK when going to the Drs Surgery or Hospital for treatment, operations etc...but payment for the service is taken out of Tax & National Insurance contributions from our wages. So it's not really free is it! We can opt to go private (We can pay a separate insurance for this) or just pay for private straight out. It's cheaper to have insurance though. All you basically do by going private is cut waiting time. Edit...As soon as we are born we are practically registered with a GP surgery, given our own NHS number which is the same one used all through our lives.

[@SECRETORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR]

How can it be free if we are paying for it??

[@KernowWarrior]

I'm 52 and I still have my original NHS card, that was stamped and issued to me the day I was born.

[@georgebarnes8163]

You can also go privates in the UK and send the NHS/ HSC the bill if they have failed you.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

​@@SECRETORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR It is called "Free at the point of need'" - no co-pays, no paying out of pocket, no bill per treatment. Taxes are raised from withdrawals through PAYE* on wages, taken before the wages / salary is received in the wage packet / bank account. Thus no patient has to work out how much tax to pay the government after they get their wages. The money has already been removed by certain pre-arranged tax percentages according to how much is earned. That sum is what everybody who pays tax which pays for the NHS and it's treatments, medicines, surgeries etc. Whenever a patient receives treatment, it is thus already paid for through the tax system, so no not ultimately free, but 'Free at the point of need' and thus perceived as "free" because we do not risk going bankrupt just to be ill and receive care to get better. Likewise, ambulances do not charge for their survices. Most ambulances are run by private companies who are paid under contract by the government under the umbrella of the NHS or doctors who train and work in the NHS but who might also divide their time also in private practice, where their bills are paid for by health insurance, paid by patients to a specific health insurance company (like Bupa) who also run their own private hospitals / clinics. Anyone can choose to speed up their treatments, or remove themselves from the standard NHS waiting lists by "going private, often by seeing the same Consultant who works in the NHS, just quicker, and by their insurance paying the bill, though they are already paying for the NHS through their taxes regardless of their personal preferences for private services. Why pay twice? Purely for speed of treatments. Not for added expertise of excellent healthcare, which is provided, albeit sometimes more slowly if the symptoms being treated are not life-threatening, merely inconvenient or annoying, already there in the NHS hospital or clinics, just offered more slowly. Life-threatening injuries / swiftly progressing diseases are prioritised over minor ailments, which may be painful, ongoing or aggravating but that a patient suffering these symptoms is not going to die immenently from them, the rush to treat is not there..just for the sake of convenience (or the doctors or health insurance people making extra money). Priorities are decided upon by urgent need down to less drastic requirements. An ingrowing toenail needs and receives necessary treatment, as it can lead to further issues such as blood-poisoning etc, but if treated in a need of care basis, is easily fixed - usually by the patient attending a clinic, either at the local hospital or a clinic attached to the local GP's 'surgery' / health centre...or the patient, if housebound, can /will receive home visits to treat their foot conditions on a regular basis. However, if a patient suffers a more serious / dangerous event, they'll receive quicker care accordingly. _All_ (other than by payments through private health insurances) already paid by taxes through the PAYE system through wages / saleries. (*PAYE: "Pay As You Earn") not filling in of tax forms is necessary or performed by employees. It is negotiated between the tax offices of the government (HMRC / DWP) and employers. Simple.

[@baronmeduse]

It isn't, it is paid for by money issued for the NHS budget. Your taxes and NI contributions are merely a fixed-system contribution to the redemption of existing money to make fiscal space the government might need for ANYTHING when it needs to spend! As such your tax and NI contribution could fall or rise or stay the same while the budget falls or rises or stays the same, but there is no direct relationship. Tax is not a source of funding.

[@jackieoconnor4926]

So interesting! Just on a side note, I’m in the UK and had never accessed private health care until the COVID pandemic. I had an extremely worrying and severe intestinal problem and because of the situation I was looking at a 3 month minimum wait time for an NHS appointment. I decided to pay the £200 for a private consultation and was seen inside a week. The consultant specialist was amazing and having reviewed my symptoms and test results immediately transferred me onto his NHS patient list so that ongoing, I would still see him but I wouldn’t have to pay. No system is perfect and the NHS has a lot of flaws and failings but I still think we’re lucky to have it. The healthcare system in the US is crazy to us. It honestly seems like a multi million dollar money making machine.

[@CubejamF1]

My mother was diagnosed on December 19th with terminal cancer. She spent 9 hours waiting in the emergency dept that day with a broken vertebrae, sitting on an uncomfortable chair, then a month in hospital before I started to take care of her at home. Last week we went to the hospital & she spent another 17 hours waiting in a hospital wheelchair.

[@carriedudley8593]

I'm so sorry to hear this but I don't think this is a normal experience. If I was in your position I would sue, because that really is not normal or acceptable. It would be interesting to know what area you live in, as more densely populated areas tend to get poorer care. I used to live in Torquay and had a kidney transplant in Plymouth. My care and aftercare was amazing. I moved back to Cheshire and now go to Manchester and rarely even see the same doctor and the waiting times are terrible. In Plymouth I always saw the same doctor and he also did the blood works.

[@Symptomless_Coma_]

@@carriedudley8593 My elderly father has been sent to A&E by his doctor twice in 2 years. Both times led to waits of around 6 to 8 hours in the back of an ambulance waiting to be seen.

[@mcgeorgeofthejungle6204]

Private Healthcare in the UK is paid by insurance or straight up payments.

[@101steel4]

I went with my mum for a scan, and afterwards she was given tea and biscuits. And so was i 😁 NHS btw. She was also picked up and taken to and from hospital in a taxi. Free of charge.

[@yvonnepeel5652]

My Dad had a chronic lung condition and leukaemia. When he had hospital appointments both specialists and a pharmacist would attend to discuss what drugs to treat him, with to ensure they gave him the best medications for both conditions with the least side affects. This was on the NHS.

[@AnnMcKinlay-zp2ef]

One issue. which does seriously affect the NHS, is that senior doctors very often also do private work, which pays them significantly higher rates than they earn in the NHS.

[@lisasmith2660]

Your GP has a local practice usually where you live, you see the GP first and he will help with some medical conditions but refer you to a hospital for more serious issues ( thats when you have to wait for a letter and appointment at hospital) The GP has your medical records so no forms to fill in, you usually get a GP appointment within a week, my practice has 3 doctors and 2 nurses i mainly see the same DR so we have a good relationship, the nurse will do blood tests, smear tests, diabetes checks etc, you get medication from your GP but have to collect it from a chemist usually local also, Dr's don't like handing medication out they prefer preventing the illness in the first place, they will tell you if a drug doesn't work, they will try diet, exercise, or psychotherapy. Some GP's will also do home visits if you can't get to the surgery

[@jenniferb590]

Private medicine in the UK is mostly provided by the workplace. Most people with private insurance use the NHS as well. The doctors that give you evening appointments are usually NHS doctors that use their NHS surgeries (offices) after hours. A bone of contention sometimes. I hope to high heaven we never lose our NHS, which by the way we pay for through our National Insurance payments that are taken out of our salaries.

[@isobelstark2853]

It’s paid for from the general taxation pot. NI hasn’t covered pensions, benefits, social and healthcare for a long, long time.

[@Jeni10]

A local surgery is a doctor, often with other doctors as associates, who sets up practice in a suburb (there are thousands of them in Sydney, Australia) where you can go and enrol as a patient. The doctor you choose, then becomes your personal GP, but if he’s on holidays, another doctor at the same surgery can see you and add the data to your record, so your own doctor can see what happened while he was away. I’ve had the same GP since 1981, and he’s been working shorter hours recently as he’s working towards retirement, but any of the other doctors can see me and have access to my records. In 1981, he had three other doctors working in his practice, today he has about eight. They’re capable of performing some basic procedures, such as removal of skin cancers, circumcisions, biopsies, vaccinations, dressings and dressing changes, etc. They can also write referrals for you if you need a specialist, but the GPs carry the bulk of our health issues very well, and refer you to a specialist or the hospital as necessary. They also look after us in post-hospital follow ups etc.

[@stewarthill5899]

I currently have a viral chest infection. (UK Based British Citizen) I contacted our GP Surgery at 3pm today. I was given an appointment to see the practice Nurse Practitioner at 4.30. I had an examination and consultation and the Nurse Practitioner said I needed Antibiotics. She then emailed my prescription to the local Pharmacy and the Antibiotics were ready for me to collect at 5.30 , all Free of charge due to my age!! The whole process took just 2and a half hours. God bless the NHS !!

[@robertwatford7425]

Dara Has gone on to make videos about registering for the NHS, and her first NHS appointment. Both worth watching. Prepare to be shocked...

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, your daughter would love a ride on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire steam train! It is a fabulous family day out.

[@TSM-908]

In the U.K. local GPs normally work in towns and villages in a single medical build or surgery that houses a few GPs working together. The medical centre / surgery is a patient’s first call to get medical advice unless it a critical emergency where we have to call 999 for a free ambulance to the hospital ER (or Accident and Emergency). In local villages the GPs are “General Specialist Doctors who diagnose the problem and either provide the patient with a prescription for something like antibiotics or they refer their patients to a “Specialist Consultant” eg say a heart specialist or a neurologist etc, These Consultants normally work for a NHS Hospital and/or a Private Hospital. U.K. private hospitals don’t accept patients with ER type emergencies it’s nearly always elective surgery for problems. Many local surgeries in smaller UK towns or villages many not have a local shopping strip so some GP Surgeries also have a small pharmacy in the centre and you’d GPs prescribe and the patient just collect the medication on their way out. Some people are on free medication others have to pay a fixed NHS cost which is currently in England set at £9.65 per item. A Pre Paid Certificate can be purchased if you have regular prescriptions at a cost of £31.25 for 3 months, or £111.60 for 12 months - this is regardless of how many items of medication a patient needs and is cheaper for many people need regular prescriptions. Typically a U.K. GP supplies about 28 days worth of medication for a patient unless it’s antibiotics where you only get the prescribed number of days needed eg: 5days or 7 days or 21 days. Antibiotics are counter courses of medicine and the patient has to take ALL the antibiotics provided and finish the full course - this helps control antibiotic resistance in the population.

[@grendel1960a]

GP surgery is the local group of doctors offices where they have consultation rooms, may do blood tests and very minor surgery (wart removal etc)

[@akula9713]

Since Covid, and the effects of mass migration, it is in some areas very difficult to even get a doctor’s appointment. We can wait up to 4 weeks. This leads to people going to the accident and emergency at hospitals, clogging them up. The U.K. has a severe shortage of doctors. Dara lives in a well off area of the U.K. so services are probably a bit better.

[@rogu3rooster]

I've been seeing the same GP for the last 24 years now and he's just fantastic, everytime I go in he get's to the bottom of what ever ailment I have at the time and then asks about previous things, I'm a recovering alcoholic so he asks how my drinking is, I'm a suicide survivor so he asks about my mental health, things like that make our doctors so much more likable. Dr. Mazarella I salute you and apologise for the numerous times I've called you Mozzarella by mistake (even the receptionists just say Dr Mazz now lol)

[@carriedudley8593]

😂 I'm not laughing at what you've been through but that that you call your doctor Mozzarella! It's great that you have such an amazing doctor though!

[@mariajones8995]

Private and NHS specialists work the same. I had a specialist Doc appointment from NHS and I have to go to the private hosp where my Doctor is, and yes they will spend more time with you both private & NHS, they make sure you get what you need. Had 2 surgeries, trust me NHS served nice tea /meal daily. Starter, Main Courses, Cold selection, Hot selection, Potato & Rice Selction & Accomplishment. Thank You NHS!

[@brigidsingleton1596]

"Accomplishment"* - was that AutoCorrect for an accompanyment? ie some kind of dessert, fresh fruit (an orange, or banana for example) or a yoghurt, or, a 'jelly' ('Jello' to our American friends) ...or similar? (Sorry, that* flummoxed me somewhat!!)

[@michaelleiper]

Doctor's office is called a surgery in the UK. But it's usually just examination rooms and a waiting room. GP is generally NHS. My wife went private just over a year ago because the NHS appointment with a specialist was about 6 weeks, but we could get a private appointment in a week (and I had private insurance from my employer). Best thing is that the insurers are having to compete with the NHS, so it's £100 per year as the excess if we use the insurance - and that's the only payment barring the cost of private prescriptions. - no copays, no 80/20 rule, etc. And that covered an operation, multiple appointments with different specialists, and trips to the physio.

[@RedcoatT]

ln the UK non-residents can get free treatment for emergency care and doctors visits, but for treatment for pre-existing non-emergency medical issues you will be charged.

[@ffotograffydd]

For private health care in the UK you can either pay ‘out of pocket’ or take out private health insurance. From what I’ve seen private health insurance in the UK is cheaper than in the US, and there are usually no additional payments beyond your monthly or annual fee. The “local surgery” is just your local GP surgery (I’ve heard American friends refer to this as the “doctor’s office”), we all registered with a local GP, but if you’re away from home you can attend any GP if you need to.

[@lynnejamieson2063]

It’s maybe worth noting that all Doctors and Nurses who train in the UK, do so via the NHS (for their initial qualifications, it may be different when they look to specialising). They may attend different universities but they will have practical training via NHS hospitals and as many have stated, there is quite a large proportion of Doctors (especially specialists) who work both in the NHS and have private patients. It even used to be commonplace in some areas of the country for NHS hospitals to have private wards, I’m not sure if that’s still the case though. Doctors Surgery is what a Doctors Office is called in the UK but if there is more than just GP services available there, it’ll be called a Health Centre. I think that they might be called Surgeries due to the fact that historically the Doctor would have carried out surgery in them. Though I’m not sure if you’re aware but what you call an Operating Room (as in where operations/surgical procedures are performed) in the UK we call them Operating Theatres, as historically they had the procedure being carried out in the centre with raised seating going around it for people to watch the operation happening. In my experience, you will only see a Nurse at a GP Surgery for specific things. Like a general checkup when you first register, where they’ll ask about you things like your smoking and drinking habits and check your blood pressure, heart rate, weight and height. There are likely other questions and checks, I just can’t remember them at the minute as it’s been almost a decade since I last changed Doctor. Then you’ll see them for things like blood tests, injections, dressing changes and smear tests but it is always via an appointment booked for the nurse, you’re never making an appointment thinking it’s a Doctor you’re going to see only to get a nurse instead. In a lot of ways I feel that this is a more appropriate comparison to make with the US pedicab process as it is more like for like than the NHS to the US system. Though the NHS is essentially a no frills version of our private one. Like there isn’t tea or coffee and biscuits available (or if there is it’s a vending machine). Appointments aren’t always exactly on time, though I don’t think I’ve waited more than thirty minutes. The Doctor doesn’t always come out to get you, it might be an intercom or as is more common now (in my experience) your name coming up on a screen with which Doctor and room you’ve to go to. Appointments are generally around ten minutes, though if you’re concerned you may need longer double appointments can be booked. In my experience though, I’m not giving out information to multiple people, I’ve not filled out forms other than when I registered, the Doctor has always had a quick read through of my medical history before I enter the room and have my medical history up on their computer screen so that they can refer back to it if and when needed. If you don’t feel that the Doctor you’ve seen is sympathetic to your issue or isn’t really listening or you just don’t feel comfortable with them for whatever reason (which you don’t need to say to anyone if you don’t want to) then whenever you call to make an appointment, you can request not to have them…or you can request a specific Doctor, though it obviously has to be one that works in that Practice (another name for a Doctors Surgery). I will say though, that it is not unusual to spend a considerable amount of time with a specialist if you’ve been sent to see one and the information I’ve given in the above paragraph is based on my own experiences with GP’s in both Scotland and England.

[@gennytun]

Making appointments with NHS GP has always had its challenges. Different surgeries have different booking system. Some have same day only appointments, great for urgent issues but difficult if you are on the end of the phone queue and no appointments left. Others you can only book in advance - better for routine non urgent issues. They never seem to offer both options on the same system. Whatever the system , most oeople are experiencing increasing difficulty in getting appointments, especially face to face ones since COVID, as the whole NHS is getting stretched thinner and thinner.

[@busybee844]

We also have after hours doctors. I have been sent to a doctors surgery at 8.30pm.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I was gobsmacked to see a doctor working that late!

[@brianparker663]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I actually met my (excellent) doctor yesterday in my local supermarket. Sounds like he spent longer chatting with me and asking after my health in the tinned goods aisle than you experienced in a private US surgery! 😆

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@brianparker663 DEFINITELY!

[@busybee844]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Luckily where i live especially on a weekend they open like a mini surgery. It stops people going to the hospitals for non emergencies.

[@yumyummoany]

We have a GP at our local hospital for out of hours. They gave me my meds when I went - at 9pm. Very nice she was too.

[@samstevens7888]

I've had good and bad experiences with the NHS. In a emergency as in if you have heart attack, or break a bone and need surgery you are seen straight away. I also had a scare last year with lumps in my breast. I was in having scans in less than a week after seeing my GP( I was fine no breast cancer). But I am also for the last year having test done because I have something wrong with my blood, I have a condition called thick blood having test to find out why. It took me 6 months to see a specialist consultant and am still having test done. It does depend on what you are having done to wait times in the NHS. I've only had private hospital treatment because the NHS paid for the treatment and care as it was faster. I will also say I've been transferred to other counties hospitals because the consultants had more experience with my treatment and surgery all paid for by the NHS including taking me by ambulance to the other hospital and brought home after surgery by ambulance at no out of pocket cost. That surgery actually saved my life.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I also have thick blood (I was told in 1980 that by an anaesthetist prior to a procedure under general anaesthesia "you have too much blood... I suggest you become a blood donor" - which I did a week later, the donor consultant took my statement, searched the records to see who the on-duty anaesthetist was the day of my procedure, it turned out to be her husband, they conferred and I was accepted as a blood donor.) For several years now however, I've not been able to do so as have been prescribed several different types of medications for conditions such as asthma, diabetes and oedema... Currently I have been prescribed Warfarin to thin my blood as the previous (newer) medication wasn't being filtered by my kidneys - which had previously been damaged by Metformin - for my diabetes - so now due to my AF (atrial fibrillation) which my late Mum, & my late sister and I had / have had all of our lives (heart issues run in my family, my maternal Nan died when I was 7, in 1960, due to heart issues, my maternal cousin and my own firstborn daughter were both born with holes in their hearts) so now I"m having to take Warfarin for life, to prevent strokes caused by my thick blood (& two narrowed blood vessels between my heart & my lungs) and am currently attending my local hospital weekly to check and aim for an INR of between 2 - to - 3, it's gone from 1, to 1.1, to 1.6 to1.7, last week, so my Warfarin dose is increasing until it reaches the required level... Warfarin means being able to eat fewer dark green veg, (because 'vitamin K' inhibits Warfarin, which could result in a stroke occurring - the whole point of the Warfarin being obviously to curtail the chance of a stroke, easier to prevent, than to successfully treat.) Also, no Cranberries / cranberry juice, or grapefruit / grapefruit juice is allowed, again as it depletes the Warfarin. (Fortunately, I hate dark green veg..._but_ I miss cranberry and grapefruit / juices! C'est la vie?! Better to deny myself the fruit juices I'd previously enjoyed, than suffer strokes / further heart failure... Next appt, Mon 12th Feb, to check my ongoing (upward trending) INR levels, and, to _Guys_ Hospital, on 22nd Feb for my appt to see the Renal Consultant ...& _hopefully_ the Hospital Transport _will_ arrive _on_ time, this time to collect me - I've had to miss two appts. already this year due to Transport being extra late. (Third time lucky, fingers crossed?!) Good Luck to You, too, for _your_ blood issues tests / treatments. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🖖"May the wind always be at your back" - and your appointments be ever on time. 🎲🎲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧♥️💙🙂🖖

[@samstevens7888]

@@brigidsingleton1596 because of past drug use I can't be a blood donor. I have high white and red blood counts. 2 years ago I had surgery on a broken ankle and m6 blood was fine. I have to have blood tests at least once a year because of my blood pressure medication. When I had the blood test last January 2023 which was the 1st after my surgery my blood was wonky. No medical reason for my high BP as in weight in normal range, blood sugar, cholesterol normal. I've had other surgeries in my nearly 50 years I've always healed really fast like enough that it has surprised my doctors. They think I have PV which is a blood cancer. I'm waiting on my last lot of gene test I see my consultant at the end of the month. So hopefully get some answers then.

[@wildduckification]

I do like the way you pause videos so often to share your thoughts and experiences. Don't listen to anyone saying you pause too often - the whole point of these videos is to hear your reactions! I think you get them spot on.

[@DoomsdayR3sistance]

I think it is important to note on a few things here that in the UK, private healthcare is generally considered to be supplementary rather than an alternative to the NHS, you get better service with private healthcare and faster services but multiple things will still fall back to the NHS, if you're in an accident and sent to A&E, you're gunna generally be in the NHS but while you are in the NHS, you may have access to some additional benefits from having private healthcare still. Thus what you pay for with private healthcare in the UK is less than the US since things like A&E or your ambulance pick-up are going to generally be done via the NHS. Additionally private healthcare still needs to be better than what you get from the NHS, else why pay for it.

[@katydaniels508]

My dad had a minor eye surgery privately. The wait time with the NHS was 18 months, so he decided the £200 was worth having it done sooner. He considered it a privilege that he could do this 😁

[@oufc90]

In my experience, pretty much everything she said about UK private (apart from cost) would also happen in the NHS

[@Rachel-em4me]

Except waiting times can be really long... on the NHS

[@oufc90]

@@Rachel-em4me yeah sometimes they can be quite long, but if it’s more serious then of course you’ll get priority and more urgent treatment

[@amypocock626]

I work as a typist for an NHS hospital. My department alone produces over 300 letters per week. Each letter contains all of your health conditions, all medications you take (including vitamins and supplements), details of your consultation or phone call and details of things to be done by your GP and when you need to be seen again. This will be sent to you and your gp surgery. I cant imagine having information just thrown at you and you being expected to remember it

[@user-fq8rs7rz3i]

The local surgery is what you call the doctors office. It’s where you see your GP. He or she will then refer you to a specialist in an hospital if you need one. If not, he or she will deal with your problem and prescribe medication.

[@No2Censoring]

If someone moves to the UK they have to pay around £2500 each to begin to use the NHS. The doctors surgery is just where we go to see the doctor

[@drinkupmeheartysyoho]

Show us your evidence for that. As far as I'm aware it's free at the point of entry!

[@yumyummoany]

@@drinkupmeheartysyohoOften it is a payment made when a person gets a visa to be able to live and work here. I know a Canadian woman who did this.

[@heathermurray9939]

If you are from abroad you have to of lived in the U.K. for 3 years before you can get free NHS treatment, free to visit the doctor and hospital

[@roseoconnor5938]

We have a lot of foreign students coming to this country every year.....I'm sure they wouldn't have to wait 3 years to be seen by a doctor !!! Also, if your medical need is urgent...you will be seen....no matter how long you've been in this country....whether you have to pay for this is questionable.....some who visit briefly can be seen under the NHS, but skip back to their country of origin without paying !!!

[@heathermurray9939]

@@roseoconnor5938 If they are admitted to hospital, they have someone who comes to get there holiday insurance company.

[@lynnd.5135]

That's not true. You can use the NHS right away. I even have patients from the EU who don't even live in the UK flying in for £8000 injections. They don't even live here

[@lox5962]

Foreign students have to pay an annual fee for access to the NHS and its paid in advance

[@charlesstuart5790]

I think you'll find this story of urgent NHS treatment amazing. A few years ago I awoke at 3am with terrible earache. It was quite unlike anything I'd ever had before. I phoned 111, a number for non-emergency health advice, basically a 24/7/365 triage service. After asking me a few questions, they said that I should see a doctor as soon as possible. Despite being a weekend, they offered me an out of hours service appointment at 6am at a community hospital about 5 minutes' drive from my house. The doctor saw me and prescribed antibiotics, which were dispensed immediately from the hospital pharmacy. All this was 100% free as a part of the NHS.

[@peridotgizmo3735]

I'm in Scotland & use the NHS. I find it hard to see a doctor. It's usually the nurse or nurse practitioner. Even though nearly everytime I've been they end up having to speak to the GP anyway. The problem is now receptionists are trained to decide who you need to see. I have family members who have had medical procedures at private hospitals through the NHS. This sometimes happens if the wait list is too long or there is no bed space. They said the care at the private hospitals were a lot better. The staff spent more time with you.

[@Bexyboo88]

Yes, the receptionists telling you that you're not allowed to see a doctor, has to be a phone call, which can be literally any time through the day. Working though? Tough luck - worst thing ever! They could not physically see how bad my ear infections had got and when I finally managed to go to the doctors to pick up a swab test (from the reception) - the nurse practitioner managed to find a couple mins to 'pop out' and see me in the waiting room and said omg I should have been seen sooner. It's awful :(

[@tonygreenfield7820]

There is a lot of difference between a specialised private practice clinic and an NHS surgery/health centre (even if the GPs may see private patients). You very rarely find refreshments, coffee making facilities let alone biscuits at an NHS surgery. In my experience most patients arrive maybe 10 mins before the appointment. Check In these days is computerized using a touch screen. Enter your date of birth and first letter of your surname. That's it. You are now registered as waiting for your appointment. However good look in seeing an actual doctor! In the last two years, I managed to see a GP only once and it wasn't even the GP I was registered with, rather the "on call" doctor. All the doctors were there. In there rooms. Not seeing patients. 99% of the time you will be seen by a nurse practitioner. If she isn't sure about your condition she will call one of the GPs. If she is still not sure she will ask the On Call to attend. That is when the waiting starts. The on call is likely to be getting a number of requests and they are the only GP seeing patients. When the on call showed up for me (I had an infected abscess on my foot), the doctor would not even come into the examination room. He looked in at me from the corridor and told the nurse he would authorise a course of antibiotics. Then he left. Another nurse came looking for him and my practice nurse told her "he was here but he's probably hiding in his room again. Just keep knocking until he answers" Ever since C19 this has been an issue. They get paid a fortune but rarely see any patients. I am sure some are still doing a brilliant job but where I am they might as well stay in bed for all the good they do. Bet if I was a private fee paying patient it would be a different story though.

[@airs1234]

American doctors get huge financial incentives to prescribe drugs. Not so much in the UK.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It really is a huge difference!

[@Smudgie33]

Most doctors will work for both the NHS and private. If you can afford it you can take out a private medical plan but otherwise most people choose the NHS. If you have something serious or the wait time is too long you can opt for private and you just pay for the private portion. You can chop and change from NHS to private and back to NHS if you want to. If you see a doctor at a teaching hospital they will ask you if you mind the training doctors sitting in on your appointment, so that’s your choice. Most appointments (apart from GP appointments) you won’t feel rushed and they will take as long as they need to. When it comes to seeing a GP they are normally around 10 minutes long and they do ask if you wish to discuss more than one problem to book a double (20 minute) appointment. A surgery is the doctor’s surgery that the GP belongs to. Our general doctors tend to work in groups under the same roof with a shared reception, waiting room, nurses etc.

[@gdok6088]

I trained in a UK medical school & was an NHS GP for 35 years. A consultation began in our main consulting room/office. If a full examination was required patients were shown into a separate examination room where they would undress & dress (in private) before and after the examination. They would then return to our main consulting room fully dressed and composed and be seated comfortably thus allowing for a two way discussion as equal partners in decisions about their health and care. We were 'brought up' as doctors to show patients the utmost civility, courtesy and respect for the person and their dignity; all are very important aspects of good medical practise and care imho.

[@llamagirl2679]

Doctor’s Surgery is what call you aDoctors Office

[@Paul-yh8km]

I have no experience of private medical care in the UK (excluding private dental treatment). Frankly the NHS in general is a mess right now. With my local GPs surgery you are very lucky if you can see a doctor face to face. They will deal with minor ailments by phone conversation or even just send an email. It's never been this bad. The technology and modern treatments don't make up for the service progressively getting bad. Successive governments are to blame.

[@lesdonovan7911]

That is correct but when you could go a few years ago surgery was full of people with common colds so I can understand now why you need to speak to doctor on phone first before he will give you a appointment again the few has made it bad for the many,

[@robt2778]

As well as or sometimes as an alternative to medication, GPs may refer patients to various help/ support group which are run by GP practices or local hospitals.These help patients manage and understand their conditions and include things like diabetes, nutrition, weight management, help quitting smoking, help with managing addiction(s), basically if you have an ongoing condition there'll be a support clinic. When I was diagnosed with high blood pressure even though i wasnt particularly overweight or had any other underlay issues, my GP prescribed exercise and i was given free gym membership ( but with some restrictions) for twelve weeks so i could go swimming every day. You might wantbto check out the uk series "GPs behind closed doors ' which might give you an insight into how GP practices work in the UK - there are several series filimed across England

[@atiminthailand4531]

So a specialist or surgeon here in the UK work for both private and NHS hospitals. If he were to split his diary 50/50 for private and NHS he'll end up seeing private customers faster as there's going to be less private customers than NHS patients. So you'll always end up waiting a very very long time on the NHS for treatment. Some people go private just for this reason, to get seen quicker. The service is exactly the same and I've had NHS treatment in private hospitals before where the NHS has subcontracted out patients to them.

[@lindakirk698]

This is very unfair! Most Brits will not know anything about this so cannot comment. Most Brits only use NHS which will be VERY different!!!

[@uniquename111]

How is it unfair when she said in the beginning of the video that she will release a video how it worked for her using NHS. One video of each, i would call that very fair.

[@heathermurray9939]

People from war countries who come to the UK, are given free NHS & dentist, straight away, UK people are not happy that not many dentist are not taking NHS patients. As they get more money private patients.

[@jmillar71110]

Imagine grudging folks healthcare. It's only asylum seekers that receive free healthcare. Refused asylum seekers can only access A&E. There are many countries that the UK has healthcare treaties with where they receive free healthcare. Just as we would if we were in any of those countries and became unwell. The issue with dental care is the same as the NHS, chronic underfunding. Not some poor sod from a war torn country.

[@geoffpoole483]

@@jmillar71110 I think the NHS dentist contract is also a factor.

[@thepickledpixie9052]

​@@jmillar71110 well said. Too many folk falling for the divide and conquer tactics. Blame governments for underfunding the NHS for decades while they and their cronies invest in private healthcare/drug companies. They're laughing at the ordinary folk blaming each other and fighting over the scraps.

[@carolineskipper6976]

In the UK we call our GP Practices (Your family doctor, who is your first port of call for any health issue) the 'Doctor's Surgery'. No surgery is carried out there - it's just always been the traditional name for it (and I guess way back when, Doctors may have done small surgeries at their own practices). As part of visa applications, US citizens proposing to live in the UK (as opposed to short visits) have to pay a one off 'NHS Premium' (may have got the name wrong) each time they apply, to cover NHS care. They can then register for NHS like any other resident. The short wait times is the main reason people in the UK might choose to go private (or take out Health Insurance to allow them to do so). Most doctors who work in the private sector in the UK are also employed by the NHS - this may be why those weekend and evening appointments are available- because that's when the Doctor is not on an NHS shift. The 'luxury' waiting facilities are all part of the way they encourage you to choose them. You are paying for medical care you could get for free (often even with the same doctor) - so you need to feel it's worth it! Our NHS GP appointments are scheduled to be 10 minutes long (you can book a double ppointment if you ave a number of issues, or it's complex). This is usually enough time for you to explain your issue, the GP to decided on the best course of action / advice, and they may or may not prescribe medication on the spot, or they might suggest tests (blood or urine) first with a follow-up once the results are in. They may also decide to refer you to another service, or the hospital. They obviously have your full medical records up on screen, and so can see the full picture easily. I've never felt rushed, although most doctors are running late due to the number of patients they see in a day. If you end up speaking to a hospital or clinic specialist , that's when you get longer appointments and more time spent going into depth with you.

[@emmahowells8334]

Local surgery is what you call the doctor's office, we say Gp surgery or just the Gp. You won't get tea and biscuits at a NHS Gp surgery only private surgery where you pay for treatment.

[@victoriatoulmin958]

My mum had to go private to have a hysterectomy cause the wait list on the NHS was years long. And she was shocked at how amazing the private hospital was. So different to the NHS. Even things like always getting in to your appointment on time. That really isn’t typical for normal GP surgeries

[@stampandscrap7494]

Thats not normal wait times.

[@victoriatoulmin958]

@@stampandscrap7494 it shouldn’t be. But unfortunately that’s all I have experienced. My friend is currently in the middle of a two year wait to see a neurologist at the hospital and my one year old nephew is going to have to wait atleast 18 months to see someone about his asthma

[@traceymarshall5886]

This woman is not with the NHS!! She explained she paid privately and thats why they can see her the next week. The NHS is public and therefore you would go on a waiting list and you dont pay (its taken from everyones income, a social security tax). However she explains she paid for her appointment upfront and privately - its not the NHS. Everything she describes is for "PRIVATE" - the tea and biscuits etc. This isnt NHS or the way it is for the public.

[@mcgeorgeofthejungle6204]

I am pretty sure they made that distinction at the start of the video btw.

[@rikmoran3963]

I think the title of their video indicates that they know this already!

[@alanwood9804]

From the word go it’s made very clear this isn’t the NHS, so she is actually comparing apples to apples (private to private healthcare) , considering how much they pay in the US it appears the American system is at best no better or in fact worse than the NHS… also private health care is fairly cheap here in the UK (I can if I wish cover my family for about £40.00 per month) , it has to be as its has the NHS to compete with. We can choose between the NHS or private…. And sometimes the private hospitals work with the NHS, several years ago I needed some tests done via the NHS, I ended up having them done in a very nice private hospital with the NHS picking up the tab.

[@traceymarshall5886]

@@alanwood9804 yes but Steve said "wow you can get an appointment next week in the UK" and comments on the tea and biscuits and he references "NHS". So yes the woman makes the statement it is private but my statement is to clarify it as Steve made a statement that this is great NHS service - and its not NHS its private!!!

[@traceymarshall5886]

@@rikmoran3963 no Steve makes a statement in the video that this is "great service for the NHS" - the service the woman gets is not NHS. So clearly they didnt know as they say "its the NHS"

[@judyburgess3357]

Local surgery will be the local general practitioners offices (GP). In the UK you have a GP who is usually your first port of call, they may deal with yobur problem themselves or refer you to a specialist in a hospital. If you have an emergency, accident or serious health emergency you would go to an Accident and Emergency dept in a hospital. If you are a UK citizen all this is free. There can be a long wait to actually see your GP and often a long wait to see a consultant. That is the main reason people in the UK would opt for private care. You can get insurance but it is very expensive and they will refuse to cover you for any previous health issue before you joined their scheme.

[@rosemorgan7503]

As a Brit my first visit to GP was a doctor with an office and waiting room in his house you sit and queued till it was your turn. Had your exam and given a prescription to go to chemist. Doctor did surgery (where he met patients at office) till 10:00 am then house calls then another surgery in evening. (Sadly home visits have all but disappeared)Kids get their inoculations at their GP for example. You only go to hospital for an emergency or operation or more severe condition.

[@gracesprocket7340]

Private doctors and consultants usually also work with NHS patients - they have a private practice which is part time, and are scheduled within the NHS system to provide their specialist knowledge. It is possible to interleave the categories of care (e.g. NHS for initial triage, Private for investigation and diagnosis, whichever you prefer for treatment and hospitalisation (often a private vs public ward/room in the same hospitals) and then NHS for monitoring and long term management. Though some people prefer to stay with NHS treatment - and others want Private all the way. Often NHS provision of e.g. MH treatment is a bit short-term (6 sessions of talking therapy (which I understand *can* be useful, but seems a bit... thin.) while on-going psychological treatment is usually private. Psychotherapy may be NHS funded where institutionalisation is needed though.

[@richardperks7366]

GP surgery is a local doctors office with several doctors and usually a few nurses. The nurses will do things like baby checks, travel / flu vaccinations, general health monitoring, changing wound dressings. The GP is a gateway, they deal with most illness, and forward you onto a hospital for specialist treatment. If you have something serious, the docs will refer you to the hospital immediately. I have gone from docs appointment to surgery within a day.

[@seanmc1351]

in hospital, yeah there are tea and biscuits, if your in waiting area, there was in the 2 hospitals i worked at, if your there for a while, you will be given sandwiches, tea nad buscuits, but you can be there for hours, as the most urgent cases are seen first, if you have nose bleed, your in for long wait, as the broken bones, or heart stuff take priority

[@andrews6341]

Private health in the UK has changed quite a bit over the last few years. My mother says in the 70s and 80s when she was young it was literally like a sweet ( candy ) shop although the NHS was not that much better at the time , they would literally throw things like Valium and Ativan at people with any ailment under the sun. They have to follow guidelines now but there is still scope for stretching those guidelines.

[@Bazk01]

Your local GP - General Practitioner (Dr) has a local practice which has a number of Dr's working together. The location they practice medicine at is called their surgery. In remoter areas it could just be a building in the village. However, most often their practice is located in a local health centre. They usually have a number of surgeries in the health centre. The local health center will also have a pharmacy, a main reception, a nurses department, etc. (for wound dressing, drawing blodd, and so on.) You go to the surgery of the Dr you're registered with, but you may see any of the Dr's in their practice that are at the surigery that day. You are given a Dr's name and a time to be in the surgery by. Then you wait for the Dr to come out and call your name. The Dr either deals with your issue or they arrange for further care of diagnostics. Other than bloods, most of those will be at the local hospital. Where you go at a scheduled time to get specific tests or checks done. If it's serious the Dr will call an ambulance and you go straight into a ward at the hospital for care. The local surgery hours are during the day, there used to be home vists after hours but there's less of that than when I was a kid However, when my mum was passing from cancer - she had regular visits from nurses, who could and did call the Dr to come to the house when needed.. Emergency or out of hours is now mostly at the A and E department of the local hospital. Having a local hospital isn't as common as it used to be. Money savings means that they are disappearing in favoor of larger more centralized hospitals.

[@madams2312]

Private medical insurance in the uk is not expensive compared to the USA

[@peternewson3793]

Sorry about this, but regarding your conversation. Many years ago I was badly injured in a lorry crash. Fractured skull, fractured neck, fractured lumber spine (lower back), partially severed index finger and thumb on my left hand and a acute dislocated left knee. All the treatments that I've received from the NHS has been totally free. I have not had any problems with the NHS in regards to appointments etc. So from me, they get a big thumbs up. Otherwise, it would have cost me £000's.

[@hugostiglitz6914]

The word surgery in the UK is not just for medical issues. It means a question and answer session with advice. Members of Parliament (MP's) regularly hold surgeries with the people of their constituency.