What a f**cking day, at the NHS.

[Dezerte]

More serious cases are always prioritized. You should have gotten something for the pain though if it was that bad.

[Lochton]

Dislocated my shoulder this morning, called an ambulance, they said, order a taxi as it was not an emergency. I did, finally in hospital, was sitting for around 3 hours to see a DR for 2 min, he told me, go do an x-ray, what do you know? Another 1 hour wait. Bare in mind my shoulder was still dislocated and the pain I was in I could not explain. I waited after the x ray I needed to rejoin the 3 hour queue again, what a nightmare. Fuck it, I am going private next time.

rant over.

Don't worry! Brexit is soon going through, they'll have LOTS of money for NHS soon.... /sarcasm

To be honest, NHS has been going shit for a while, especially when you have higher ups who doesn't want it.

Oh well, get well!

- - - Updated - - -

hm..... yet you see people rave at how good free healthcare is xD. Id rather pay than be stuck for hours waiting for some doctor to see me.

hope you are ok bro!

Weeeell, NHS is the worst of the 'free choices' that is in the world. So, yes, free healthcare is still great when done right. NHS isn't done right anymore. Heck, Brexit has scared big chunks of their staff, doctors and nurses having gone to their home country or established jobs in other countries.

[God Save The King]

I've been in a similar situation here in America, with similar wait times. But I was told that here in America everything is better and faster, so that's why we pay for it.

In all honesty, most urgent care situations take half a day, unless it's a real life or death emergency. My issue was being stabbed in the leg. I got to the hospital at 8pm, and got home the next morning around 4am.

[Serpha]

My dentist isn't free but having a wisdom tooth out - actual dental surgery, was.

I can call up any day at 8am and get a GP appointment at my doctors surgery across the road - i've actually never been unable to.

You're not from London, are you...

[Ryme]

I was in hospital was 11pm to 4am bleeding from hemorrhage at the top of my throat after surgery. I wasn't even seen in that time to determine the blood flow and just kept spitting blood into a cardboard bowl they gave me.

I was all nice and pale and couldn't really talk when they finally saw me, just glad my partner was with me to handle things.

[kreationkin]

I rather pay then wait 7 hours with pain.

Right, but what several have pointed out already and you seem to be ignoring is that paying and not waiting isn't an option; at least not in the form of private insurance. You're still going to go to the same hospital (or another like it), still be triaged and seen based on what patients are coming at the time. Your actual options are 1) free (taxed), wait 7 hours, 2) expensive (more than you pay in tax), and wait 7 hours, or 3) Pay for a private doctor visit out of pocket (not an insurance thing) and get seen faster. If you're super wealthy go ahead and try to find option 3, otherwise guess what kiddo, you're in the same boat as the rest of us.

Your dislocated shoulder is not an emergency in the same sense that someone who needs an EKG because they're having chest pain is an emergency.

[Shiny212]

The NHS is woefully underfunded. The UK honestly cant be thought of as a country with free healthcare for all anymore.

[JohnBrown1917]

The NHS is woefully underfunded. The UK honestly cant be thought of as a country with free healthcare for all anymore.

Good time to vote in labour, i'd say.

[Deleted]

rant over.

No your not, your going to bitch and whine, realize that Private medical cover is pretty expensive on a monthly basis, and doesn't cover emergency care, and change your mind.

[Najnaj]

Who the hell calls an ambulance over a dislocated shoulder?

Also, if you go to the emergency room you will run the risk of waiting, public hospital or not. When you arrive at the hospital has little to no bearing on when you will be seen by the doctor. The severity of your problem is everything and a dislocated shoulder isn't exactly life threatening.

My mom was an emergency room nurse and would tell us horror stories of how people behaved and most of them were regarding wait times. My favorite was one about a guy with some random issue complaining that someone got to see the doctor ahead of him. That someone was a child who was not breathing.

[AeneasBK]

Triage mate stop being a pussy. Suprised they didn't just relocate it pretty sharpish after the xray.

Blew my ligaments in my ankle a while back (looked like a break it was that bad), ambulance picked me up (was in the middle of nowhere with no access to a car), rolled in hostpital and the ambulance crew had to chill until i'd be processed which i thought was bullshit and a waste of thier time, processed xray within 10 minutes, 1 hour wait after that (to be fair some guy walked into a&e puking blood and some fella came in with his elbow out of place), then boom crutches and one of those fucking moon boots, called a cab straight to the pub.

The NHS rules.

Quoted for truth.

- - - Updated - - -

I do not believe these wait times are indicative of having taxes pay for healthcare costs.
If there are not enough medical providers in the system, then find a way to encourage more providers.

Oh boy :S

[Bodakane]

Dislocated my shoulder this morning, called an ambulance, they said, order a taxi as it was not an emergency. I did, finally in hospital, was sitting for around 3 hours to see a DR for 2 min, he told me, go do an x-ray, what do you know? Another 1 hour wait. Bare in mind my shoulder was still dislocated and the pain I was in I could not explain. I waited after the x ray I needed to rejoin the 3 hour queue again, what a nightmare. Fuck it, I am going private next time.

rant over.

In the States, you'd go through all of that AND you'd need to pay about $10,000 or hundreds month in insurance and $1500-$2000 deductible.

[Tenris]

I broke my toe last year was in and out in less than 2 hours with an x-ray and some strapping to keep it protected for a month. Different experiences at different hospitals/different times of the day and week.
I much prefer the NHS to a private healthcare system, even if the Tories are ripping it to shreds at the moment trying to privatise it.
When that does eventually happen, may the odds be ever in your favour.

[Stormspark]

In the US you would've probably been put into bankruptcy by that.

[breadisfunny]

In the US you would've probably been put into bankruptcy by that.

or left with a big bill.

- - - Updated - - -

In the States, you'd go through all of that AND you'd need to pay about $10,000 or hundreds month in insurance and $1500-$2000 deductible.

our cobra insurance wanted a 1000$ monthly payment for me when i turned 26. granted this was some time ago so....not sure what it would be now.

[Deleted]

You see people rave because whiny bitches with dislocated shoulders (easy fix, btw) are made to wait while people with cancer, heart attacks, and actual injuries are being rushed to the front to be seen in order of severity.

The NHS has also been drastically defunded by the UK equivalent of cumsucking old fat Republicans, and this is why OP (still a whiny bitch nonetheless) had to wait several hours instead of roughly one single hour.

Anyway, stfu moron.

Its a bit of a myth the NHS is under-funded, year on year it receives increased budget and is a massive part of our tax spending. At some point you have to wonder if constantly throwing more money at something will fix it.

[Elegiac]

Wow, I am so sorry that your entirely deferrable condition was triaged accurately given that no medical facility public or private has the unlimited resources needed to see every patient immediately.

I'm starting to see why Brexit managed to slip through.

[Deleted]

Funny how despite all of this, UK national healthcare frequently ranks above countries like Sweden, Canada, Germany etc. Would link official WHO ranking, but as far as I know they've stopped making them (due to criticism over issues like this among others).

[Beazy]

In the States, you'd go through all of that AND you'd need to pay about $10,000 or hundreds month in insurance and $1500-$2000 deductible.

You must be on the ACA or something. I don't have anything close to a deductible at all, and I only pay 220 a check for the wife and myself. The longest wait time I have at the hospital or doctors office, is the time it takes me to fill out a form. About a year ago I had an impacted tooth, I went to the dentist, I handed them an insurance card, I filled out a form and was sitting in a chair getting the best high from that NO2 tank. Next thing I know, I'm waking up and my mouth is numb. Entire process, from door to door, 2.5 hours.

[willtron]

Dislocated my shoulder this morning, called an ambulance, they said, order a taxi as it was not an emergency. I did, finally in hospital, was sitting for around 3 hours to see a DR for 2 min, he told me, go do an x-ray, what do you know? Another 1 hour wait. Bare in mind my shoulder was still dislocated and the pain I was in I could not explain. I waited after the x ray I needed to rejoin the 3 hour queue again, what a nightmare. Fuck it, I am going private next time.

rant over.

How much did you spend? Generally with the NHS if you're rushed through A&E you're fucked. I was hospitalised earlier this year and the NHS were flawless. For minor things like a dislocation there will always be a wait, and it depends on the hospital - I don't know if London ones are generally better/better staffed.

You said the solution yourself, go private. It's not that much better unless you're having an op.