#nhsnews

[specialistmattress-blog]

#nursinghome MPs warn scale of funding challenge for health and social care is 'colossal' http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577323/mps-warns-scale-funding-health-social-care-colossal

#nursinghome Nursing homes' long wait for rate ends this month, says Government #carenews #health #nhs #nhsnews #healthnews http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577031/Nursing-homes-long-wait-for-funds-ends-this-month-says-Government #nursinghome #nursinghome Care home shooting: 'I trapped the gun between us with my chest' says manager http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577148/I-trapped-the-gun-between-us-with-my-chest-says-care-home-manager

[specialistmattress-blog]

#nursinghome Nursing homes' long wait for rate ends this month, says Government

#carenews #health #nhs #nhsnews #healthnews http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577031/Nursing-homes-long-wait-for-funds-ends-this-month-says-Government

#nursinghome ‘Ineffective’ social care courses to be scrapped, says skills minister #carenews #socialcare #socialcarenews #care http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577066/Ineffective-social-care-courses-to-be-scrapped-says-skills-minister #nursinghome Don't neglect dental health, NICE tells care homes #health #ageuk #carenews #dentalhealth #ukdentists #healthnews http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577006/Dont-neglect-dental-health-NICE-warns-care-homes #carenews #health #nhs #nhsnews #healthnews http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1577031/Nursing-homes-long-wait-for-funds-ends-this-month-says-Government

[rachelanna48]

This is a reminder

A friendly, but firm, reminder

To Brits at home

From a Brit abroad

 Let me start by telling you a bit about me

I am 31

I live and work in Shanghai, China

I’ve been here 7 months now

I speak a bit of Chinese

 I love living abroad

Before I was in London for 5 years

But before that

I lived in Barcelona

And Buenos Aires

 Don’t get me wrong

It’s not that I hate the UK

I just have this itch

To travel

To see the world

I am always planning my next trip

Holiday

Destination

Move

 I worked in advertising in London

My agency transferred me here

So for the first time in my travels

Someone else was taking care of stuff

Flights, visas, shipping

And travel insurance

 I had a look over the policy

Sure I did

But to be honest

I didn’t know really what I was looking for

And I am young

Ish

And healthy

So thought it would be fine

 It was fine

Until two weeks ago

 I woke up with a pain

In my hip

I ignored it

Must’ve been the gym

Right?

 But by the evening

Not only was it still there

It was worse

I couldn’t lie flat

Bugger

 I text an expat pal

Nonchalantly

“what was the name of that hospital you went to once?”

“Shanghai United Family Hospital”

She replies

I leave my flat

And get in a cab

 The hospital is amazing

Immaculate                                                                                                

Friendly nurses

Who speak English

I relax

 They take my insurance details

And take a look at me

I need a test

A CT scan

Just to check

 The doctors and nurses disappear

A tired looking girl

In a pencil skirt turns up

So the CT scan

It is an expensive test

She explains

Right

And…?

 Well your insurance isn’t great

You are going to have to pay

Up front

For this test

Ok

I say

 How much can it seriously be?

 It’s 10,000 RMB

Seriously

That is one thousand and sixty one pounds

And seventy seven pence

JUST FOR THE TEST

 I pay it

I have to pay it

I have no choice

 The CT scan shows I have appendicitis

They need to operate

They schedule the operation for tomorrow

And begin giving me some antibiotics

And some morphine

 Which,

By the way,

Is amazing

 The pencil skirt returns

She looks sad

 So the total cost for the operation                              

And the stay in this (lovely) hospital

Where everyone speaks to me in English

Is going to be 200,000 RMB

 Did you get that?

That is £21,242

And 14p

 That’s right

20k

 She is still looking at me

Expectantly

 And my insurance?

I ask her

My mouth is a little dry

 It covers 30% of the cost

I’ll have to ‘find’ the rest

 I don’t have that money

I don’t have anywhere near that money

 But I can’t wait

I need the operation

It’s not like I can choose whether I have my appendix removed

 20,000 pounds

How can it cost that much??

How can anything that isn’t a house cost that much?

Of course I can go to a local hospital

But the price isn’t that different

And no one will speak English

I panic

I burst into tears

And prepare myself for total bankruptcy 

For the next decade

And prepare myself to have an operation in China

  Thankfully

I work for a good company

A kind and compassionate company

That agreed to pay

The 20,000 quid

For my appendectomy

So everything was fine

 But this brings me to my friendly reminder

 The NHS

Is fucking free

At the point of use

Consumption

Whatever

 When you are sick

And desperate

And scared

And it is an emergency

There is no talk of money

No talk of waiting

Speaking to the bank

Calling a shit insurance firm in Hong Kong

That don’t work Sunday nights

(Why does everything shit always happen on a Sunday night?)

There’s no pencil skirted bird

Who wearily explains

The real cost of medical care

To yet another unworldly

Naïve

Foolish

Fortunate

Brit

Who has never

Ever realized

Just how fucking blessed they are

That their state

Just

Takes

Care

Of

It

 So this is my friendly reminder

The NHS might not be perfect

Sure it needs improving

Who, or what, doesn’t?

 But it is the biggest fucking gift

The most amazingly wonderful peace of mind

That our government

Affords us

That when we are sick

When there is an emergency

We WILL be taken care of

Regardless of the cost

 My friendly reminder

To all the Brits back home

Is

Never forget that

Don’t take it for granted

And just remember

That medical care

Is anything but free

And that living in the UK

Is a pretty amazingly wonderful

Stroke of luck

 Long live the NHS