Poor standards of Health Care in Britain?

Question

So I go to the NHS Doctor in the UK. The receptionists are rude and the waiting room is filthy, the door open with traffic fumes from the road coming into the building. I had to give a "sample" so I went to the bathroom- disgustingly filthy with paper all over the floor. My appointment was at 11.15 I finally saw the doctor at 11.50. When I finally see the doctor she can barely crack her face, I shook her hand and said good morning to be polite and she seemed not to realise that polite people and professionals shake hands when they greet. As I was telling her what was wrong she could hardly look at me properly as she kept filling in things on her computer screen. I found her whole manner rude and to top it up she was obviously from India and had a poor standard of spoken English, so much that it was ambiguous what she meant.

Would you agree that these are grounds enough to make a complaint? Is this what the great British public healthcare system has been reduced to?

Answer 1

What is National Insurance, like a Medical Aid in SA? Well that sounds like our "Free Public Health Care" here in SA, we would just wait about 3 - 4 hours. But if you have a medical Aid, I usually wait about 20 minutes anyway, but everything is spotless and the doctors are very friendly because for all the thousands of doctors in SA there is only 4 million people that have medical aid, so they treat their patients with great care and respect. Why cant you choose to which doctor you go if you have National Insurance? If I were you I would complain, how can she practise in England if she cannot even speak the language properly? Surely at some or other time there would be a miscommunication between her and a patient? go and complain!

Answer 2

Although I am grateful for having free heath care as many people don't have the privilege, it's no excuse to be as rude as they are. I'd most defiantly make a complaint. I have heard of people complain about much less than that. When I go to my NHS doctor, I give them all my symptoms and he asks me what I think is the matter with me? How on earth am I supposed to know, he's the doctor.

Also my dentist is a waste of space. I went for a filling the one day and by the next month it fell out. I mean when I was in Zim and had one filling and it lasted for 5 years!! We all pay taxes and different things, I think my father pays Nation Insurance too. The service we get it c**p to say the least!

I must say that our Doctors is much cleaner than some I have been into.

Answer 3

That is disgusting, go and complain because it seems no one else does. Just because something is for free does not mean you have to be satisfied with it!

Answer 4

A few years ago when I lived in London and I used the NHS and I may have been lucky but I would have given them ten out of ten for the treatment I received.I was hospitalized and had to have a full heart check up .There were Black, White and Asian staff who ran the ward I was in.If you are unhappy and fell like you have a right please make your complain .I  sent my compliments when I was well and sent home.

I believe even if it is free a person as to be treated with  respect.

Answer 5

I woulds complain if I was you.

We have a very good health system here. Ours is very cheap. We pay for a family of 4 about $1500 (R300) per month. Every time we go to see a doc, including specialists,  we have to pay $150 (R30). That includes all medicine and test etc.

We get very good service. Even though English is not an official language here all the doctors speak excellent English. That really makes a difference. I think being in the UK the doctors should be able to speak English.

Just do it - complain

Answer 6

Are you really expecting a response from them?

You are an immigrant. They'll just laugh you off. Be thankful you get free health care.

There are so many stories of people who rush out of the country in search of greener pastures and then end up with a job not allowing them to afford things they used to, like medical aid for one.

Try and post this on the British group and see what response you get.

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Uhm Cat, $1500 = R11767.50 etc.

Answer 7

London is not England and neither is it representative of England. It is a multi culti hotch potch of many different Nationalities and Races and does not deliver the standard od Healthcare associated with many other parts of Britain. Many years ago I had a similar problem with a "foreign" practitioner in London. For months I had been passing giant No 2's so I decided to to do something about it. One day after having passed one I fished it out the toilet but it was too big to get in a Tesco bag. The only other thing I had was a violin case so I put it in there and went to the Optician. He was from Bangladesh and he asked what did I want. I told him to open the violin case which he did then he started to scream the most foul and abusive language at me calling me a "dirty old git." I said to him "Wait.wait.You dont understand.Everytime I do one of those my eyes water" but he wouldnt help me.

Live in London? Join BUPA and you can pick and chose. Live in Britain then the National Health System is the best in the World compared to any similar scheme.

MJ - As usual you generalise and talk shite trying to support your response with claims of inside knowledge. If the NHS is so bad how com so many 3rd World refugees from all over Africa and the Middle East are flocking to our shores precisely for that benefit? Our Doctors are admired all over the World and our standards are higher and better which is why South African medical personnel have to be "re-educated" if they want to practice here. If you chose to see Dr Wally the Gog then you shouldnt expect anything better.

London is not representative of England. It is full of foreigners with non-British standards and practices. It is also full of ghettos and no go areas which is why Scotland Yard had to form Trident in 1998.

Answer 8

Well you heard it hear first folks Alf has finally admitted he is full of S**t, written by his own fair hand. (well it was so tempting) Any way MJ what you are suffering from is the class of people that visit these surgeries drunks junkies etc the kind of people that abuse the staff and doctors making good staff difficult to find. My wife works as a receptionist in a busy surgery in Cornwall and tells me that even down here they get abused by patients so I dread to think what it is like in inner London. However that said the standard of treatment that we receive down here is really good for the most part. Get out of that rat trap and come to live in England you may actually see a different side of us.

By the way no reference to you here.