Comments by "Helen Trope" (@heliotropezzz333) on "Actually, UK's National Healthcare Is Excellent" video.

  1. +Michael Bridge People under 16, or over 60, or unemployed or with certain chronic illnesses are entitled to free prescriptions. People between those ages who are working pay for prescriptions but the prescription fee is a lot less than the actual cost of the medicines. If you've got little out of the system, as you say, it would mean you've not been ill much. You are lucky if so, but as you need prescriptions to keep you alive I guess at some point you received something from the NHS in the way of diagnosis and care.
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  2. +Alex R Myr GPs will see someone the same day if it's urgent. You just have to let them know and turn up early. Many people go to A&E for things that their GP could deal with and at A&E people are seen in order of priority - determined by how serious their problem is. The last Labour government had maximum 4 hour waiting targets at A&E, cancer diagnosis and treatment targets and other targets which were achieved by the NHS. This current Conservative government has done a massive and costly re-organisation of the NHS which has allowed NHS funding to be given to some private providers. It's not increased NHS funding in line with inflation. It abolished many waiting time targets for the NHS and there are many more elderly people in our ageing population now. As there's not enough funding for social care, the elderly often can't be released from hospital when they need to, and that increases waiting times generally. The government has also blocked a report that covers recommended staff ratios for patients. There are staff shortages and hospitals often have to use agency staff which is not ideal and they cost the hospital much more than permanent staff. This government says it supports the NHS but it appears to be wrecking it. Private hospitals don't have A&E care so if anything goes wrong there, patients are swiftly transferred to the NHS. We need the NHS to be good even when people choose to go private.
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