Mothergoose
Registered User
- Messages
- 110
I have private health insurance, but am finding that the private healthcare system has deteriorated. Does anyone else find this?
I used to be able to get a referral from my GP for yearly cancer screening and book it two months ahead, but now it has to be booked yearly - that is when I leave this year's appointment, I have to put in for next year's, though I don't have an exact date until 4 weeks before.
I was referred for a cardiac CT scan, and have been trying to arrange it since February, but apparently the appointment lists don't open until a month before. I am told to ring back at the beginning of the month, but several times have been hanging on the phone for a period of an hour and half to two hours over several days, but no one answers the phone. When you do get through to someone, they say the lists aren't open now until the middle of the month, and they will ring back then, but they don't. Even the Consultant says he finds it difficult to get through to the Radiology Dept. The staff say they are understaffed there. It doesn't seem now from an admin point of view that there is much difference between private and public.
Recently, I moved to the UK. It can take an 30 mins on the phone waiting to get a GP appt for that day, but once you go to the GP and get a referral for a Consultant, you hear back in 4/6 weeks with an appointment, though the appointment may not be for 6 months. There is no chasing up referral for scans.
A month after I arrived here, a bowel screening package was routinely sent out to me, two weeks after that I was reminded to ring my GP for cervical screening check. The staff are pleasant. I haven't encountered any rudeness. As part of my work, I was with a client in the local A&E - there were no trolleys in corridors, it was very clean, no one seemed particularly stressed, everyone was pleasant and helpful.
Where I am in the UK, I don't pay for prescriptions or eye tests. I have a nursing background and before I left Ireland, I did some agency shifts to be sure I was definitely right in giving up my nursing registration, what I saw was terrifying - the standard of care especially if you are elderly was appalling - though these were in public rather than private hospitals. Growing old in Ireland could be quite scary from what I have seen.
I used to be able to get a referral from my GP for yearly cancer screening and book it two months ahead, but now it has to be booked yearly - that is when I leave this year's appointment, I have to put in for next year's, though I don't have an exact date until 4 weeks before.
I was referred for a cardiac CT scan, and have been trying to arrange it since February, but apparently the appointment lists don't open until a month before. I am told to ring back at the beginning of the month, but several times have been hanging on the phone for a period of an hour and half to two hours over several days, but no one answers the phone. When you do get through to someone, they say the lists aren't open now until the middle of the month, and they will ring back then, but they don't. Even the Consultant says he finds it difficult to get through to the Radiology Dept. The staff say they are understaffed there. It doesn't seem now from an admin point of view that there is much difference between private and public.
Recently, I moved to the UK. It can take an 30 mins on the phone waiting to get a GP appt for that day, but once you go to the GP and get a referral for a Consultant, you hear back in 4/6 weeks with an appointment, though the appointment may not be for 6 months. There is no chasing up referral for scans.
A month after I arrived here, a bowel screening package was routinely sent out to me, two weeks after that I was reminded to ring my GP for cervical screening check. The staff are pleasant. I haven't encountered any rudeness. As part of my work, I was with a client in the local A&E - there were no trolleys in corridors, it was very clean, no one seemed particularly stressed, everyone was pleasant and helpful.
Where I am in the UK, I don't pay for prescriptions or eye tests. I have a nursing background and before I left Ireland, I did some agency shifts to be sure I was definitely right in giving up my nursing registration, what I saw was terrifying - the standard of care especially if you are elderly was appalling - though these were in public rather than private hospitals. Growing old in Ireland could be quite scary from what I have seen.