Hi could you tell me is there a law that says a GP has to see a patient in x amount of days/weeks? My neighbour has tried to get an appointment with his GP and cannot get in until the new year!

Take note of an article in todays papers.

NHS IS FREE TO ALL FOREIGNERS TOURISTS, Buisiness Visitors, and ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, no wonder waiting lists are long.

Your neighbour should make a complaint too the CEO of the Primary Care Trust.

Link to article making the above statement.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4667423/NHS-is-free-for-all-foreigners.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2211994/Health-tourists-paying-1-000-bribes-GP-surgery-lists-having-thousands-pounds-worth-NHS-treatment-free.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10364566

It appears not

Thanks - thought it might have changed since then but apparently not.

The surgery should still provide a service that is reasonable and fits the needs of the patients.

Is your neighbour requesting an appointment with a specific GP or are they just wanting a routine appointment with any of the GP's at the surgery? If they are waiting for the first then they could find the person is away or has few clinics a week, if they are happy to see any of the Dr's I'd be querying why there are no appointments this side of Christmas.

Most surgeries have a limit on how far in advance you can book appointments but I'd be concerned if they were stopping patients from booking available appointments in the next 4 weeks.

Feebee_71

I think but not 100% sure that Doctors surgeries have a few open appointments every day that are allocated on the day. This means ringing them up the moment they open and hope you get a doctor appointment. Wont be guarenteed that the doctor is the normal one you see, could be any doctor from that surgery.

Take note of an article in todays papers.

 

NHS IS FREE TO ALL FOREIGNERS TOURISTS, Buisiness Visitors, and ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, no wonder waiting lists are long.

 

Your neighbour should make a complaint too the CEO of the Primary Care Trust.

Can you link to the source of this please

Report By Tom Newton Dunn in The Sun and other papers today.

A directive issued just prior to the parliamentary summer recess.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/healthcare_e/healthcare_help_with_health_costs_e/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whittington.nhs.uk%2Fdocument.ashx%3Fid%3D3226&ei=0fy0UMTRF4e50QWHvYHACw&usg=AFQjCNGCF9MEK1NKTCAsH2r-G4AGUPjt-w

Who can use nhs and if it may cost them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192694/Nigerian-woman-needing-Caesarean-immediately-flies-Britain-operation--costing-UK-taxpayers-10-000.html

Dont think i need to comment on that link

Is this the one you meant, Brig?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4667423/NHS-is-free-for-all-foreigners.html

HB

Is this the one you meant, Brig?

 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4667423/NHS-is-free-for-all-foreigners.html

 

HB

That's it, HB!!

Whilst I have not read the articles, I get the gist from the titles. However, it is not a recent phenomenon. I've been told by nurses who worked in renal in the late 80s that it was common practise for people from overseas to 'admit' themselves for dialysis. They had no intention of paying and knew that the NHS would not only never turn them away, (who in all honesty could), but were fully confident that they would never be pursued for the cost. I cannot imagine this situation has changed, merely worsened.

There was a story in the press over a year ago about pregnant women, very near their due date, coming to the UK to give birth, because it was so much cheaper than staying at home, even taking into consideration the travel costs. I first heard this story from nurses maybe ten years ago. Truth or urban myth, I don't know.

We are fooled by politicians into believing that we have a reciprocal agreement with other EU countries on healthcare, but it is no way equal. Our 'free at the point of service' means that almost all treatment is gratis in the UK, whereas you will only normally be entitled to emergency care abroad with your EHIC.

I have a relative who works in the NHS who told me recently that one of their colleagues had had a ski-ing accident in France. The first thing the hospital asked them for was their credit card details. They said the French care was appalling. Dirty wards and nurses who spoke to them loudly in French in the belief that they were more likely to understand (see, it's not just an English thing) and they returned home with an infection which was treated by the NHS.

I have had colleagues who have brought their sick, elderly relatives to the UK on the pretext of a holiday, but really to receive free health treatment.

Another issue is the language translation costs, which equates to millions of pounds just for the NHS. There was a jaw-dropping TV programme a while back where a Romanian woman stated that it was her human right to have NHS therapy to quit smoking in her native language. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

So who is wrong, the people who take advantage of our system or the system itself (aided and abetted by our half-wit politicians) that allows this abuse?

One thing is for sure, unless there are big changes, waiting times and waiting lists will get longer and longer.

racists post removed

thread closed as from 2012

dx