General Chat

Well for its failings, nothing is perfect superb Nurses,hard working Doctors,so I dont think it bad Happy Birthday NHS.
Davex

Huge congratulations, and huge thanks to the UK for lighting the way on this.

One part of Canada beat you by a tiny bit in one respect, but it took us another 20 years to get the whole system implemented nation-wide.

http://www.tommydouglas.ca/tommy/achievements

"January 1, 1947 – Douglas created Canada’s first universal and compulsory hospital insurance program – the Universal Hospital Services plan. It was the first program in North America to provide complete benefits to all residents."

Tommy Douglas, premier of Saskatchewan and later leader of the New Democratic Party -- you'd know him as Kiefer Sutherland's grandfather. ;) He was voted Greatest Canadian in a CBC series a couple of years ago.

A public health care system is hugely important. Be proud of yours. (And remember -- we don't have dental care or prescription drug coverage in most of Canada, so you're still doing better than us).

My grandparents aren't around to ask and i have no idea what the difference is between 1/6 and 30shillings......you may as well be talking Greek...lol
like you with your brothers my uncle would have been "free" cause he was born in 1950

K x

Funny you should say that, Karen, I was born July 1947, yes it's nearly birthday time again :>((
I read the other day that it used to cost 1/6d for a baby to be born, and I think I fell within that time scale so must have cost my parents that amount, wonder what it really was, 1/6 or 30 shillings, maybe 1/6 for a home birth? I was born in hospital. Too late to ask Mum and Dad now, but they would have got my brothers for free lol they came after me!
Knowing what my friends in America have to pay for medical care, and my English friend, married to a German and living in Germany, they pay too I think. She says they have to pay about £600 a month for her, her husband and their daughter, and I think our Dutch has to pay too, in Holland.
We moan and groan but I suppose we are lucky to get what we do get!
Lizx

my mum was born in january 1948 and apparently on the tv they said it would have cost 30 shillings for her to born in hospital.

we are lucky to have the NHS....our eldest had meningitis in 1997 and we were told that her care would have been over £1000.00 a day if we'd had to pay......that would have been over £10,000,00


Karen x

Wonderful service, milked by a few -

Now have to pay HSA, as cant get NHS Dental treatent. What a boon the HSA, have just returned from Dentist- Emergency , tooth broken terrible pain and discomfort. £55 for a filling. Will get half of this from HSA.

Have been to the Dentist in the past month three times - total cost £125. So will only have to pay £62.50.

But- Still think NHS it is a great service

Mo

I must have been two when this came in......I was just saying to OH this morning, I wonder if our parents had to pay for us to be born......

.....it must have come as a relief to everybody, such a worry to have young children or sick relatives and not know how you are going to pay for treatment...

.....we are so lucky.......I hope we do not lose it....

I'm not a fan of the Labour party either, but the treatments now available are vast compared to the days when the NHS began................therefore the NHS grows more costly every year.

We are living longer and the population is growing, so all these factors added together men the NHS will struggle more an more as the years go by, whatever government in in power.

Personally, I can see a time in the not so distant future when we will all be paying more to support the NHS treatment we are so lucky to have.

Also what about dental treatment? people cant get dentists to do national health work,its disgraceful!!

soon the U.K will be a nation of rotten teeth, I'm lucky, I can afford private treatment,there are lots that cant.

Yes,The labour party are just wonderful!!lol

Actually,I was referring to The N.H,S if you read my post properly.
Did I mention Individuals,I dont think so!
I feel sorry for nursing staff,it must be a nightmare working for them.

Many European countries are far better than the U.K these days,thats why so many people opt to go abroad for treatment.
The Labour party have destroyed it,with their stupid Targets and unrealistic time plans!

Roxanne,
I hope you are not saying that the nurses are substandard

Yes,It was fantastic ,I dont know if its the envy of the world these days,but at least we do have some sort of health care even if its substandard these days.

"SIXTY YEARS OF THE NHS TOMORROW"

Something we all take for granted! Nye Bevan Labour health minister, opened the first NHS hospital at Park Hospital here in greater Manchester. On the 5th July 1948. From the Cradle to the Grave. Envy of the World. God bless all those who have maintained it!.
Davex