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Sending NHS patients abroad...

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I think I've mentioned this before but my Trust is a pilot for sending patients abroad to Germany/France for treatment.

It comes as a result of the EU saying that all EU citizens have the right to treatment anywhere in the EU.

As a result the Govt has asked us to pilot the scheme and set up the systems.

We've found that most patients don't want to travel abroad for their treatment - the just want the same waiting times as our EU counterparts.

What do you think? Would you want to spend up to 3 weeks in a foreign hospital?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If I had the choice between spending 3 weeks in a foreign hospital immediately or waiting 18 months to get seen in a UK hospital then id take the Euro hospital.

    Obviously id rather be treated in my own country but if the waiting times are much less in Europe then id be glad to go.

    No problem with it being in another country. Most of Europe speaks English as well as their own language anyway so theres no problems there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thats three weeks when your relatives will have to make their own arrangements to visit...no matter how old you are...

    That said, I think I could stomach it too...I'd just rather that we spent the money here so that we could provide those same service locally.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Id definately rather the govt improved the NHS than fob off the ill to the continent. Unfortunately this govt doesnt seem to want to do that.

    I dont know anyone who wouldnt be willing to pay a little more tax to improve the NHS and other public services but labour are terrified of telling people they will raise taxes.

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I thought it was mostly day-surgery and minor ops that they wanted to do abroad.

    And what are the waiting times like for East Kent Hospitals trust? Like Baldy says, getting an operation done quickly in Europe has got to be better than waiting forever on a list.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Baldog, I hate to point out a glaringly obvious contradiction, but surely if we weren't part of the EU we wouldn't be able to send our sick anywhere......

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kentish Man:
    I thought it was mostly day-surgery and minor ops that they wanted to do abroad.

    And what are the waiting times like for East Kent Hospitals trust? Like Baldy says, getting an operation done quickly in Europe has got to be better than waiting forever on a list.

    Hip replacements, cataracts...anyone that will go to be honest.

    Waiting times are like most places, but (again like most places) in roads are being made and there will be NO-ONE waiting over 15m by March. In fact in many cases we're much better than that - 6m for cataracts, 70% ENT wait less than 6m for example - but this isn't about waiting times, it's all political.

    Milburn (and the EU) say it should be done, and so it will be and sod the cost...

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If we werent part of the EU then we wouldnt be giving millions of pounds to pay for bridges in Portugal. That money could then be spend on the NHS and negate the need to send our patients to the continent <IMG alt="image" SRC="http://www.thesite.org/ubb/smile.gif"&gt;

    We pay in an awful lot more money than we get out of the EU. Added to that theres the vast beurocratic costs that need to be covered to keep us in the EU.

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