That fall in confidence in the English NHS
I don’t do autobiography as a rule, but it is striking what an impact NHS rationing is having on the Hotopf family. Our experience might inform a recent statistic that, over the last year, confidence in the NHS has dropped from 70% to 58%. Many fear that services will get worse in 2013.
Policy wonks and academics rushed to respond to the fall in confidence. They said that this always happens when NHS cuts and reform are debated and that, of course, the fall can’t mirror real patient experiences.
In the last month, a relative of mine was told that his prostate cancer had spread beyond the prostate. He was then informed that he would face a four-month wait for chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the local hospital. Attempts to exercise patient choice were firmly quashed by his GP.
On holiday, he subsequently met a man who had a growth removed from his face three times in 18 months at the same local hospital before doctors bothered to test for cancer. A positive cancer test led to a rush to a university hospital, where a large section of his face was removed.
Another relative has now waited seven months for a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. Another was told that, despite concerns, she could not have another cervical smear as the NHS refuses to process them if they are more frequent than every three years. An ultrasound was likely to have been the most useful test for one of her symptoms, but this was not included in the MRI package. To get an ultrasound, she will have to return to the GP, convince him or her that it is necessary, and then wait another 6-8 weeks.
In contrast, a family friend who has health insurance felt a lump in her breast in the morning and, in the afternoon, had the necessary scans in central London.
Myself, I have a great NHS family doctor. But that is about the only good thing that one can say about the sample of nine people in my immediate family. The NHS does few favours in its attempts to ward off the advance of private healthcare.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Max Hotopf or call 0207 183 3779.
