Re: The NHS.

I agree with all you say Swim.

Unfortunately the NHS has gotten too expensive with all the many tiers of management.

My experience here. There are no secretaries or reception staff in the hospital outpatient clinics the nurses call you in. Maybe that is a saving financially,it seems to work. The doctor types up the consultation.

The pharmacies are in charge of the drugs bill.

Also there is no social care for the elderly, no elderly care homes as the relatives care for their families so no bed blocking.

As an ex pat you have to be aware of that.

I do not plan to come back to the UK apart to visit the family.

GP practice here they provide an 8 till 8 surgery plus 24 hour emergency in our clinic.

I am not sure what the solution should be for the NHS other than privatisations.

Re: The NHS.

There are still both NHS services at Opticians and NHS Dentists. Dental services have been very much reduced, but then they were over enthusiastic at filling every tooth when they used to receive piecework funding in the '70's. I remember a dentist replaced every single one of my fillings in the early 80s. He didn't tell me why, because in those days they just started drilling with no treatment plan. None of my teeth were hurting - I'd just gone for a check up!

Re: The NHS.

It must be a little different where you are Goldilocks. Here at our hospital there are reception desks at the main entrance and also at main departments. Checking in for an appointment is by machine, bar code reader or you can put your SIP card number in. The machine issues you with a ticket which has a code, your appointment time and the room number you will be seen in. When your code comes up on the monitors you go in, although often a nurse will come out and call you too. It is very rare that you have to wait past your appointment time.

It´s also nice that the only wards in the hospital are observation and intensive care, and even those are divided into cubicles so patients have privacy. The rest are rooms, each with their own bathroom and a pull down bed in case a relative wishes to stay with the patient at night. Having your own room really does make a big difference I think.

There are also quite a few care homes, but they are all private, as far as I know.

Our local clinic has appointments from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a para medic on duty from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

A&E is also very efficient. When I had my accident A&E was extremely busy, but we checked in at the desk, I had a bracelet put on my wrist and I honestly thought I would be there for hours. I was waiting less than 10 minutes. I was taken for X-rays, operation was pronounced and I was taken straight to my room and prepped for operation.

The coding system in A&E seems to work very well, it goes from red, orange, yellow, green, green of course and you could be waiting quite some time to be seen.

We are very lucky to have such a good health service I think. Although at the present time I´m somewhat disenchanted having to do the early morning drive to take Mr Clumsy for his physio. He would rather go on his own but he has been told he can start to drive again once the physio has finished.

We have no complaints at all about the health care we receive here, I think we are very lucky.

Re: The NHS.

Hi my husband was recently in. Our only complaint and it's not if that makes sense was he had to be flown over to Gran Canaria for surgery. My expenses repaid. As it is such a small hospital here they have not got the facilities for an operating theatre. Although we do have intensive care in Lanzzrote which we used.

The care was amazing though and yes own room, shower room and wardrobe. The staff were amazing and did not seem stressed.

No private care homes here at all though.

No complaints at all.

Re: The NHS.

If people make themselves deliberately ill through smoking, drinking too much, illegal drug use and being overweight through eating too much, not only should they be at the bottom of the queue for treatment, they should also be charged.

Re: The NHS.

Even if they pay taxes?

Most of the cost is elderly people and cancer treatment. I can't see that being privatised or charged.

Re: The NHS.

There are many ways we can improve the service, so much waste, so many managers, the NHS is over charged by many companies, it needs to be depoliticised and it needs to be recognised somethings must be addressed by other organisations.

Drunk ? Let's have somewhere away from a&e for you so you don't cause havoc in the waiting room.
Sports injury ? Let's have dedicated sports injury units you did it to yourself you pay for treatment.
GPs improve that service make them use the money they were given a few years ago to provide proper services, that would empty out a&e departments and the knock on affect I think would be huge.

Re: The NHS.

The Spanish system sounds far superior to the NHS, as do other European healthcare systems.

Do you have to pay for your healthcare cover or healthcare insurance? If so, how much?

The way the NHS is managed is a disgrace. We should adopt a system that works, like other Europeans have, and that would probably mean some sort of privatisation. Many don't like the idea, but it is probably the only long-term answer.

Re: The NHS.

If you are of pensionable age and are properly registered with the Spanish health authority then no, you don't have to pay. Also if you are working and paying into the system you are entitled to health care. Pensioners do not pay for prescriptions, people not of pensionable age do. It works pretty much the same as UK in that respect. UK and Spain have reciprocal agreements re health care. A wife or husband not of pensionable age can claim free health care off the partner of pensionable age, provided they have the paperwork from UK correct.

However you will not be treated long term using the EHIC card, which is fair enough since that is for short term emergencies. You will not be treated either if you don't have the correct documentation, you will simply be directed, or taken, to a private hospital.

The system changed a few years ago due to the fact that many British people, (possibly other nationalities too, but I don't know how things work with them) were really abusing the system. They were coming here to live but not de-registering with their UK doctors, so when Spain put the paperwork in for operations carried out, treatments etc etc, UK wouldn't pay because they said the patients were still registered with their doctors in the UK. We know of quite a few people who were doing this. Some were flitting back and forth to get prescriptions from UK, see specialists etc, then coming back here to have operations and treatment.
It was all a bit complicated, more than a few people were arrested and charged, I guess basically it's fraud.

These days the system is tight, registered, have a SIP card, correct paperwork and all is okay. If you have to go into hospital for a booked operation you MUST show your passport when being admitted, not just your SIP card.

Re: The NHS.

Thanks for that Clumsy.

So, unlike France for example, there are no charges for health appointments apart from your regular national insurance (equivalent) contributions?

If so it makes you wonder, doesn't it, why Spain can manage to provide an excellent health service whilst Britain struggles?