UK healthcare: so far, so good

I was curious about the National Health Service, the United Kingdom's publicly funded healthcare system, before we even moved to London.

Our pal Bob here praised it, and I had conversations about it with a doctor friend here who recently retired. 

Matt and I didn’t know we would get NHS coverage with our visas. We paid a fee as part of his university application.

The NHS core principles are:

* That it meets the needs of everyone

* That it be free at the point of delivery

* That it is based on clinical need and not ability to pay

Imagine medical care without the fear of going bankrupt. During our real estate sales careers, Matt and I paid $800 per month for years to purchase health insurance. We were technically self-employed independent contractors. The policy didn’t cover everything. It was mostly for a catastrophic situation that could wipe us out if one occurred. The kids were insured under their Dad's work policy, or it would have been even more expensive. Eventually, Matt's service as a military reservist gave us access to health care at a quarter of the cost. It was one of the considerations for him serving as long as he did.

Essex House Surgery, our medical office, hosts a
farmer's market each Saturday in its parking lots.

Our NHS coverage started a few months after Matt's classes did. Before it did, though, I had received medical care here when I had bronchitis. I used a private (non-NHS) clinic in Marylebone called the Princess Grace. It is an urgent care type of place, although it also has a hospital. You pay £99 to see a doctor for treatment and any tests. If a prescription is given, you get it right there. No waiting AT ALL. 

A month after my bronchitis treatment, I went back to the Princess Grace for a urinary tract infection and was automatically given a COVID-19 test. I passed and received antibiotics for the UTI. It lingered, so I had to return for another prescription. This time, I tested positive for COVID-19. This site was not equipped for COVID-19 treatment and referred me to the nearby NHS facility, University College Hospital.

We took a cab there. The reception area was packed.  I had previously arranged to have travel health insurance which is a version of Blue Cross.  I told them at the front desk that I had insurance but they didn’t ask for any proof or information. I was examined even though my NHS coverage hadn't yet begun.

I got in pretty quickly considering how full the reception area was. Matt waited outside with other non-patients. I spent about four hours there and had X-rays and some blood work done. They eventually just sent me home since I wasn’t having respiration problems. How simple.  How civilized. No additional paperwork necessary.

Checking out a custom cupcake at the farmer's
market behind our medical office in Barnes.

Since then, I have read in UK newspapers what a mess the NHS is. It has huge problems with staffing, elective surgeries backed up for years, doctors and nurses leaving in droves, and out-of-control costs. Based on this, I was reluctant to use the system after we got our residency permits. 

After our June 1 move to Barnes, I felt like I might have some residual COVID-19 symptoms and was concerned enough to want to see a doctor.  You sign up to be a patient at a local clinic to where you live. The Barnes clinic, called a "surgery," is just a 10-minute walk from our flat. 

On your first visit you go to the reception desk. They mainly use your birth date as your identification. No NHS card needed. After the first visit, you just sign in on a wall computer that registers you to the doctor you’re seeing. The doctor comes out within minutes to bring you into a private office. Blood work confirmed that I am anemic. This was a relief compared to thinking how hard it would be to address COVID-19 symptoms.  

For X-rays, I took a very short bus ride to a larger nearby NHS hospital. The wait to be seen was less than a half-hour. I was out in 40 minutes. I may need to do a colonoscopy, but that will be a 2-week wait for an appointment. I put that off while we went to Spain in September.

 

I am happy with the heath care that I have received. Basically, once you’re in the NHS system there is no more paperwork. They are very thorough and I never felt rushed. The staffing folks go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. 

The NHS is mainly funded by general taxes. There is currently 1,226,677 employees.  You select a local pharmacy to fill your precriptions and the cost is minimal.

A new director has taken over the running of the £153 billion health service with a longtime vision of modernizing NHS technology and reforming the way services work to provide more care out of hospital and closer to the homes of patients.

 

Obvious problems are funding and staffing They are coming up short and looking to the future.  But for me, the system worked well and it has been a very pleasant surprise.

It has made me wonder about the U.S. healthcare system, though since turning 65, I have been very happy with Medi-Care and love my doctor's office in Grass Valley, California.