Britain’s National Health Service turns 70 this year, amid warnings of an existential crisis. At the end of last year, we interviewed several staff members to ask them what they hopes and feared for the system’s future. Now, readers tell us about their and their families’ experiences with the N.H.S.
Here are their stories, edited for length and clarity.
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I BELIEVE THEY DID ALL THEY COULD
In 2015 my husband died from cancer at 35. It was a short time between realizing something was wrong and him dying, most of which we spent in the hospital. The staff were all caring and professional. I believe they did all they could, and when it became clear that he would die, they were very supportive. I was 20 weeks pregnant at the time and they went above and beyond to look after us both. One example: We had decided not to know the sex of the baby, but when we realized he wasn’t going to make it to the birth, the midwives in the hospital brought a mobile scanner up to the ward so that my husband could have a last look at the baby, and we could learn the sex together. That meant so much to us. And after he died I had extra appointments and scans (at no extra cost) to reassure me that the stress and emotions hadn’t affected the baby. Again, not everything was perfect, but I just can’t imagine going through all of that, and having to deal with insurance companies and money worries as well ? Kate Trouw, United Kingdom
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I WOULD NOT WISH THE U.S. MEDICAL SYSTEM ON ANYONE
I am an American living in Britain. I would not wish the U.S. medical system on anyone. When I had a baby in Britain, all was paid for. Suspected meningitis in my baby? Hospital stay and all tests paid for. Sexual health screening? Free. Dermatologist check-up on my Southern Californian skin? Free. Possible cancerous mole removal? Free. Father-in-law treatment for cancer? Free. End-of-life care for my mother-in-law? Free. Lengthy hospital stay plus live-in rehab unit for elderly grandparent? Free. If Britain reverts to a U.S.-style system, this country will truly lose what it means to be British: care and compassion for everyone. ? Jennie Vian, United Kingdom
THERE’S BEEN NO HELP
We’re meant to lionize the N.H.S., here in the U.K. But it’s not always that great.
My youngest son has been on waiting list for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for four years. The process is so slow, I had to get my member of Parliament to intervene just get an initial assessment. We wanted him to get some help for anxiety and autism-related problems before he moved on to senior school. There’s been no help, and he had to start senior school. It went very badly for him. We’ve since had to withdraw him from the school system.
The N.H.S. is full of wonderful clinicians and nursing staff who put patient care first. But to refuse to acknowledge its problems does it a disservice. ? Sean Fleming, United Kingdom
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THE N.H.S. IS PART OF OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY
The N.H.S. is amazing and vital and part of our national identity. One story among many: My son had an infection just after birth. The nurse who suspected something came back after her shift was up as it was on her mind; she’d just caught that his breathing was very slightly fast. She herself was going through a difficult break-up, it was New Year’s, and she must have been exhausted. And yet, but for that sense of something not quite right, my son would would be dead. ? Owen Hewlett, United Kingdom
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MY FAMILY AND I WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED WITHOUT IT
I have received mental health services through the N.H.S. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and at a low point I was hospitalized at the ,emtal ward in an N.H.S. hospital. The environment was safe and allowed me to take the first steps to being a calmer, happier person. A few years later I’m able to have a job ? something that my intense anxiety wouldn’t have allowed for beforehand. I also received cognitive behavioral therapy which has allowed me to regain control of my life. I am so happy to have this resources as I know my family and I would not have survived without it. ? S. Rae, United Kingdom
I WANTED TO LOVE THE N.H.S., BUT COULDN’T
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My husband and I (both Americans) worked and lived in London from 2013-17, during which time we were N.H.S. patients for our baby’s birth and my cancer diagnosis. For us, the N.H.S. was great until it was terrible. When we moved to the U.K. for my job, I was offered private insurance by my company and turned it down because the H.H.S. seemed high-quality. I gave birth to our baby there in 2015, and we loved the N.H.S. for so many reasons.
However, in 2017, I found a lump in my breast. It took three visits and two months to convince my N.H.S. doctor that I should go to the hospital. He was certain it was breast-feeding related, which was a misdiagnosis. The N.H.S. hospital revealed stage III breast cancer. It took weeks to get the pathology results, then follow-up tests and results. It took almost a month to get staging, and it would have taken months to get treatment. Delays at every step, and lots of waits. Fears of operations cancelled or postponed. The delays were so agonizing that we moved to the States. I’m so disappointed because I wanted to love the N.H.S., but I couldn’t. ? Laura Bacon, United States
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I CALLED UP THE LOCAL HOSPITAL AND STUNNED
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I studied abroad at Swansea University in the United Kingdom as an undergraduate. I managed to avoid my usual springtime cold up until the end of my time in Wales ? I got pretty sick and figured I needed a check-up just to be sure nothing more serious was going on. I called up the local hospital, and was stunned when I was put straight through to a physician, who calmly walked through my symptoms. He advised that I come into the hospital that evening, to the Accident and Emergency department, for him to have a look.
As any American can understand, my first question on arrival was: Do you know if you accept my insurance? The folk at the front desk had no idea. I assumed I would need to make use of my travel insurance, at the very least. The concept was totally foreign to the staff. Once I saw the doctor, found out was going to be just fine, and got some good advice, I asked the same question again: Where do I pay? Do you know if my insurance is accepted here? Again, a blank look. “Health care in Britain is free at the point of delivery,” he said proudly. He was incredulous that I had come in worried about who would pay for my simple check-up ? and proud to be part of a system in which such a question would be considered absurd. ? Chris Collins, United States
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IF THEY’D HAD MORE TIME, THEY’D HAVE SEEN THE D.N.R. NOTE
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With my grandma, there were a number of issues that went wrong. First, when my family called the emergency services, the ambulance came, and they checked her over and they said there wasn’t really anything wrong with her. They said she was just playing up to be sickly, which would not have been something my grandma would do. They left her at her house, and then about two hours later, a second ambulance was called. They decided that she did need to go to the hospital, so they took her in. It took quite a while to figure out what was wrong. They wouldn’t listen to my parents, who were described the symptoms she was presenting with. It was only when she had heart attack in front of the medical staff that they realized she’d been having multiple heart attacks. She must have been in tremendous pain, and it’s quite frustrating that the underfunding of the N.H.S. meant the priority was “we need a bed for someone who really needs it” rather than providing decent palliative, end-of-life care for someone.
Junior doctors just don’t get given the time to familiarize themselves with patients’ notes. And it’s very unfortunate because if they had had that extra time, they would have seen the do-not-resuscitate note. But unfortunately, they brought my grandma back. She survived the night and then the next day she passed away. ? Bryony Jackson, United Kingdom
