My two have been to the beach today with a couple of friends. One of the friends parents did taxi duties, otherwise the kids were left to their own devices for the day. They took towels, sun cream and a packed lunch.
Apparently they all had a great time. Mine now have a better idea of how much sun cream is enough and that they should re-apply it every 2 - 3 hours. My after-sun supplies are taking a heavy hit.
Me?! Laugh?! As if.
Sunday 29 June 2008
What we did on our holiday - part 2
Before we discovered the aforementioned urban jungle we spent the day at Skegness, taking MIL with us for a day out (MIL and FIL are not together). It was a lovely day and, once again, my kids proved why whisking them off somewhere exotic is a waste of time. All they want is a sandy beach, then they create their own fun.
This was taken at just after 4.30, and it was still pleasant. MIL and I were sat out of that bracing breeze that Skeg is famous for. A pity we didn't take the kites really.
We also got D on a rollercoaster. He's worse than me for not wanting to get on one so we were somewhat shocked when he agreed. A had only asked him in fun.
We bought the kids wristbands for the funfair and they certainly had their money's worth out of them. The dodgems were the favourite. I think each child notched up at least a dozen drives.
Foods is also cheap in Skegness. A double-coned whippy ice cream with a flake cost £1. Five hot meals and drinks came to under £25. All of these were bought right next to the beach.
All in all a good day. The kids are already planning next year's East Coast invasion.
Saturday 28 June 2008
Passing through, or what we did on our holiday - part 1
We've been away visiting family in Nottinghamshire. Did you miss me? Nope, thought not. So to make your heart grow fonder I will be off again next weekend for another week.
FIL's garden is doing a good interpretation of a tropical rainforest. Dad and I are going to sort it out - or, at least, that's the theory.
Hopefully it won't cause me too many aches and pains for the Race for Life on 13th July.
Wednesday 18 June 2008
Where are we supposed to find the money?
Petrol/diesel is at an all-time high. Everyone is feeling the pinch from this. It affects all of our lives. The wholesale prices of goods goes up as it costs more to get them from the manufacturers/producers to the retail outlets. Taxi and bus fares will rise, if they haven't already.
Mortgage rates are rising. The deals that were around at Christmas just aren't there anymore. Prices are beginning to fall. Anyone coming to the end of a mortgage deal is going to find the new monthly payment a shock, if they can find anyone prepared to offer them a mortgage at all. If your house has dropped in value since you took out your last deal you will struggle to find another lender willing to offer you a big enough mortgage to cover what you owe. And don't get me started on Council Tax!
Today we are warned that gas and electricity prices could rise by 40% this winter. No, not £40, 40%. If your yearly bills come to £1000 now, you could find they rise to £1400 by this time next year! On top of all the other financial squeezes above a lot of people are going to suffer.
Pensioners are on a low fixed income. Where are they going to find that sort of money? The same goes for those on the various Carers/Disabled allowances. Even those of us who have, until the last few months, been ok are going to find it hard.
As people start spending less in the shops, then some shops and businesses are going to fail. Their employees will lose their jobs, adding to the numbers of those who have to decide whether to have a hot meal or enough hot water for a wash!
I've been complaining to friends for a while that in the last 5 years my food bill has doubled. The contents of my trolley haven't changed that much. Yet the government would have us believe that inflation has been below 2.5%! So I've been investigating where it gets its figures from.
The Office of National Statistics publishes the Retail Price Index (RPI) each month. There are different versions of the RPI depending on whether you want mortgage interest payments and/or indirect taxation such as that on fuel/cigarettes/alcohol etc. The relevant link is
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=21 or to find out what is included and why go to http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/04_07/downloads/ELMR_April07_Wingfield.pdf
I don't have time to read it and give you the summary today. I'll come back to it soon.
Mortgage rates are rising. The deals that were around at Christmas just aren't there anymore. Prices are beginning to fall. Anyone coming to the end of a mortgage deal is going to find the new monthly payment a shock, if they can find anyone prepared to offer them a mortgage at all. If your house has dropped in value since you took out your last deal you will struggle to find another lender willing to offer you a big enough mortgage to cover what you owe. And don't get me started on Council Tax!
Today we are warned that gas and electricity prices could rise by 40% this winter. No, not £40, 40%. If your yearly bills come to £1000 now, you could find they rise to £1400 by this time next year! On top of all the other financial squeezes above a lot of people are going to suffer.
Pensioners are on a low fixed income. Where are they going to find that sort of money? The same goes for those on the various Carers/Disabled allowances. Even those of us who have, until the last few months, been ok are going to find it hard.
As people start spending less in the shops, then some shops and businesses are going to fail. Their employees will lose their jobs, adding to the numbers of those who have to decide whether to have a hot meal or enough hot water for a wash!
I've been complaining to friends for a while that in the last 5 years my food bill has doubled. The contents of my trolley haven't changed that much. Yet the government would have us believe that inflation has been below 2.5%! So I've been investigating where it gets its figures from.
The Office of National Statistics publishes the Retail Price Index (RPI) each month. There are different versions of the RPI depending on whether you want mortgage interest payments and/or indirect taxation such as that on fuel/cigarettes/alcohol etc. The relevant link is
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=21 or to find out what is included and why go to http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/04_07/downloads/ELMR_April07_Wingfield.pdf
I don't have time to read it and give you the summary today. I'll come back to it soon.
Sunday 15 June 2008
More Governmental U-Turns
The Irish voted a big fat "No" to the Lisbon Treaty, meaning that the Treaty was dead in the water. The legislation surrounding the treaty stated that it HAD to be ratified by all 27 member states. The Irish are the only Europeans to be given a referendum on this, thanks to it being written into their constitution. So you'd think that, thanks to the Irish vote, the Treaty would be finished.
Within hours members of the French and German governments were saying that they would be investigating ways to continue with the Treaty and come to some 'legal' accommodation with the Irish. In other words, they're going to continue with it anyway. And politicians wonder why nobody trusts them.
Yesterday's papers reported that Gordon Brown had already spoken to these members to confirm that the UK's ratification process would continue. Today's papers say that Gordon Brown is going to tell the EU that the Treaty cannot be ratified.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4138792.ece
I don't suppose there's any chance of us being given a referendum, as we were promised in the last election campaign? Thought not.
Following my rant about not being able to supplement your NHS cancer treatment with privately bought medicines (which aren't available on the NHS) imagine my surprise to read this in today's Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4138315.ece
Yes, our government has once again made a knee-jerk response and then U-turned under the weight of public opinion. You'd think by now they'd learn to think a little.
Within hours members of the French and German governments were saying that they would be investigating ways to continue with the Treaty and come to some 'legal' accommodation with the Irish. In other words, they're going to continue with it anyway. And politicians wonder why nobody trusts them.
Yesterday's papers reported that Gordon Brown had already spoken to these members to confirm that the UK's ratification process would continue. Today's papers say that Gordon Brown is going to tell the EU that the Treaty cannot be ratified.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4138792.ece
I don't suppose there's any chance of us being given a referendum, as we were promised in the last election campaign? Thought not.
Following my rant about not being able to supplement your NHS cancer treatment with privately bought medicines (which aren't available on the NHS) imagine my surprise to read this in today's Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4138315.ece
Yes, our government has once again made a knee-jerk response and then U-turned under the weight of public opinion. You'd think by now they'd learn to think a little.
Saturday 14 June 2008
This week's round-up
I thought I'd write one long post instead of several smaller ones.
D's last GCSE exam was on Thursday afternoon. Technically he is now finished with compulsory education, even though the official leaving date for Yr 11's is 30th June. He's planning to spend the next 3 months being lazy - apart from the two weeks work experience next month - but he can plan again. I've told him that he is going to be improving his domestic science skills.
Sea Scouts had invited D along last night to give it a go. I must stop calling it sea scouts though as it's really Explorers. During the day K decided she'd like to try to, so at 6.15 yesterday evening we were down at the quayside. I introduced the kids to one of the organisers and that was the last I had to do with it till they came back at 8.15 ish. K was ecstatic - she'd been allowed to helm the boat - and had a dreamy expression on her face. D came back with a broad grin. Malcolm (organiser) had taken them out in a Wayfarer and introduced them to the art of sails and rudder - many thanks Malcolm. K accidentally crashed into a wooden piling but blamed the boys for not telling her it was there. No damage was done. They both can't wait till next Friday evening.
The results of my patch-testing were a bit of an anti-climax. I reacted quite well to balsam of peru - no I'd never heard of it either - and fragrances. The suncream set were normal! So it seems I can slap it on with gay abandon, making sure it is fragrance-free - no more tacky coconut-smelling gunk. This morning I took the dog a walk and slapped some suncream on my face and arms. So far, so good. No redness, itching, runny eyes. Yet this same product (as in it's the same tube) made my face go all hot and red last year. Confused? Yeah, me too.
I have an appointment for January to see Mr Arden-Jones, my wonderful dermatologist, to schedule another session of 'medical microwaving'. A and I have discussed this and decided that, for now, the benefits outweigh the risks. I get a P(M)LE rash every year but I may never get malignant melanoma, even though my chances are somewhere around 1-30 to 1-40. Apart from a little outbreak in May my rash is behaving itself quite nicely this year. You watch, now I've jinxed msyelf and will look like a bad measles outbreak till October.
Almost forgot to tell you about the compliment I was paid by friends on Thursday. Bearing in mind my skin issues, particularly on my face, and the fact that only use water on it - no make-up, no cleanse/tone/moisturise - I was pleasantly surprised to be told my skin is looking really good. Apparently I am glowing with health and they can tell I've lost weight.
D's last GCSE exam was on Thursday afternoon. Technically he is now finished with compulsory education, even though the official leaving date for Yr 11's is 30th June. He's planning to spend the next 3 months being lazy - apart from the two weeks work experience next month - but he can plan again. I've told him that he is going to be improving his domestic science skills.
Sea Scouts had invited D along last night to give it a go. I must stop calling it sea scouts though as it's really Explorers. During the day K decided she'd like to try to, so at 6.15 yesterday evening we were down at the quayside. I introduced the kids to one of the organisers and that was the last I had to do with it till they came back at 8.15 ish. K was ecstatic - she'd been allowed to helm the boat - and had a dreamy expression on her face. D came back with a broad grin. Malcolm (organiser) had taken them out in a Wayfarer and introduced them to the art of sails and rudder - many thanks Malcolm. K accidentally crashed into a wooden piling but blamed the boys for not telling her it was there. No damage was done. They both can't wait till next Friday evening.
The results of my patch-testing were a bit of an anti-climax. I reacted quite well to balsam of peru - no I'd never heard of it either - and fragrances. The suncream set were normal! So it seems I can slap it on with gay abandon, making sure it is fragrance-free - no more tacky coconut-smelling gunk. This morning I took the dog a walk and slapped some suncream on my face and arms. So far, so good. No redness, itching, runny eyes. Yet this same product (as in it's the same tube) made my face go all hot and red last year. Confused? Yeah, me too.
I have an appointment for January to see Mr Arden-Jones, my wonderful dermatologist, to schedule another session of 'medical microwaving'. A and I have discussed this and decided that, for now, the benefits outweigh the risks. I get a P(M)LE rash every year but I may never get malignant melanoma, even though my chances are somewhere around 1-30 to 1-40. Apart from a little outbreak in May my rash is behaving itself quite nicely this year. You watch, now I've jinxed msyelf and will look like a bad measles outbreak till October.
Almost forgot to tell you about the compliment I was paid by friends on Thursday. Bearing in mind my skin issues, particularly on my face, and the fact that only use water on it - no make-up, no cleanse/tone/moisturise - I was pleasantly surprised to be told my skin is looking really good. Apparently I am glowing with health and they can tell I've lost weight.
Thursday 12 June 2008
One down, one to go
My little boy, D, sat his last GCSE this afternoon. He's now technically finished compulsory education, though the official finishing date for Yr 11s is 30th June.
I've already warned him that although he has no studying to do, he needn't think he's lying in bed till lunchtime or playing on the computer all day. I'd like to be kept in chocolate brownies and muffins, he can help in the garden and do chores, oh and he can keep dipping into the relevant A-level books on the shelf in the dining room. And if he can find himself paid employment he's excused all of the above.
Evil? Moi?
If you asked D how he thought the Home Education had gone for the past 4 years and whether it was worth it, you'd get a resounding yes! He's a happy soul and ready to face whatever the world throws at him. Tomorrow he's going to Explorers (Sea Scouts for older kids) and is planning, subject to him earning the money, some sailing holidays in the next 12 months - without parents.
I've already warned him that although he has no studying to do, he needn't think he's lying in bed till lunchtime or playing on the computer all day. I'd like to be kept in chocolate brownies and muffins, he can help in the garden and do chores, oh and he can keep dipping into the relevant A-level books on the shelf in the dining room. And if he can find himself paid employment he's excused all of the above.
Evil? Moi?
If you asked D how he thought the Home Education had gone for the past 4 years and whether it was worth it, you'd get a resounding yes! He's a happy soul and ready to face whatever the world throws at him. Tomorrow he's going to Explorers (Sea Scouts for older kids) and is planning, subject to him earning the money, some sailing holidays in the next 12 months - without parents.
Self-experimentation
Yesterday I had all my sticky patches removed - talk about a free NHS back wax! There were a few possibly/maybe pink patches of skin but nothing raised or itchy. In fact it itched most where the sticky stuff had been.
The upper section of patches that had been UVA blasted on Tuesday lunchtime are refusing to react. So this evening, being the inquisitive mare that I am, I decided to slap some of my sun cream on the right hand side of my face. It's been on for 45 minutes now and I've spent maybe 4 - 5 minutes standing in what is left of the day's sun and it just feels slightly prickly. NO streaming eyes, NO red, hot skin! Think I might have to try again tomorrow and make sure I get plenty of rays on it. It's only last year that my face would react quite quickly to sun cream.
I should be happy, but it was because of this problem that they had me in for patch testing in the first place! AArghh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The upper section of patches that had been UVA blasted on Tuesday lunchtime are refusing to react. So this evening, being the inquisitive mare that I am, I decided to slap some of my sun cream on the right hand side of my face. It's been on for 45 minutes now and I've spent maybe 4 - 5 minutes standing in what is left of the day's sun and it just feels slightly prickly. NO streaming eyes, NO red, hot skin! Think I might have to try again tomorrow and make sure I get plenty of rays on it. It's only last year that my face would react quite quickly to sun cream.
I should be happy, but it was because of this problem that they had me in for patch testing in the first place! AArghh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Forgot to add, yesterday
Two weeks ago I went for an eye test at Tesco. I am long-sighted apparently, hence why things get more blurred as the day progresses. Yesterday they phoned up to say my specs were in so on the way to the hospital we called in to collect them.
I tried them on and boy was it weird! Everything close up seemed clearer, things slightly further away seemed magnified. The chap who was making sure all was well started rattling on about general wear, to which I replied that these glasses were only for close work - reading and computer screen. A was disturbed to realise that I could still see him quite clearly 10 feet away, slightly magnified but clear nontheless. Apparently he should have been very blurred (he has glasses for the same thing). Then this chap checked the notes on my card with the strength on the ticket that came with the glasses and discovered that some muppet had made the lenses too weak! So now I have to wait even longer.
Grrr!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried them on and boy was it weird! Everything close up seemed clearer, things slightly further away seemed magnified. The chap who was making sure all was well started rattling on about general wear, to which I replied that these glasses were only for close work - reading and computer screen. A was disturbed to realise that I could still see him quite clearly 10 feet away, slightly magnified but clear nontheless. Apparently he should have been very blurred (he has glasses for the same thing). Then this chap checked the notes on my card with the strength on the ticket that came with the glasses and discovered that some muppet had made the lenses too weak! So now I have to wait even longer.
Grrr!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday 9 June 2008
Make sure you have a clothes peg....
.......if you see me this week. Why? Well, today I have started my patch-testing sessions at the dermatology unit. My back is awash with micropore holding down swathes of allergen-coated metal discs. I am not allowed to have a shower till at least Friday night and with the weather being as seasonal as it is I'm going to stink to high heaven by then. Hence the need for a clothes peg for your nose if you have the dubious pleasure of being in the same postcode as me.
Also I'm not allowed to do anything which may cause me to sweat - which rules out pretty much everything whilst it's this warm! I can't do anything which would involve lifting or twisting the back so that I don't dislodge the micropore and introduce air/moisture to the patches. It's a good job my kids are domesticated. K made a delicious curry for tea tonight. All that was needed was for A to show her how to do rice when we got back from the hospital.
I caused great anarchy at the hospital. In my defence it was a case of left hand not talking to right hand. I had told the head derm that the sunlight causes a fair number of skin reactions with suncreams and perfumes, so I would have thought that someone would have picked up on the fact that photo patch-testing would also be required. This IS the NHS so, of course, no-one had. Fortunately the ladies who run the light treatment room remembered me and, after asking how I was doing after my sessions in February/March, bent over backwards to fit me in.
One stayed later this afternoon for my test session. It being a hot day I had gone in in t-shirt and capri pants with sandals. So this nice nurse fetched a pair of blue scrubs and a large roll of elastoplast and, along with a couple of towels and blankets, proceeded to mummify me - apart from my face (protected by UV goggles and a clear welders mask) and a small spot on my right buttock that got zapped by the UVA. I was a little put out to hear I was going to be zapped for 7 minutes! I'm not claustrophobic as such but do prefer not to be enclosed for that sort of length of time, especially in a mummy outfit - BTW, my arms were inside the scrubs top as there was no real way of covering them up. Somehow I made it through and became a bit sweaty, which isn't allowed is it?! Then tomorrow I get to go back (12 noon) and have some allergens applied to an arm, and then be zapped again (legngth and strength of zap to be determined by how today's test session reacts) for up to 7 minutes.
On Wednesday I go back at 3pm to have all the micropore bits taken off and my back decorated with indelible marker - to mark where the patches are so that reactions can be seen. I hope it doesn't take as long as today as I'd really like to be out before rush-hour kicks in. You see, on Wednesday Bon Jovi are playing at St Mary's football stadium which is less than a mile from the hospital (no, I'm not going, it's too expensive), AND Hampshire have their first 20-20 cricket match at the Rose Bowl that same evening. Some genius somewhere deserves a medal - NOT! The most popular junctions of the M27 for St Mary's are 5, 7 & 8, whilst the Rose Bowl is smack against junction 7 and it's Park & Ride scheme is at junction 8. Total gridlock will be the most likely outcome, so I am planning to return home via Fair Oak and Wickham.
I get a hospital day-off on Thursday (so far!) but D has his last GCSE paper in Portsmouth in the afternoon. I think we'll use the train.
On Friday it's back to the derm people at 3pm so they can assess what has caused a reaction. Hopefully they will tell me all about it at the same time. It'd be just my luck for them to say "We'll send for you in a couple of months when we've analysed all this". That'll be another summer down the pan, not knowing what suncreams I could try.
Then it's a nice long shower and hairwash, followed by taking D to sea scouts to see if he likes it. Seeing as the leader has told me to make sure he wears old clothes that can get wet and to take some spares I think D will be getting out on the water.
Anyone want to trade places this week?
Also I'm not allowed to do anything which may cause me to sweat - which rules out pretty much everything whilst it's this warm! I can't do anything which would involve lifting or twisting the back so that I don't dislodge the micropore and introduce air/moisture to the patches. It's a good job my kids are domesticated. K made a delicious curry for tea tonight. All that was needed was for A to show her how to do rice when we got back from the hospital.
I caused great anarchy at the hospital. In my defence it was a case of left hand not talking to right hand. I had told the head derm that the sunlight causes a fair number of skin reactions with suncreams and perfumes, so I would have thought that someone would have picked up on the fact that photo patch-testing would also be required. This IS the NHS so, of course, no-one had. Fortunately the ladies who run the light treatment room remembered me and, after asking how I was doing after my sessions in February/March, bent over backwards to fit me in.
One stayed later this afternoon for my test session. It being a hot day I had gone in in t-shirt and capri pants with sandals. So this nice nurse fetched a pair of blue scrubs and a large roll of elastoplast and, along with a couple of towels and blankets, proceeded to mummify me - apart from my face (protected by UV goggles and a clear welders mask) and a small spot on my right buttock that got zapped by the UVA. I was a little put out to hear I was going to be zapped for 7 minutes! I'm not claustrophobic as such but do prefer not to be enclosed for that sort of length of time, especially in a mummy outfit - BTW, my arms were inside the scrubs top as there was no real way of covering them up. Somehow I made it through and became a bit sweaty, which isn't allowed is it?! Then tomorrow I get to go back (12 noon) and have some allergens applied to an arm, and then be zapped again (legngth and strength of zap to be determined by how today's test session reacts) for up to 7 minutes.
On Wednesday I go back at 3pm to have all the micropore bits taken off and my back decorated with indelible marker - to mark where the patches are so that reactions can be seen. I hope it doesn't take as long as today as I'd really like to be out before rush-hour kicks in. You see, on Wednesday Bon Jovi are playing at St Mary's football stadium which is less than a mile from the hospital (no, I'm not going, it's too expensive), AND Hampshire have their first 20-20 cricket match at the Rose Bowl that same evening. Some genius somewhere deserves a medal - NOT! The most popular junctions of the M27 for St Mary's are 5, 7 & 8, whilst the Rose Bowl is smack against junction 7 and it's Park & Ride scheme is at junction 8. Total gridlock will be the most likely outcome, so I am planning to return home via Fair Oak and Wickham.
I get a hospital day-off on Thursday (so far!) but D has his last GCSE paper in Portsmouth in the afternoon. I think we'll use the train.
On Friday it's back to the derm people at 3pm so they can assess what has caused a reaction. Hopefully they will tell me all about it at the same time. It'd be just my luck for them to say "We'll send for you in a couple of months when we've analysed all this". That'll be another summer down the pan, not knowing what suncreams I could try.
Then it's a nice long shower and hairwash, followed by taking D to sea scouts to see if he likes it. Seeing as the leader has told me to make sure he wears old clothes that can get wet and to take some spares I think D will be getting out on the water.
Anyone want to trade places this week?
Sunday 1 June 2008
More Labour absurdity
Did you know that if you are receiving NHS treatment for a medical condition and you decide you would like to privately purchase some medication not available on the NHS to improve your chances, you would then be unable to access ANY treatment for that condition on the NHS?
Scandalous, isn't it?!
This is becoming a big issue in the treatment of cancer. If you hear of a drug that may prolong your life, but NICE (National Institute for Clincial Excellence - what a misnomer!) decide that the costs outweigh the benefit and don't approve it for the NHS to use, you would then have to decide whether to forgo this drug and keep all the other NHS treaments and drugs; OR you could scrape together enough money to supply this drug and find that the NHS will no longer provide you with any treatment related to your condition.
Labour do not want to create a two-tier health system. Someone should tell them that there has been a many-tiered health system in this country for years. Private healthcare has always been around, even before the NHS came along. And on the NHS you have the postcode lottery - where you live decides what treatments you get for various conditions. Even when NICE give the go-ahead to the NHS to use certain drugs, not every PCT (Primary Care Trust) will prescribe them (usually citing cost).
So you get into the ludicrous situation of one PCT willing to prescribe drugs for Alzheimer's but not drugs that would greatly improve a terminal cancer patient's life expectancy, and another that would do just the opposite. Neither condition, Alzheimer's or terminal cancer, will be cured by the treatment. The drugs are just for palliative care, to make life more comfortable for the sufferer and their loved ones as they would all have more time together.
A group of NHS doctors are preparing to take on the Department of Health over this. Have a look at their website http://www.doctorsforreform.com/.
There isn't enough money in the NHS to pay for all the new drugs that are available, especially with all the managers and admin staff they're having to employ to monitor the PCTs compliance with all Labour's targets. Co-pay, as part-NHS and part-private treament is called, will soon be the only way forward. France operates their health-care in this way. The patient pays the bill in full and is then reimbursed, receiving somewhere around 70% of the cost. The French also pay about 20% (in some cases more), which is taken from their gross salary in much the same way as we pay National Insurance (NI), that goes into the pot to pay this 70%.
The French system is not perfect, especially seeing as it is about 6 billion euros in debt, but I don't think any health-care system is. The NHS can no longer afford to treat everyone for every illness. We are either going to have to pay more NI or contribute towards our treament as and when we need it.
Scandalous, isn't it?!
This is becoming a big issue in the treatment of cancer. If you hear of a drug that may prolong your life, but NICE (National Institute for Clincial Excellence - what a misnomer!) decide that the costs outweigh the benefit and don't approve it for the NHS to use, you would then have to decide whether to forgo this drug and keep all the other NHS treaments and drugs; OR you could scrape together enough money to supply this drug and find that the NHS will no longer provide you with any treatment related to your condition.
Labour do not want to create a two-tier health system. Someone should tell them that there has been a many-tiered health system in this country for years. Private healthcare has always been around, even before the NHS came along. And on the NHS you have the postcode lottery - where you live decides what treatments you get for various conditions. Even when NICE give the go-ahead to the NHS to use certain drugs, not every PCT (Primary Care Trust) will prescribe them (usually citing cost).
So you get into the ludicrous situation of one PCT willing to prescribe drugs for Alzheimer's but not drugs that would greatly improve a terminal cancer patient's life expectancy, and another that would do just the opposite. Neither condition, Alzheimer's or terminal cancer, will be cured by the treatment. The drugs are just for palliative care, to make life more comfortable for the sufferer and their loved ones as they would all have more time together.
A group of NHS doctors are preparing to take on the Department of Health over this. Have a look at their website http://www.doctorsforreform.com/.
There isn't enough money in the NHS to pay for all the new drugs that are available, especially with all the managers and admin staff they're having to employ to monitor the PCTs compliance with all Labour's targets. Co-pay, as part-NHS and part-private treament is called, will soon be the only way forward. France operates their health-care in this way. The patient pays the bill in full and is then reimbursed, receiving somewhere around 70% of the cost. The French also pay about 20% (in some cases more), which is taken from their gross salary in much the same way as we pay National Insurance (NI), that goes into the pot to pay this 70%.
The French system is not perfect, especially seeing as it is about 6 billion euros in debt, but I don't think any health-care system is. The NHS can no longer afford to treat everyone for every illness. We are either going to have to pay more NI or contribute towards our treament as and when we need it.
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