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I for one feel extremely fortunate that I was born and raised in the UK, A place in the world which boasts the highest quality of care and treatment given to patients because it provides free, accessible healthcare to those who need it, regardless of your ability to pay, or your social class or lifestyle.
The staff are committed, caring and compassionate.
A Commonwealth study in 2011 showed that the NHS spends less per head on patience but still manage to give a quality of service and care not necessarily addressed by other developing countries. Despite the unprecedented squeeze in funding, the NHS has remained one of the best and most efficient healthcare systems in the world. The reason the NHS has this position is rooted in the fact that it is a totally publicly-funded organisation that is countrywide. Healthcare is available 24 hours a day for emergencies, most of which are seen and discharged from the Emergency Department within 4 hours.
Four hours may seem like a long time to be waiting, but the fact that you are waiting in the waiting room and not being rushed through to the ER shows that your injury/ailment is not life-threatening. And that one is a bonus in my opinion!
the staff are committed, caring and compassionate. I have been to several hospitals throughout the years, for several different medical issues and I have been treated with respect, spoken to by consultants, rather than addressing my parents and have done all they could to slow down or stop the deterioration in my health, NHS staff genuinely want to help you get to a better place of health, not just ticking boxes or careful consideration of insurance premiums first.
So what are your rights as an NHS patient?
• You have the right to receive NHS services free of charge, apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament
• You have the right in certain circumstances to go to other European Economic Area countries or Switzerland for treatment which would be available to you through your NHS commissioner
• You have the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services including on grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability (including learning disability or mental illness) or age
In the case of Alfie Evans public perceptions can be skewed as to what the NHS and the laws coven especially if you bring religion into it.
I am not a parent, so my thoughts are most likely admissible by many, however I personally believe that turning off his life support machine was the right thing to do.
Having seizures just months after he was born leading him to become in semi-vegetative state is not a decision the doctors, nurses and consultants would have taken lightly.
The pain and anguish gone through by the family is devastating, and no one should ever have to go through that.
However if medical professionals ever gave such a prognosis to a member of my family, I wouldn’t keep them alive on life support, it is not a life, it is barely an existence.
• You have the right to have any complaint you make about NHS services dealt with efficiently and to have it properly investigated
• You have the right to know the outcome of any investigation into your complaint
• You have the right to take your complaint to the independent Health Service Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the NHS
• You have the right to make a claim for judicial review if you think you have been directly affected by an unlawful act or decision of an NHS body
• You have the right to compensation where you have been harmed by negligent treatment
There are cases where medical negligence may have resulted in deterioration of health, and Extreme circumstances even death. Although these instances are few and far between, your rights as an NHS patient states that you can take legal action if you have been negatively affected by care, treatment or lack thereof.
In cases such as this there is legal support and advice available, your legal friend is just one of those services provided to support you.
Knowing your rights as an NHS patient is important, I hope this has given you a small indication of your rights?
*I have used resources from direct gov, BBC news and yourlegalfriend to create this guide, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
