Stop been so cheap!

[v2007]

No i dont think the NHS should pay for us to have extra scans.

For nigh on 30 years we have been given a scan at 12 and 20 weeks and so far thats been enough.

Calling the NHS cheap tbh is uncalled for they provide us with a service which some people abuse to the very limits.

We can go to a accident and emergency dept any time of the year and they will help and look after us and for the most of us the only service we have.

The NHS is stretched to the limit and give unnecessary scans is just not warranted.

My daughter died because of NHS budget cuts something as simple as not paying for a cleaner to clean a theatre room after 4 pm.

Extra scans are not given to reassure us they are given to check on babies health and wellbeing in high risk and complicated pregnancies.

If people really think the care they are getting is really that shoddy, report it to the RCN.

For the majority if us the NHS is all we have so instead of calling it cheap be grateful for what we have because is some places they dont have basic medical facilities to look after Mums to be.

 

[trumpetbum]

The NHS should get their hand out their pockets ...

My point?

well in some countrys you get a scan every 4 weeks... here you get 2 or 3 max and thats your lot (unless they have concerns) instead what do they do here...use such a stupid inacurate device of measuring your fundal height and relying on that for babys growth... well im sorry but half the midwifes ive come across either measure diff/wrong to one another... or just did it briefly and ended up with a meh itl be reet attitude then the others turn around and go "ooooh we will keep an eye on that" majority of the time there is nothing wrong with babys size!!! how can they possibly rely on this!?!?!? if baby has his bum stuck up then obvs the fundal height is going to be higher!!! it just seems to me instead of been so cheap they should be offering a scan to check growth etc every 4 weeks!!! not just that but to make sure there is no further problems with placenta/cord or baby! and to check fluid!...

anyone else agree?

Hi there,

I've sat here reading through all the posts regarding this, and I do understand where youre coming from, it seems there is some confusion within the team providing you with anti-natal care. Maybe you should be more assertive next time and ask "why they need to keep an eye on that"?, ask them how they will do this, and will they document this in your notes to allow for continuity and proper communication between the midwives.

I sadly no longer have much trust in the NHS following the stillbirth of my daughter at 38+3 weeks gestation. My fundal height was never measured with a tape, it was always done by hand, I was told baby was estimated to be between 7 & 8 pounds at full term, I also mentioned that my daughters movements had reduced on at least 3 occasions and this was not taken seriously. IF I'd had a scan or scans at that time then Katie would be here now. The scan would have highlighted the problem, (blood flow through the placenta was failing). Katie weighed 4 and a half pounds, so much less than the estimate. I'm now in the process of going through the complaints procedure, (it's taken over a year so far!!). My story is not told to frighten anyone, its told because, there are failings within the NHS, but no-body really wants to know about them. I feel more awareness is needed.
I've been assured that should I be lucky enough to get pregnant again then I'll have scans every 2-4 weeks fromn 20 weeks onwards, this is purely because I lost Katie. It should not take the death of a much loved and much wanted baby to get proper care. I know that not everyone will agree with this and its NOT a personal attack on anyone who's posted. I have to live with the consequences of the failings of the team who where complacent with the care they gave me.

take care

xmagsx

I'm sorry for your loss.
I don't think that anyone could possibly disagree that the issue of substandard care/ poor practice and inconsistancies between trusts should be being adressed.
I just wish that we could be focusing on the real issues like why some people, including you and your daughter are genuinely failed by their health care providers within the system, rather than the huge amount of unrealistic complaints and petty 'issues' with the NHS.
We cannot and should not accept poor care, because the real life consequences are unthinkable to most of us.

 

[Nessicle]

I think the confusion is with the prescription charges in Scotland is because perhaps they didnt used to? It's just something we've always been told. However, you only pay £3 per prescription - we have to pay £7.20 which is a rip off! I once got given a prescription from the docs for canestan as I didnt know it was thrush I had and was like errr it's £4.50 in boots....

 

[Nessicle]

The NHS should get their hand out their pockets ...

My point?

well in some countrys you get a scan every 4 weeks... here you get 2 or 3 max and thats your lot (unless they have concerns) instead what do they do here...use such a stupid inacurate device of measuring your fundal height and relying on that for babys growth... well im sorry but half the midwifes ive come across either measure diff/wrong to one another... or just did it briefly and ended up with a meh itl be reet attitude then the others turn around and go "ooooh we will keep an eye on that" majority of the time there is nothing wrong with babys size!!! how can they possibly rely on this!?!?!? if baby has his bum stuck up then obvs the fundal height is going to be higher!!! it just seems to me instead of been so cheap they should be offering a scan to check growth etc every 4 weeks!!! not just that but to make sure there is no further problems with placenta/cord or baby! and to check fluid!...

anyone else agree?

Hi there,

I've sat here reading through all the posts regarding this, and I do understand where youre coming from, it seems there is some confusion within the team providing you with anti-natal care. Maybe you should be more assertive next time and ask "why they need to keep an eye on that"?, ask them how they will do this, and will they document this in your notes to allow for continuity and proper communication between the midwives.

I sadly no longer have much trust in the NHS following the stillbirth of my daughter at 38+3 weeks gestation. My fundal height was never measured with a tape, it was always done by hand, I was told baby was estimated to be between 7 & 8 pounds at full term, I also mentioned that my daughters movements had reduced on at least 3 occasions and this was not taken seriously. IF I'd had a scan or scans at that time then Katie would be here now. The scan would have highlighted the problem, (blood flow through the placenta was failing). Katie weighed 4 and a half pounds, so much less than the estimate. I'm now in the process of going through the complaints procedure, (it's taken over a year so far!!). My story is not told to frighten anyone, its told because, there are failings within the NHS, but no-body really wants to know about them. I feel more awareness is needed.
I've been assured that should I be lucky enough to get pregnant again then I'll have scans every 2-4 weeks fromn 20 weeks onwards, this is purely because I lost Katie. It should not take the death of a much loved and much wanted baby to get proper care. I know that not everyone will agree with this and its NOT a personal attack on anyone who's posted. I have to live with the consequences of the failings of the team who where complacent with the care they gave me.

take care

xmagsx

I'm sorry for your loss.
I don't think that anyone could possibly disagree that the issue of substandard care/ poor practice and inconsistancies between trusts should be being adressed.
I just wish that we could be focusing on the real issues like why some people, including you and your daughter are genuinely failed by their health care providers within the system, rather than the huge amount of unrealistic complaints and petty 'issues' with the NHS.
We cannot and should not accept poor care, because the real life consequences are unthinkable to most of us.

very true. I'm in no way saying what I went through is anything like the pain Mags has experienced but I contemplated suicide because i'd spent so long ill due to my PCT not providing the necessary care and tests I needed. Instead I was subjected to wasteful unnecessary tests and my feritlity and long term health was put at very real risk because of them. I'm extremely grateful to God that my fertility wasn't compromised and that my family saw what deep pit I had fallen in to before it was too late.

 

[trumpetbum]

I think the confusion is with the prescription charges in Scotland is because perhaps they didnt used to? It's just something we've always been told. However, you only pay £3 per prescription - we have to pay £7.20 which is a rip off! I once got given a prescription from the docs for canestan as I didnt know it was thrush I had and was like errr it's £4.50 in boots....

Yes and also because if you take some meds (I think thyroxine is one) then you don't pay for your prescription. What people have to remember though is that the NHS is run differently in different countries in the UK because there are different needs based on the different make up of the countries. Some of the allowances made by the scottish govt are supplemented by block financing which is Scotland to decide how to spend. England is not supplementing lower prescription charges, Scotland is deciding what are priorities within the scottish NHS system, while we do get lower priced prescriptions, we also have cut back on funding for registered nurse jobs in some areas meaning lower staffing. There are a lot of differences, some good and some bad which are based on where NHS Scotland feel funds should be allocated.

 

[trumpetbum]

The NHS should get their hand out their pockets ...

My point?

well in some countrys you get a scan every 4 weeks... here you get 2 or 3 max and thats your lot (unless they have concerns) instead what do they do here...use such a stupid inacurate device of measuring your fundal height and relying on that for babys growth... well im sorry but half the midwifes ive come across either measure diff/wrong to one another... or just did it briefly and ended up with a meh itl be reet attitude then the others turn around and go "ooooh we will keep an eye on that" majority of the time there is nothing wrong with babys size!!! how can they possibly rely on this!?!?!? if baby has his bum stuck up then obvs the fundal height is going to be higher!!! it just seems to me instead of been so cheap they should be offering a scan to check growth etc every 4 weeks!!! not just that but to make sure there is no further problems with placenta/cord or baby! and to check fluid!...

anyone else agree?

Hi there,

I've sat here reading through all the posts regarding this, and I do understand where youre coming from, it seems there is some confusion within the team providing you with anti-natal care. Maybe you should be more assertive next time and ask "why they need to keep an eye on that"?, ask them how they will do this, and will they document this in your notes to allow for continuity and proper communication between the midwives.

I sadly no longer have much trust in the NHS following the stillbirth of my daughter at 38+3 weeks gestation. My fundal height was never measured with a tape, it was always done by hand, I was told baby was estimated to be between 7 & 8 pounds at full term, I also mentioned that my daughters movements had reduced on at least 3 occasions and this was not taken seriously. IF I'd had a scan or scans at that time then Katie would be here now. The scan would have highlighted the problem, (blood flow through the placenta was failing). Katie weighed 4 and a half pounds, so much less than the estimate. I'm now in the process of going through the complaints procedure, (it's taken over a year so far!!). My story is not told to frighten anyone, its told because, there are failings within the NHS, but no-body really wants to know about them. I feel more awareness is needed.
I've been assured that should I be lucky enough to get pregnant again then I'll have scans every 2-4 weeks fromn 20 weeks onwards, this is purely because I lost Katie. It should not take the death of a much loved and much wanted baby to get proper care. I know that not everyone will agree with this and its NOT a personal attack on anyone who's posted. I have to live with the consequences of the failings of the team who where complacent with the care they gave me.

take care

xmagsx

I'm sorry for your loss.
I don't think that anyone could possibly disagree that the issue of substandard care/ poor practice and inconsistancies between trusts should be being adressed.
I just wish that we could be focusing on the real issues like why some people, including you and your daughter are genuinely failed by their health care providers within the system, rather than the huge amount of unrealistic complaints and petty 'issues' with the NHS.
We cannot and should not accept poor care, because the real life consequences are unthinkable to most of us.

very true. I'm in no way saying what I went through is anything like the pain Mags has experienced but I contemplated suicide because i'd spent so long ill due to my PCT not providing the necessary care and tests I needed. Instead I was subjected to wasteful unnecessary tests and my feritlity and long term health was put at very real risk because of them. I'm extremely grateful to God that my fertility wasn't compromised and that my family saw what deep pit I had fallen in to before it was too late.

That's understandable. I'm not a fan of the idea of just being thankful for what we have regardless. I think the NHS is essentially an excellent concept and for the most part a godsend, but for this reason I also can't abide poor practice or bad administration being allowed to continue in some areas because it breaks down the trust of NHS users, tars the entire system with the same brush and allows those who would denegrate the NHS ammunition to do so. I am all for fixing those problems which genuinely exist, but am angered by the great many people who seem to make problems where they don't exist as seemed illustrated to me by the OP.

 

[Nessicle]

yeah I agree trumpetbum! And thanks for pointing out the differences between our NHS systems and spending - it's good to be informed!

My mum has an underactive thyroid and she takes thyroxine every day but she only gets certain prescriptions free such as canestan and her thyroxine. She has to pay for everything else but suppose if it's not related to her thyroid then it shouldn't be free for anything else.

I also have to pay for my prescriptions of gluten free items I order them by prescription because they're SOOOO expensive in shops and they hardly stock anything. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful for the fact I can order this on prescription it's still a medical condition I have to live with for life and gonna have to pay for these prescriptions for life as it's detrimental to my health if I don't follow a gluten free lifestyle, which is so difficult because it's in bloomin' éverything!! £7.20 a month for life is so much money though! It'd be nice if I could pay say £3 or £4 a month (obviously now I'm pregnant I don't pay which is a real plus and something to be thankful for!)

 

[trumpetbum]

It is a lot The scottish govt pledged to abolish prescription charges by April next yr, basically arguing that it's a barrier to good health. I'm not sure how I feel about this, some people can very obviously afford to pay for medications and it is already heavily subsidised, but means testing often makes people on the cut off income very vulnerable especially where there is chronic illness.
I read that England makes over 4m NHS funds from prescription charges so I can understand why there's reluctance to lose that extra funding. Surely there's a happy medium somewhere.

 

[AP]

I had no idea they even went down to £3 because ive been on maternity exception. Read this too
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8598492.stm

Wow.

 

[M&S+Bump]

I also have to pay for my prescriptions of gluten free items I order them by prescription because they're SOOOO expensive in shops and they hardly stock anything. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful for the fact I can order this on prescription it's still a medical condition I have to live with for life and gonna have to pay for these prescriptions for life as it's detrimental to my health if I don't follow a gluten free lifestyle, which is so difficult because it's in bloomin' éverything!! £7.20 a month for life is so much money though! It'd be nice if I could pay say £3 or £4 a month (obviously now I'm pregnant I don't pay which is a real plus and something to be thankful for!)

I've been following this thread but not posting because I don't have anything new in particular to add that hasn't already been said - I've always received acceptable care on the NHS but my mum wasn't quite so lucky (she had colon cancer which went undiagnosed for months because her doctor kept fobbing her off and refusing tests despite a family history and my mum telling him this is what she thought she had - she went to a doctor when we went back to see family in Finland and was in the operating theatre two days later for them to try and remove the tumour - she never did come back with us and stayed in Finland to get care until she died six months later. We don't know if she'd been diagnosed earlier whether anything would have been different, but it's not something I like to think about)

Anyway - the reason I'm posting is slightly off topic but to ask Nessicle about the gluten free stuff on prescription. How did you get that? Do you just go to your doctor and ask? My best friend has coeliac disease and really struggles to afford the gluten free stuff she needs, so obviously if you can get something on prescription it'd be better for her - with us being in Scotland an' all she gets the £3 prescriptions.

The prescription charge was higher here until a few years ago from what I remember (about £5). I don't necessarily think free prescriptions is a good idea - a small charge is good because it means people pay attention to what they get prescribed and what they go and collect - my sis-in-law is diabetic and gets her prescriptions for free because of that and has a whole cupboard full of medicines she no longer needs or uses, because she just kept handing the same re-order slip back every time and getting the same lot of drugs, without thinking to check whether she needed half the stuff on there (she's not the sharpest tool in the box)! If there'd have been money involved she would have paid more attention! I just dread to think how much money was wasted on all those drugs that now won't be used, and how much more will be if more people like her get free prescriptions and start to just get everything 'just in case' or 'because it's free', when obviously the NHS has to pay for it..

 

[Saywhat]

I also have to pay for my prescriptions of gluten free items I order them by prescription because they're SOOOO expensive in shops and they hardly stock anything. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful for the fact I can order this on prescription it's still a medical condition I have to live with for life and gonna have to pay for these prescriptions for life as it's detrimental to my health if I don't follow a gluten free lifestyle, which is so difficult because it's in bloomin' éverything!! £7.20 a month for life is so much money though! It'd be nice if I could pay say £3 or £4 a month (obviously now I'm pregnant I don't pay which is a real plus and something to be thankful for!)

I've been following this thread but not posting because I don't have anything new in particular to add that hasn't already been said - I've always received acceptable care on the NHS but my mum wasn't quite so lucky (she had colon cancer which went undiagnosed for months because her doctor kept fobbing her off and refusing tests despite a family history and my mum telling him this is what she thought she had - she went to a doctor when we went back to see family in Finland and was in the operating theatre two days later for them to try and remove the tumour - she never did come back with us and stayed in Finland to get care until she died six months later. We don't know if she'd been diagnosed earlier whether anything would have been different, but it's not something I like to think about)

Anyway - the reason I'm posting is slightly off topic but to ask Nessicle about the gluten free stuff on prescription. How did you get that? Do you just go to your doctor and ask? My best friend has coeliac disease and really struggles to afford the gluten free stuff she needs, so obviously if you can get something on prescription it'd be better for her - with us being in Scotland an' all she gets the £3 prescriptions.

The prescription charge was higher here until a few years ago from what I remember (about £5). I don't necessarily think free prescriptions is a good idea - a small charge is good because it means people pay attention to what they get prescribed and what they go and collect - my sis-in-law is diabetic and gets her prescriptions for free because of that and has a whole cupboard full of medicines she no longer needs or uses, because she just kept handing the same re-order slip back every time and getting the same lot of drugs, without thinking to check whether she needed half the stuff on there (she's not the sharpest tool in the box)! If there'd have been money involved she would have paid more attention! I just dread to think how much money was wasted on all those drugs that now won't be used, and how much more will be if more people like her get free prescriptions and start to just get everything 'just in case' or 'because it's free', when obviously the NHS has to pay for it..

Hi just in response to the gluten free queries (i haven't read full thread so apologies if someone else has answered this) I have coeliac disease and get all of my staple diet on prescription for free. Its about 18 units (this is usually a box a unit) a month e.g. a LOT of bread, pasta, flour, crackers, biscuits etc. It would cost me £7.50 per ITEM if i were to pay. You just need to go to your doctor and sit down with him and he will order you a repeat prescription every month from a supplier. I use Glutafin and Juvela. But the Glutafin bread is a lot better so i'd go for that. You have to obviously have been diagnosed with an intolerance (usually via blood tests or a camera into the stomach) You cant just think you have an allergy to get it. I also get B12 injections prescribed every three months as i lose some of that from my diet.

Check it out, save yourselves a fortune x

 

[Nessicle]

Anyway - the reason I'm posting is slightly off topic but to ask Nessicle about the gluten free stuff on prescription. How did you get that? Do you just go to your doctor and ask? My best friend has coeliac disease and really struggles to afford the gluten free stuff she needs, so obviously if you can get something on prescription it'd be better for her - with us being in Scotland an' all she gets the £3 prescriptions.

Hi hun well I found out from Coeliac UK charity about prescriptions and yes your friend should see her doctor to ask for prescriptions. She'd be best to print off a form from Glutafin website where she can tell the doctor what she wants and he will print the prescription. Like the poster above said you need to have been diagnosed by a gastroenterologist but I'm sure you're friend has anyway, I was diagnosed via blood test and diet change. Women are only allowed 14 units a month for men it's 18, but I can't recall what that equates to but I usually get 8 loaves of bread, 2 pizza bases, 2 packs of pasta, 2 spaghetti, 2 packs of biscuits etc. it doesnt last long but its certainly better than paying through the nose at the supermarket

I find Juvela are really ashy tasting products though I can't stomach them. The glutafin fibre loaves are nice though.

Also she should sign up to Glutafin and Juvela and they'll send her some generous starter packs out. Hope that helps

 

[trumpetbum]

I'm so glad this thread seems to be ending on a productive note