Boris Johnson Apologises After Four-Year-Old Boy Had To Sleep On Hospital Floor

a reply to: andy06shake

For your tiny island, your NHS is one of the top 5 employers in the world. I think you even beat the US military (world police). How you cannot see this is likely incredibly inefficient and wasteful and did not start with Boris because these horror stories have been trickling out to us for years is beyond me.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck
Right now you are paying nurses the same as burger flippers in America make.

Careers in Nursing
In acute care, new graduates are paid $30.17 hourly for annual salary of $58,831.50. The full-time RN base rate range run from first year pay of $28.08 an hour ($53,040 a year) to 25-year pay of $40 an hour ($78,000 a year), according to the Ontario Nurses' Association.

Man, you guys sure are generous with your fast-food employees! Kudos to you!

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Well, my estimate is you need to increase spending by about $50 billion just for the employees you currently have, you will have to then increase it further for new hires. Right now you are paying nurses the same as burger flippers in America make.

Not sure how you arrived at that figure, there's just over 1 million full time NHS staff so that'd be a $50,000 raise per employee. Nurses are paid more than burger flippers, they get over $30.000 starting salary, quickly going up to $40,000 and get 20% off in the majority of shops, restraunts etc...plus cost of living isn't comparable between the UK and US. Rent prices are far higher in the US. Real term wage translation would be closer to $50,000 basic starting salary.

a reply to: ketsuko

Aye, the last nine years spring to mind all the same.

Our NHS keeps people alive and gives everyone access to much needed medical care and assistance.

There are about 44 million people in US that have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance.

Meaning that nearly one-third of Americans face each day without the security of knowing that if and when they need it, medical care is available to them and their families.

Ile take our inefficient system over the alternative, not that it could not be better.

a reply to: andy06shake

Of course, since it's a choice here, many of those without are the young and not remotely all of them are unable to afford it. Many simply choose not gambling on being healthy and not needing it because they prefer to spend money on other things. We knew one like this; he could have easily afforded it as he was successful in real estate with a side brokerage in memorabilia that made him a healthy second income.

Boy did his nose get all bent out shape when got diverticulitis and ended up paying out of pocket and then through the nose with a pre-existing for what would have been substantially cheaper had he just carried it before like a responsible person does.

All of a sudden, he was a "free" health care warrior because of his own irresponsibility.

As to "inadequate" ... who gets to define that? Obamacare tried, and women ended up carrying coverage for our prostates while men carried coverage for pap smears and the like. Where do you draw that line? Some people only wanted catastrophic coverage combined with their HSA, but that was ruled "inadequate".

PS - Medical care is *always* available.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I don't think you've done your conversions right.

According to Indeed the average McDonalds burger flipper wage in California is $9.88/hr (£7.50). That is $20'500 pa or £15'571 pa assuming a 40hr week. This is less than the UK national legal minimum wage.

£24'000 (basic starting wage for a UK nurse) is about $31'500 US rising to just over £30'000 or about $40'000 US in a few years. This is topped up with unsocial hours pay for nights and weekends. UK nurses also get 28 days paid holiday per year, and do a 37.5 hrs week. London wage is higher. Assuming 1-2 weekends a month, and a week of nights a UK nurse will typically pull around 20% over their basic wage in a month.

By the time you factor in taxes (we don't pay any tax for the first £12'000 pa, and only 20% after that for nurse level wages) you find that take home pay for a full time UK nurse is not bad.

I fully agree that they should be paid more (I know how hard the job is - I trained and worked as one in the 1990s), and the US nurses get paid way more than UK ones. However when you do the actual sums correctly the numbers get closer than the initially look.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well no matter what way our election goes, our NHS is a security blanket not many people in this country would wish to live without, no matter which way they care to vote.

My understanding was unlike most developed first world nations, the US health system does not provide health care to the country's entire population, but Instead, most citizens are covered by a combination of private insurance and various federal and state programs. And in all likelihood, If someone gets ill, they will have to pay for their treatment.

I'm sure there are both positive and negative aspects where both systems are concerned all the same.

originally posted by: andy06shake

But almost a decade, and all that jazz.
End of the day there has, and is, a stealth eugenics war being waged against our poor, sick, and mentally infirm.
Near enough 150,000 people now dead Freeborn, and gone, down to Tory austerity
It's not just sad, its deplorable.

I came across the following and immediately thought of you ......

A true story
In 2007 pensioner Bella Bailey was admitted to Stafford Hospital with a
treatable hernia condition - yet eight weeks later she was dead, having endured
appaling levels of neglect.
Bella's grief stricken daughter went on to expose one of the worst care scandals
in the history of the NHS.

While Bella was in hospital her daughter witnessed the routine suffering of patients
left for hours in soiled sheets, without pain relief and ignored by nurses.

Bella's daughter eventually uncovered the full extent of what was going on in the
hospital - commonly referred to as the *Mid Staffs scandal. No one has beenheld
responsible.

*The Cure* is on Thur Dec 19th. C4 9pm

The year that took place was 2007 remind me who was in power then

And the NHS was in decline then

So much for the Tories destroying the NHS......