Women’s health and support systems in England

I think, the biggest differences in England is the waiting time for appointments, especially for specialist care. From what I’ve seen, many people rely on NHS services, but some choose private care for faster access. Some topics still feel less openly discussed depending on the community.

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

My experience is that in the UK as a whole, the Triage care system seems to have taken over within the core NHS, for example if you want to see your GP, you will first be assessed as to what is the best route for what is wrong with you.  If you have an existing condition that is already being treated, then in many cases you are better off seeing a nurse practitioner who has much more experience in treating patients than any GP; if it is something new, they will refer you to the GP who is trained in diagnosing, if it  is urgent, they may well refer you to the local accident and emergency.

Private healthcare is in general much faster than your local GP; what may frustrate you is that when you get there, the doctor you see may well be your GP, but this time you are paying for his/her services and they are working overtime to see you.

Many employers off Medical insurance as part of your salary; the problem with that, is it's a taxable benefit, whether you use it or not, there are ways around this; if they offer it, they will know the best ways, so always ask if you are stuck in a queue that is stopping you from working.

I hope this helps.

Hello Grisham Smotra,

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

You mentioned that some topics are still less openly discussed, depending on the community. I am a bit curious, what kind of topics exactly, if you do not mind sharing?

Cheers,

Cheryl