I had an interesting case the other day in A&E, with how the NHS is failing its most-needed.

A 60 year old patient with ANCA vasculitis and bed-bound due to multiple strokes. Her 2 daughters had been full time carers for her for 15 years - now she had not been able to pass urine fully and after 4 weeks of struggling and being moved around GPs and A&Es - they decided to spend their family savings to go see a private urologist and kidney specialist - who did all the scans in a relatively quick turnaround fashion - came up with a simple way to treat the retention - intermittent catheterisation. This was taken up by the 2 daughters who were happy to do it to their mum twice a day. This was a British South-Asian/Indian family.

Now by experience of working in the field, I know for a fact that had this person been from a less family-orientated culture or were from a community who didn't prioritise family, they'd be lost to the system and possible come back to A&E with a cardiac arrest or even worse, death. The NHS was built on this idea that we can out-source all the issues concerned with the family to social services - carers, free hospitals and care and social workers. Now, almost none of these are really efficient or well-funded enough to look after members of society who are the most vulnerable. (Out of 7 days in A&E at King's College London, there are homeless people sleeping on a chair somewhere for 6 of them - and get a free cup of tea and a sandwich - then leave the next morning.)

I know that 7/10 children would decline putting a catheter up their mum or dad's urethras - and would leave it for the district nurse or GP to sort it out. So....where does that leave us? Are we bad children? Are we more of a fragmented society due to initial outsourcing of our caring needs? Or is there a huge change coming which leaves the people most vulnerable and on the edge - even more vulnerable to easily resolved conditions.

I say, we need easier and fairer access to healthcare with less red-tape and more appreciation for the profession than litigation. So we can care for our loved one better and be much more involved in their care. Shout-out to those lovely daughters who were more knowledgable about their mother's needs and medical issues than any single consultant looking after her.

#NHS #freehealthcare #UK #privatehealth #family #socialcare