This week my mother finally went into a care home and if I am honest she should have been in one many months ago. For someone who has worked her entire life she definitely deserves better. This is why I harp on about having private medical cover mainly as you just never know what the future holds. When you have to rely on a broken system that from all accounts is looking more and more likely of deteriorating even more the only choice is going private. You are oblivious of how bad things really are until a loved one needs help.
Care homes were happy to accept her, but they were more interested in how much my brother and I were paying. The local council covers her for the care home that are registered with that council, but like everything else they had no beds available. The privately run care homes outside of the council wanted a payment of £7K monthly which is roughly 60% more than the council registered care homes. The only problem is they have no beds available. That £7K was not the end price as they had so many other hidden fees and basically just want you to sign as the guardian because then you are on the hook.
I have seen a worrying trend of late with the NHS having read a few recent articles from this week where elderly patients in need of an ambulance were left lying on a pavement for up to 5 hours. These are not extreme cases, but there are multiple real examples from this week. Someone injured with broken bones is not deemed an emergency and they are prioritizing the ambulance service. Sad really for the 2 cases I read about with a 94 year old lady and a 72 year old man who both had fallen over in different parts of the country were left lying outside on the ground for hours and hours.
How can a country end up in a situation like this whilst funding illegal immigration through peoples taxes. Personally I see this as criminal what is taking place and the citizens of the UK are not receiving the services they should.
I am normally a happy go lucky type of person, but when it comes to how you are treating your people in such a way it makes my blood boil. 20% of the UK population is over 65 and they are being treated so badly. The NHS is failing with a waiting list of over 14 weeks which tells you they need more hospitals not less.
My mother has visited at least 2 care homes every week since June and only now has managed to secure a bed. When a bed becomes available you have to move so fast as by the time she got there the bed was already taken. This has been 6 months of stress and your health is not something you can plan for. Everyone used to worry about their pensions for later in life, but private medical is just as important now more than ever.
The £7K monthly fee is ludicrously expensive in comparison to what is on offer in SA. The top of the range 5 star high care is less than half that amount coming in at £3.5K which is still considered expensive. The UK is in a right old mess and yes things certainly have to change.