Funding

Question 1

What is cosmetic surgery?

Answer 1

-surgical procedures performed to enhance the appearance of a patient to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the patient or to society

Question 2

What are some examples of cosmetic surgery?

Answer 2

-liposuction
-rhinoplasty (nose)
-facial rejuvenation
-breast enhancement

Question 3

What are the arguments for providing cosmetic surgery on the NHS?

Answer 3

A: they have the right to decide what happens to their body
B: could have a good impact on psychological well-being (e.g- sometimes rhinoplasty can be used to treat some respiratory issues)
N: by not providing it, may lead to psychological harm to patient if they are unhappy with appearance
J: long term economic benefit as it could prevent further mental illnesses

Question 4

What are the arguments against providing cosmetic surgery on the NHS?

Answer 4

N: risk of harm may outweigh the benefits, especially if they don’t need it
-post-surgery, if it is not up to patient’s expectations, could cause disappointment
J: NHS has limited resources, could be better utilised for those who need it

Question 5

Should cosmetic surgery be available on the NHS?
(conclusion)

Answer 5

Yes, but should be controlled so that only those who are at most risk of suffering from psychological/physical harm if they didn’t receive it, due to limited funds.

Question 6

What is homeopathy?

Answer 6

-type of alternative medicine
- based on the idea of using highly diluted substances with the aim of triggering the body’s own immune system to heal the body

Question 7

Is homeopathy used in the UK?

Answer 7

studies have shown that homeopathic remedies are not better than placebos, so homeopathic treatments not provided by the NHS

Question 8

What are the arguments for the use of homeopathic treatments in the NHS?

Answer 8

-A: let patient’s choose their treatment if chosen for cultural beliefs (in east, quite popular)
-not likely to cause any harm to the patient
-can provide psychological benefits to the patient (placebo effect)
-cost of a consultation/drugs are cheaper compared to other NHS therapies
-can provide a sense of hope to patients with terminal illnesses (w/ no cure)
-no legal regulation of homeopathic practitioners- anyone can practice this- which could put patients in harm (N)

Question 9

What are the arguments against the use of homeopathic treatments in the NHS?

Answer 9

-proven to show no benefit, so unethical to use taxpayer’s money on a treatment which doesn’t work
-J: reallocating money to treatments that will have benefit
-unethical to give a treatment knowing that it’ll not have any benefit

Question 10

What is your opinion on whether homeopathy should be provided by the NHS?

Answer 10

Understand the importance of homeopathy
-support it in only select few cases (provide most benefit)
-not all though because funding could be better utilised elsewhere
-doctors should respect patient choice, provide information to allow them to make an informed decision

Question 11

What is the 7-day NHS?

Answer 11

7-day services are available in all hospitals. Patients get high quality care on a weekend as they do on a weekday

Question 12

What would it mean to have a 7 day NHS?

Answer 12

-having enough consultants available to assess and review patients and make decisions
-providing access to important diagnostic tests

Question 13

What are the 3 main key elements of the 7 day NHS?

Answer 13

-GP appointments in the evening/weekends
-Access to healthcare 24/7 via NHS 111
-Same access to consultant-led intervention/diagnostic tests as a weekday

Question 14

What is an elective operation?

Answer 14

-an operation scheduled in advance because it is not an emergency

Question 15

What are the arguments for the 7-day NHS?

Answer 15

-currently studies have shown that patients receive worse care on weekend
-more elective operations can occur, reducing waiting times, faster care (cancer patients)
-more diagnostic tests occur, process of diagnosis faster (at the moment, they have to wait the weekend) & patients can be discharged sooner, making more beds available for patients from A&E
-reducing pressure on emergency services

Question 16

What are the arguments against the 7 day NHS?

Answer 16

-limitations in healthcare system
-staff shortages (if 7-day NHS happens, then increased workload, leads to under staffing)
-staff will have to work longer hours (whole MDT team)- can lead to burnout which can compromise patient safety
-also need to purchase more imaging devices for increased demand

Question 17

What is your opinion on the 7-day NHS?

Answer 17

-support it
-improve healthcare system
-however it requires further funding (for staff and machine shortages)

Question 18

You spot one of your patients, a recovering alcoholic about to have a liver transplant, clearly intoxicated in a bar
What do you do?

Answer 18

-First: speak to him confidentially
- duty of a doctor: assess whether he is safe
-try to find out whether he is knowingly consuming alcohol and whether it is a one-off or regular
-aware of the consequences of drinking (risk of being removed from transplant list)
-then make sure he can go home safely (taxi)
-when sober: talk more about consequences (unsuccessful transplant risk is higher)
-be supportive (empathetic) and refer to GP/help for alcohol addiction
- Breaking confidentiality because the patient is a risk to himself if he still consumes alcohol, remove him from transplant list, not suitable for transplant
-conclusion: difficult, ask advice from senior
-ultimate aim: prevent patient from coming to harm so this would guide my decisions

Question 19

What is inoculation?

Answer 19

the act of introducing a pathogen or antigen into a living organism to stimulate the production of antibodies

Question 20

Why do elderly people need vaccinations?

Answer 20

-elderly people have weakened immune systems
-lymphocytes get weaker
-they have fewer lymphocytes

Question 21

What groups of people might not get vaccinated?

Answer 21

-too young
-too sick

Question 22

Why might people not want to get vaccinated?

Answer 22

-misinformation (causes autism)
-side effects
-herd effect (if everyone else is, why should I )
-someone might know someone who has had bad experience with vaccines
-religious grounds

Question 23

What does privatisation mean?

Answer 23

health services being run by private companies as opposed to being run by the government

Question 24

What are the different types of privatisation?

Answer 24

1) Where patients pay for their own healthcare (by themselves or through health insurance- e.g- US)
2)Where public services are outsourced to private companies but for the patient, they are free at the point of access

Question 25

What are the arguments for privatisation?

Answer 25

-can reduce waiting times
-competition between the private firms may drive innovation of services
-some private payment schemes may free up NHS funds to be used elsewhere
-can lead to a wider range of choice of treatments for the patient (but only to those who can afford it)

Question 26

What are the cons of privatisation?

Answer 26

-can lead to a two-tiered healthcare system whereby only the rich can afford the best treatment
-private firms aim to make a profit, may cut corners to reduce cost, compromising patient safety
-lack of transparency: private companies aren’t held to the same standards as public ones (don’t have to publish their funding)

Question 27

What is your overall opinion on the privatisation of the NHS?

Answer 27

-against the privatisation of the whole NHS
-as it is against the principles on which the NHS was founded on
-it would disadvantage those with chronic illnesses the most (who are the most vulnerable group)
-although I do acknowledge some of the benefits of a privatised system (maybe okay for some privatisation depending on benefits to taxpayer/services)