Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

I was reading in todays, Daily Mirror about lottery winner Stephen Smith, having the best present ever, his life, he had an operation for aortic aneuryam, which could have killed him, he couldn't get the operation on the NHS, so luckily, when he got his winnings, he had the operation and good luck to him, l remember watching him on TV and he was terrible.

It brings shame on the NHS, when this bloke, had to depend on the winnings, to get his health back, can you imagine what would have happened, if he didn't win, there must be thousands of patients in the UK today who can't have operations, that they need due to the poor handling of the health service, each one of us pays into the NHS, so therefore we should be treated like a private patient, and not wait 12 / 18 months for an op.

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

But unlike private patients, we pay less per GDP than at lot of other countrys. The NHS is providing a much wider coverage for less money.

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

the best of luck to him arthur i hope he has a long and happy life.:D

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

From the Times, January 30, 2008 Linky
"Stephen Smith, 58, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, said that he was “over the moon” but that the huge windfall was overshadowed by the diagnosis three years ago of an aortic aneurism – a swelling of the artery, which could burst at any time.
“It’s a ticking timebomb inside me,” he told reporters at a hotel in Watford. Referring to his wife, Ida, he added: “It’s her I worry for, it’s leaving her behind. I would give all that back if I am allowed to still be with her because there are no shops in the cemetery, are there? I want to spend it with her. I want to spend my life with her.”
The condition means that Mr Smith has to be able to reach a hospital within 30 minutes at all times. He said that the jackpot of £18,992,109 would make no difference to his health: “I can’t go private and say, ‘Fix this for me now, it doesn’t matter what it costs’. [The aneurism] has to get to a certain size before they can operate on it.”"


And last, but not least, from the paper originally quoted, from February 23, 2003 Linky2
"A lottery winner who scooped nearly £19million last month has had an emergency heart op. Father-of-two Steve Smith, 58, spoke of his life-threatening condition after he won - and said he would trade his millions just to be well. He has an aortic aneurism, a weak point in his main artery. Surgeons operated just 24 hours after he was admitted to hospital with chest pains.

He had his operation on the NHS at Watford General Hospital, and I am glad to hear he is recovering. His lottery winnings had nothing to do with his surgery.

So, should we change the thread title to "Good luck to Stephen, well done NHS"?

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

I think Arthur should win a Lets Not Read The Small Print, yet Jump To Conclusions Award........ ;)

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

I would assume that he would have had the operation as he has, but been less well off after it...

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

This is the case with any aortic aneurism. The surgery is highly risky in of itself. The Aneurism needs to reach about 6cm diameter before the risk of surgery is outweighed by the risk of tear in the aortic wall. Being within 30 mins of a hospital is largely irrelevant. If it tears you bleed out into the chest cavity in seconds to minutes, all you can do is monitor it by ultrasound regularly and decide when to operate.

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

Hi saaf_laandon, l think l should win the 'sarcasm award', as each thread l write, comes with that bit of sarcasm, but l can take it, l try my best to write a thread with interest, but when l read an article, and l put it on forum, and make a comment, in some parts of the country, the same story could be written differently, ie, l didn't know that he had the op on NHS, l read he had just had it 'done', but my idea is, everyone is entitled to there opions, and that is why there is this forum,.:)

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

So you assumed the worst about the NHS, when it took me 2 minutes on google to find out he had been operated on at Watford General, and that the wait had nothing to do with him winning the lottery.

There's a very big difference between opinion and fact, and imho, you posted the OP as fact, stating "he couldn't get the operation on the NHS, so luckily, when he got his winnings, he had the operation and good luck to him" & "It brings shame on the NHS, when this bloke, had to depend on the winnings, to get his health back, can you imagine what would have happened, if he didn't win".

It wasn't reported "differently" - I quoted from the same paper (The Mirror) as you; I just didn't try to, to be charitable, misinterpret it to assume the worst.

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

Hi foreverwar, l accept your comment, but is really strange, as my wife has had to wait 18 months, to have an eye injury PHOTOGRAPHED, as they don't have enough photographer's in the NHS, and a very good friend of mine has waited two years for an operation, as each time, the appointment is made, it gets cancelled, as there wasn't enough beds. that is the end of my comment, but l do accept yours,:)

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

So, can we get the thread title changed to something a little more accurate?

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

lolol arthur! good luck with the eye test! :D

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

I could be wrong, but the last time I checked, even the NHS weren't using photographers to undertake heart surgery...

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

Well, porters have performed surgery...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...icle410629.ece

Re: Good Luck To Stephen, But Shame On Nhs
 

Yeah, but I bet he wasn't taking pictures at the same time ;)