[Fleecewife]

I've been enjoying the Yorkshire vet programmes.  Did anyone see the heifer last night suspected of F&M? She was found to have a large blackthorn twig stuck partway down her throat. Goodness I hate blackthorn     A whole load better than F&M of course.....


But how come animals can have emergency surgery the day they present, whereas people have to wait for months 


I don't fancy the prize of a break in that sterile steading, newly converted.  I'd far rather stay at home at our very lived in smallholding.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Was this on BBC? I think its because people value animals more than human beings, twisted IK! :O

[Marches Farmer]

But how come animals can have emergency surgery the day they present, whereas people have to wait for months 

I think the key word is "emergency".  People are expected to put up and shut up for things like gall bladder removal and knee and hip ops. 

[Bionic]

I've been enjoying the Yorkshire vet programmes.  Did anyone see the heifer last night suspected of F&M? She was found to have a large blackthorn twig stuck partway down her throat. Goodness I hate blackthorn     A whole load better than F&M of course.....


But how come animals can have emergency surgery the day they present, whereas people have to wait for months 


I don't fancy the prize of a break in that sterile steading, newly converted.  I'd far rather stay at home at our very lived in smallholding.

But surely if we presented ourselves at hospital with a real emergency we would get treatment the same day too i.e. after a car accident or something similar?

[Louise Gaunt]

I love watching the Yorkshire vet, it is filmed where I grew up, Alf Wight was our vet for most if the time my dad was farming and I went to school with Peter Wright! animals tend to get faster treatment a) because demand is less b). It is all private practice. Whether b determines a I am not sure, just don't let Jeremy Hunt know that, or we will all be paying up front for care!

[Fleecewife]

<< But surely if we presented ourselves at hospital with a real emergency we would get treatment the same day too i.e. after a car accident or something similar?>>
[/size][/color]
[/size]Yes we would (unless we are 80 with a fractured neck of femur).  On the programme, it was a great dane with a breast tumour, and a rat with a subcutaneous tumour, so urgent but not what would be classified as an emergency for a person.[/color]
[/size]I think for people there is often a set run-up to elective surgery, for tests, preop chemo etc.  Emergencies often cause planned operations to be delayed while they are dealt with.  [/color]
[/size]In the private sector you can get an op in a few days (but then they don't provide A&E services).  I think it's a vastly underfunded NHS which is causing this anomaly.[/color]
[/size]Having said that, I spent my working life in the NHS and since I have needed care I have been very well looked after.  But there are so many horror stories of lack of care.  I think it's good that animals are treated so quickly, I just wish people could be too.[/color]

[DavidandCollette]

Ironically my wife has just rung having been to the doctors. She needs an op and will be fast tracked. 4 to 6 weeks........

[LouiseG]

Operations aside, our vets if the animal needs blood test they take it there and then and send it off or if they need an x-ray they take it straight away. If vets can do this why can't doctors surgery's do all the smaller things and save the hospital time and spaces for bigger things?


We said all the same things as above when we watched it on tuesday 

[Black Sheep]

The simplest answer is that of scale and volume. If people consulted healthcare about as often as their animals consult a vet, you'd get everything done same day.

The second reason is quality, safety and standards. Would you be keen to dive in and have major elective (as opposed to emergency) surgery moments after being told of the options? Would you feel confident it had been thought through by you and the surgeon? Happy without any kind of pre-op assessment to improve safety?

In terms of the smaller things most practices already do do all the smaller things. Hospitals actually deliver very little of the care the health service provides - they just do the very visible bits like operations. However there are some things that just aren't worth (or appropriate) putting everywhere - so installing X-ray machines in each practice isn't worthwhile - it wouldn't be viable to have a radiographer at each one, they'd do nothing most of the time at that scale.

[greenbeast]

so installing X-ray machines in each practice isn't worthwhile - it wouldn't be viable to have a radiographer at each one,

one of the key reasons visits to the vets are expensive, they often do have an x-ray machine and (several) doctors capable of reading the results and acting on it immediately