The struggles of the NHS, the UK's strained publicly-funded healthcare system, are being played out on social media, highlighting the gripes and groans of patients across the country.
From doctor's surgeries to hospital appointments, there is growing frustration at the struggle patients have to get the medical attention they need.
The availability of appointments and the handling of cancellations in the NHS are high on the list in the chorus of complaints.
The National has spent months talking to doctors, patients and hospital managers about global health journeys. Now we focus on the concerns people in Britain people have aired, with the NHS under the most pressure it has seen as it nears its 75th anniversary.
We trawled social media to capture the mood of the nation:
Long waiting times
Andy Bullock shared his failed attempt to secure an emergency doctor appointment. He tweeted: “Tried to get an emergency doctor appointment, had to deal with the receptionist (the most powerful person in the practice), and she laughed and said, 'An appointment today? You're joking, right?'”
Cell biologist Prof Jennifer Rohn described her attempts to get a GP appointment as resembling “Glastonbury-ticket-frenzy”.
@GreenstedeInfo took to Twitter to share his frustration at how quickly GP appointments run out: “Failed again to get appointment to see GP with my surgery. Only took 24 minutes to get the message 'no more appointments'.”
Amy Haggerty had a similar experience. She said in a Facebook post: “Number 17 in the queue for a GP appointment, 30 mins later and all the appointments have gone”.
James Kelly, from Dewsbury, said: “I got out of hospital this morning … They tell me they’ve attached a note to my file and I should book an urgent appointment with my GP … So I call up the doctors, and they say “yeah, we can see the urgent appointment note. The earliest a doctor can see you is 23rd June!” JUNE! That’s a month away!”.
Pearl Baler expressed her frustration over the power GP receptionists wield in determining who can get an emergency appointment, or even a telephone call.
Lack of care
And it's not just about getting an appointment, the delay in receiving care is also concerning.
Adam Fare shared his frustration on Twitter: “Every single time I’ve tried to get some help or support from the healthcare system I’ve been let down. Hundreds of appointments … and nothing.”
Wendy Charnley, from Telford, shared a long post about appointment letters that led her to go private. Ms Charnley said: “After months of “non treatment”, and no hospital referral, I ended up going private. My appointment was just three days after I had moved house, and the receptionist updated my records, both for the private company and the NHS.
“Within two weeks, I received a letter from the NHS, saying that I had missed an appointment and they were offering another one, five months away. It turned out that I had missed two appointments. I never had a letter, never had a reminder, nor a phone call to check that I was going to attend.
Ms Charnley added: “The NHS are making noises about charging patients who don’t turn up for appointments. Perhaps they should get their act together before they start moaning about that.”
Colin Buckoke convey his dissatisfaction on Facebook about getting tests done with no follow-ups: “Is it all worth it at my age? Had Enough Now”.
Children are also suffering, as one mum said on Twitter. Stacey Boyle tweeted: “So NHS waiting times have been cut from a wait of 18 months yet I was told last week the current wait Occupational Therapy appointment for my son is 60 months!”
Calls for change
Estelle Flee described the NHS as “broken”. She said on Twitter: “I think something has to 'change' about the NHS, it’s on its knees. Government pumps more and more money in and nothing improves. The system is broken”.
That sentiment was echoed by Greg Clough, who tweeted: "[My GP] has progressively made it harder to get even the most basic appointment, so I call NHS 111 instead”.
Mary Whitby tweeted: “The 'NHS' no longer exists as a national, universal, publicly run service. It's now multiple systems based on postcodes, with shrunken services, provided by myriad providers”.
Jim Hickson was surprised when his partner was left with medical advice that didn't seem “right”. He said in a tweet: “My partner has a very obviously infected insect bite on their leg and can't get a GP appointment, and the 111 service just tells them to take paracetamol. Getting a bit worried. What can we do?!”
Another patient, who didn't disclose their name, shared their experience on Reddit. They said: “All options don't work with [my GP surgery] and I left a damning review on Google reviews after being abandoned with no where to go but a walk-in centre on the weekend when I had a terrible ear infection.”
Seeking private help
George Morrow, from Ireland, mentioned a friend who turned to private care in Albania to seek medical help and decided to follow suit. He said in a tweet: “I find the thought of relying on the NHS much more chilling than any horror film. I can't walk properly and can't see my GP so I've decided to go private for a physio”.
Nikki Hesford believes the issue lies with the shortage of doctors and compared the service with that of dentists who were moving to private practices. In a tweet, she said: “Same at my mum's GP. Where are they the [doctors]? At their new private practice down the road that they recently opened, where you can see them for £200. Many are moving into the private sector. Like dentists did. Eventually they won’t do any NHS [work] when their private demand fills.”
Pamela Edwards, from Telford, told of her husband's decision to tackle his medical plight in a private setting, driven by unfulfilled promises of assistance from the NHS.
In a Facebook post, she said: “When my husband was ill (...) he needed to see a neurologist urgently after 3 admissions by ambulance including one by air ambulance. Despite the GP referring him he never had an NHS appointment despite being listed. Hence he had to go Privately!”
Deepening health crisis
For those struggling with mental health issues, the situation appears equally desperate.
A Tweet by @FibroWarriorThe bemoaned the cancellation of mental health appointments without prior notice: “So this is the 2nd time my mental health appointments have been cancelled and me not told until I get to the building. My worker has done this 3 times before too … No wonder so many are lost”.
@Charlottor echoed this, describing the scene at one hospital where the waiting time to see a doctor was expected to be 10 hours.
Shirking responsibility
Helen Mulhern, from Dublin, described the effect of not being able to get a non-urgent GP appointment at her local practice: "[At my practice, there are] 6 Doctors – [it takes] 5-6 weeks to get non urgent appointment. Inevitably this has knock on effect on A&E, and delayed diagnoses”.
@_MumJeans echoed the same concern, saying the difficulty in getting a GP appointment was pushing her to use an alternative service.
She said on Twitter: “I am in Scotland, and this morning is the 3rd time my GP’s office has called to cancel my appointment. They offered a phone consultation yesterday, but nobody called me, this morning they called to cancel completely, [advising] that I should call 111 if I can’t wait for a new date.”
Many feel they have no choice but to seek help at hospitals. Rhys, from Wales, shared her dismay on Twitter.
Results
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
57%20Seconds
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents issued
- Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
THE%20SWIMMERS
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Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
