BRITS on the NHS | Easy English 101

Well, my daughter is a consultant within the NHS.

My sister was a... was a mental  health nurse for many, many years.

So I've got a friend called Alice  and she is a recovery nurse.

So, people who go in for sort of, you know,

operations or surgery and things,

she'll be there when you come round.

Hello, welcome to Easy English.

So today, I'm currently  freezing in a winter wonderland.

But about two weeks ago, I  went down to Brighton beach

to ask the people what they think of the NHS.

Created in 1948, the National Health Service is a

publicly funded healthcare system.

Universal, comprehensive and  free at the point of use.

But what do Brits really think about it?

Is it any good? Does it work?

And is it the best healthcare  system, if fully backed?

Before we start, don't  forget to like and subscribe,

here we go.

So as I was asking, what are your kind of,

general overall thoughts of the NHS?

OK, so my general thoughts on the NHS are that,

I think historically, it was  a service that a lot of people

were frustrated with; long waiting times,

not being seen by the same  person. Yeah, just general like,

frustration around the service  that was offered by the NHS.

That the NHS is a good thing,  that it's a great institution,

almost unique in the world, provides (the) public

free access to health care.  We need much more of it,

we need a much bigger and better  funded NHS because it is a good thing.

Well, well, I'm pretty...  I... I think it's very...

a quite an amazing thing,  that everybody can get well,

the principle of it. - Yes.

Is that everybody can get, should  be able to get health care,

whether they're rich or  poor or whatever, you know.

Erm... so, I think that's... that's good,

but I don't necessarily know  if it works, all the time.

I mean, you know. Yeah, I think  we're very lucky in the fact that,

you know, we can go and see a  doctor or have an operation and...

and... and things like that  and not... not be worried...

not worry about how much it's gonna cost. - Right.

But I think that, you know,  I think that when it...

I don't think it's had enough...  enough funding, basically.

So... 'cos you've had quite good  experiences with the NHS, haven't you?

I actually, I did have yeah. Although,  I have been on waiting lists,

so I think waiting is...  waiting list is a problem in...

in the NHS, which you don't get so much.

Oh, you don't get that in Germany?

What are your overall thoughts, of the NHS?

I think we're very fortunate to  have a National Health Service;

free at the point of use and  I think we're one of the...

I think as a nation, we're unique,  having the NHS as a service.

Recently, I was in hospital and the  treatment I received was excellent.

But I discovered that within  the NHS, there is a...

currently, there's a... there's a real nervousness

as a result of perhaps another wave of COVID.

So when I was in there, we  were very well protected,

very well looked after with excellent staff.

And we're very fortunate to  have such good technicians,

such good surgeons, some doctors and nurses

that are very skilled in what they're doing.

The NHS, as it stands, leaves a lot to be desired,

though in principle, it's the  best thing that exists in Britain.

But because it's been  underfunded for such a long time

and because of the... er... well,

the coronavirus has been a real issue,

it's just put another load  on top of what was already

a service which was beginning to struggle.

It needs a lot of investment.

I was born before the National Health Service.

And my mother was fearful of  when I was going to be born,

because her mother had died in  childbirth and she'd been present,

she was twelve. So, when there  was no money in the family

for an expensive nursing home, my  grandfather stumped up the money

and said; ''You're not having the same experience

as you've watched your mother...  your mother go through''.

So I was born before the  National Health (Service).

But within... I was born in '44  and the National Health (Service)

came in, I think in '45. So she...  she's always glad when I was born,

I was carefully monitored into the world.

And how about you? What are your  general thoughts on the NHS?

Yes, I think the NHS is...  we're very lucky to have it.

I think it's very erm... people  working in it are exhausted

and need far more support than they get.

And also, I think that care needs  to be incorporated within the NHS.

I think it's a shame that  they're treated separately,

because there's a... there's  a need, a huge need for both

and there's a need for more investment in both.

When you say care, how do you  mean? - I mean, elderly care;

people who are not well enough  to stay in their own homes,

but are... are... are well  enough to be out of hospital.

If at present, they need to go into  residential care or a care home,

those people who look after  them are drastically underpaid

and under-appreciated.

It's nice to hear that, you know,

some people are very pro and  they won't... they'll sort of,

look over the fact that there  are some problems, right?.

Yeah. - There are, like you said, you had some...

maybe, maybe there must still  be waiting times and stuff?

Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely. But I  think that people appreciate now,

everything that goes into the NHS, whereas before

it's just kind of a service  that you just expected because,

you know, I pay my taxes,  I pay for the NHS. - Yeah.

Whereas now, people understand  that even though they do pay,

you know, their taxes and there's a lot of...

of other things that go into making  that service available for...

for... you know, us as British citizens.

So, you know, it's not just, you  know; I pay for it, I, you know,

can expect everything from that service.

I've got to appreciate that actually,

there's a lot that goes into making  that service available and...

and we're really lucky that we have that,

that we can just rock up to the doctors

or rock up to the hospital and we will get seen,

you know, yeah, it might take you  six hours to be seen by someone,

but it's not going to take you weeks.

Whereas, you know, you live in another country.

For example, America, where  you have to pay, you know,

insurance and you know, you could  have something awful happen to you,

like COVID and then you get a,  you know, thousands and thousands

of dollar bill through... through the post.

If you don't have, you know, the right insurance.

So, for us to just be able to...

to have those health needs taken care of,

without the worry of having  that massive bill at the end.

Yeah, yeah. - We're so lucky to have that service.

So I think, it's awful that  it's taken something like COVID

to bring that to people's attention.

But, at the end of the day,  it has highlighted, you know,

yeah, how lucky we actually are, to have it.

Do you think if, like you  said, if properly backed,

it is the best system in the world?

Yeah, I mean, there's always room for improvement

and questions about management,  about how it's organised.

I think you need... you need more workers control.

You need more... more decentralisation,

more control by the people at the chalkface;

the people that actually do  the care, no doubt about that.

But, basically speaking,  Yeah, we need to expand it,

enlarge it, improve it and love it.

And then, do you think it is  therefore, the best health care system?

Well, my understanding of health care systems

throughout the world is very limited.

But, I'm proud that we do have  a National Health Service.

And I think, for us, as a nation,  we ought to be very thankful for it.

I think so, I think so. If it was helped.

Why is that? Why d'you... why d'you...

why d'you want to back the NHS?  - Everybody can get looked after.

And I mean, it works for everybody,  if we're kept healthy, you know.

And hopefully the younger  people will go into nursing

and doctors and stuff like  that and keep it going. - Yeah.

And... And er... last question...

I think it's a good institution  that's been going for years

and we shouldn't let it go,  (I) think we should support it.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's the best system.

I mean, I don't think there is  necessarily a perfect system out there.

But, I think it needs more support to... to maybe,

improve the processes that do happen.

But, you know, I don't think it's  ever going to be the perfect service,

but it needs that investment to...  to make it as best as it can be,

I guess. And to make it, you know,  as quick and efficient and...

and not just efficient as in time but, you know,

financially efficient as well.  Yeah, it needs that sort of,

investment I guess.

There has been so much government  interference with... - Right.

With the way the NHS is structured,  that it's very difficult

to tell whether it would work  any better with more funding.

Yeah, because lots of it's been  sold off to private sectors?

Yeah. - Yeah, I understand. - And then when...

when it was better funded  under the Labor government,

most of it went into getting  the waiting lists down. - Yes.

Whereas aftercare, I don't know.  And social care is even worse,

isn't it, so... - Oh yes, we're  supposed to be having that fixed,

aren't we?

They're... they're stuck  in a catch-22, aren't they?

'Cos they are carers, they  look after sick people. - Yeah.

So what do they do, when the government  doesn't give them enough money

or actually gives them the... the  help and support that they need?

Yeah. - What can they do? Go on strike? - Yeah.

And then we're really stuck.  - And they kind of er...

I guess then, like you said  catch-22, they become the scapegoats.

Yes, yes. And everybody's erm... I mean,

there's not enough doctors and nurses as it is.

So, if they went on strike, what would we do?

With everything that's happened with COVID,

I think there's now a lot more appreciation

for what the NHS does for us as citizens.

So yes, the service is strained. - Yeah.

You know, the... there's  arguments about pay, you know,

health and mental well-being of, you  know, people who work in the NHS.

But I think the general  population have definitely grown

a lot more erm... I guess, fond  of those who work in that service.

So they, you know, they show them a lot of...

more appreciation than they  probably did, historically.

So obviously, you know, we  clapped on a Thursday for the NHS

and you know, we're more giving  of erm... say for example,

recently I've been in hospital,  so I've just had a baby.

Congratulations. - And I saw that  there was services that you could

buy a cup of tea or a coffee for  someone who worked at the hospital.

So if they came down for their  break, you could almost like,

pay it forward. So you could buy  for your cup of tea or coffee

and then, buy the next one for, you know,

a worker who came in for their  sort of, yeah, their drink.

So yeah, definitely a lot  more sentiment for the NHS

and the service they provide.

Thanks for watching this week's episode.

Let us know in the comments below

your thoughts on the NHS, if you've used it.

Or any other healthcare system you consider

to be run really well.

Practically, or in principal.

And we'll see you next week, bye.