A Newcomer's Experience with the NHS

Let's be honest. I was a bit afraid of the National Healthcare System (NHS) here when we first arrived. I didn't even formally register with a clinic until November.  I know, bad mom. And you're right if you are thinking that I probably only registered because one of my kids was sick. True. I handed in the paperwork to the clinic and the same day got an appointment for K1. He'd been coughing for a couple weeks and I wanted to get him checked out. That was just before our Thanksgiving trip to Bruges. It is only four weeks later, and I've been back twice. All three times I have been able to get an appointment for one or both kids (and even Dave) the same day I call and everything is FREE. No co-pay, no questionnaire, no photocopy of an insurance card.

Sure, there are trade-offs. You can take a look at the office yourself. 

This is where you stare at the tiny LED screen and wait for your name to scroll across.

This is where you check in and make appointments. 

No bells and whistles. No kids corner with books and games. No comfy chairs or inspirational posters on the wall. Just rows of chairs facing a wall where updates scroll on the LED message board. The first time I came, I didn't know that this is where I'd find our name when it was our turn for an appointment. I panicked that I'd missed our name. No one will call your name out or come find you if your name scrolls by and you don't show up. You hear a quick BEEP and see this "K1 S ... Dr. Lawn... Room 11." 

Then you walk to the doctor's office/room yourself. Knock. And enter. No nurse to check things at the beginning. No waiting more inside after waiting on the outside. You are face to face with the doctor or NP. 

This is inside the doctor's office. Yep, K1 is in his pajamas.
And yep, there's dust all over the place.

In some ways it's a bit off-putting when the doctor doesn't immediately take my child's weight or shine a light in his eyes, but it didn't really bother me. Doctors are not quick to prescribe as I feel some of mine were in the states. If you do need a prescription, it's totally free for children. Adults pay £8 per scrip. Max. 

I chuckled when I opened up the lotion that was prescribed for K1's eczema though. Aveeno. Well, at least it was free! 

I recently asked whether I needed to bring my kids in for annual or semi-annual check-ups. This seemed to be totally up to me and if I want to do so there's a different pediatric centre to checkout. I'm not sure if I'm going to go through the trouble. If we have a problem or question, I can continue to see the doctor we've been seeing. We're figuring it out as we go, but for now the NHS has met our needs and then some. Sure I'm paying a zillion quid in taxes to cover our healthcare, but I am happy with the speed and service that we've received. And again, I didn't have to worry about extra payments at the clinic or for the prescriptions. I'm not sure how I'll feel if something more serious is needed, but let's pray we don't have to worry about that. 

Catching Up: 2 Countries and a Birthday

Nice, France was just what I needed. The educator conference I attended there the weekend before Thanksgiving included a multitude of sessions and keynote speakers, but my favorites centered around service and language. 
One of the most impactful speakers was Mark Cook who started his organization, Hope & Homes for Children.

When Mark retired as a British UN Commander, he decided to dedicate his life to children. Mark shared his journey and how he originally began trying to better orphanages around the world. He saw horrible conditions for children. We watched a short video showing these conditions and I can honestly say that I was quickly moved to tears and almost to the point of vomiting. Horrific conditions so devoid of love for children.

After some time, Mark soon realized that fixing up the exterior and interior of the orphanage didn’t really better the care of the child. Instead, he had what he calls an “epiphany” that he could just get rid countries of orphanages in the first place. He introduced the idea of foster homes in countries like Rwanda, Romania, and Sudan to name a few and was responsible for the closing of hundreds of orphanages across the globe. Here’s a quote from his website, "When we began work in Romania in 1999 there were 100,000 children trapped in institutional care. Today the figure is approximately 9,000 and the Romanian Governments has committed to working with us to close every state run institution by 2020."  

I am in awe of this man. I am so moved by hearing stories from people, like Mark, who a truly making a difference in thousands and thousands of lives.  Utterly inspiring.

And then there’s Bruges, Belgium. Wow. First let me say that we have found many things in the U.K. to be more difficult than we every imagined. Somehow, driving our car onto the Eurotunnel and over to an entirely different country was as easy as pie!

The kids were happy and comfortable and we were excited to drive on the right side of the road for a change. 

After only 36 hours in Bruges, Dave and I decided that we’d like to retire there. Seriously. Kind of. It is an idyllic city that seems to be a cross between Amsterdam and Venice but more laid back than both. The kids loved all the Belgian chocolate treats that were passed out at the Museum of Chocolate and that we felt compelled to purchase simply because of their beauty. We indulged on a boat tour on the canals and a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city the morning of our departure.

I highly recommend this travel spot to any and all. If possible, rent a bike and spend time biking around town and to the nearby village of Damme. Dave and I lucked out and each got a bike ride in while the kids were napping. That how it works when you travel with young kids…you take turns sitting in a dark room while children nap! At least that’s how we do it and it seems to work well.

Please find the rest of our pictures at the end of this post.

And finally, it is K2’s birthday today. 

Our beautiful and bright boy is now 5. He celebrated with 5 friends from school. Each boy was given a cape and mask upon arrival. We then walked to a nearby park and the kids took turns flying through the air on the zipline. It was awesome and nice to do something so simple and easy at home. No bells and whistles, just star-shaped PB & J’s, a park, chocolate cake, and a few minutes of Christmas Kung-fu Panda on Netflix. The sunshine helped the low 40 degree temps feel more like 50 and the whole thing was over and done by 1pm. A win for everyone!

And now for the picture roll...