Little Britain

[Mick94]

No but I'm not complaining. Still here to tell the story. If I should ever go again (hopefully not !) I will take sandwiches.

[sunshinegal]

I spent a few days in the new hospital earlier this year. The medical treatment was excellent but I was overlooked when it came to meals despite asking to be fed. As I am alone, there was no family to tend to me so I just went without for a couple of days.

Could you have been placed on a 'nil by mouth'?

[Mick94]

I spent a few days in the new hospital earlier this year. The medical treatment was excellent but I was overlooked when it came to meals despite asking to be fed. As I am alone, there was no family to tend to me so I just went without for a couple of days.

[Brindleboy123]

"The local hospital has only private rooms with en-suite, and a comfortable bed for any relative that wishes to stay the night."

LOL that's only because if a relative doesn't stay the patient won't get any care!

One of the important lessons I learnt working in the NHS for 15 years when in meetings is don't participate unless you have something of value to contribute!Too many people fire off when a)they are unaware of the facts or b)they state accusations based purely on hearsay. As I have contributed on other threads, hospitals in the Uk have a very long way to go to come anyway near the standards experienced in Spain, be it private or NHS. I was a manager for many years and was well aware of the scarey things that went on behind the scenes that you would not be aware of. Before I get the "damn NHS management" argument, let me assure you I worked
extremely hard at a high personal cost for the patients resulting ultimately in a 3week court case in the High court London. Many of the deceitful senior managers were forced to resign, and rightly so. Be thankful you have the opportunity to access facilities here with the knowledge that there is a strong possibility of receiving an infection such ad c diff or mrsa.

[J J]

I know, from very bitter experience, the the NHS is NOTHING.

I would never be admitted to an NHS hospital. I would rather die on the steps. It will probably be cleaner than the inside.

The Spanish medical system is about a million times better.

If you think otherwise, fine, I speak from experience.

[phat wheels]

LOL that's only because if a relative doesn't stay the patient won't get any care!

Absolute nonesense! As I expanded apon in another thread, I was in Torre's new hospital for several weeks, having three operations. The nurses did everything for me, from combing hair to washing etc. No one at any point implied/asked my partner to stay and care for my personal needs. My own room and bathroom, and everything spotlessly clean. Better than my brief stay in a private hospital a few years previously.

Don't cast aspertions if you have not 'been there and done that'!

[sunshinegal]

"The local hospital has only private rooms with en-suite, and a comfortable bed for any relative that wishes to stay the night."

LOL that's only because if a relative doesn't stay the patient won't get any care!

Completely disagree there, my mum had a series of severe grade strokes last year, and was immediately hospitalized, 2 weeks in a come in intensive care, 3 mths in the hospital before being transferred to a residential home. Sadly she passed away months later.

My family and I got to know almost all of the staff there, and I can tell you that the service provided to my mother in that hospital was amazing to say the least, and of a much higher standard than anyone could expect from an NHS hospital in the UK (and infact in some private ones too!). True there were some instances when the care level dropped, and when I pointed this out it was immediately rectified and due apologies given, even though the staff were over worked and the whole place was understaffed.

Every exceptional service has its few who have had bad instances and I admit that I know of people with that problem from Torrevieja, but I also know someone who has been treat in San Jaime and in Torrevieja and has since withdrawn her private health insurance as the care at Torrevieja was superior!

I praise Torrevieja hospital and am bracing myself for the mountain of messages but I stand my ground... too many people make sure everyone knows of bad service, but not enough people praise the good services they get.

[Placebo]

"The local hospital has only private rooms with en-suite, and a comfortable bed for any relative that wishes to stay the night."

LOL that's only because if a relative doesn't stay the patient won't get any care!

[tangobrian]

Don't regret the things you have done. Regret the things you didn't do !
This life is not a rehearsal .....we only have one shot at it.
We all make mistakes and have to live with them !
At least we cannot be accused of not trying to do something different with our lives. Sometimes it works out .....sometimes it doesn't

Some things my father used to say to me !!!!

I intend to go back to the UK within two years for family reasons .
I shall never regret or forget the adventure of Spain !

[Mick94]

I am not normally one for entering subjective debates - one man's meat is another man's poison - but I have been here since agreeing purchase in 1994 and would love to go home now having seen the area decline dramatically and not resemble what I thought it was going to be. How I harbour so many regrets. A lot of you will in due course, a few may not.

[sunshinegal]

too right NickyK1 - I had known Torrevieja as my holiday home, my home away from home for 10 yrs before I took the plunge and moved here - I could never burn my bridges and up and move somewhere I had no idea about.

Well said! And as we say in England to the foreigners that complain about their new lives in a new country - GO HOME THEN.

[NickyK1]

So Essex gal, you do not live here, yet you feel that you have the knowledge and authority to pour scorn on us Ex-Pats that do. As far as your parents are concerned, should they not have done their homework before moving to a foreign country. Afterall, if they were moving within the U.K. I trust they would have taken the time to access the area they propossed to relocate to. You talk of "gullible ex pats" well your parents certainly seem to fall into that catagory. I was born and bred in Wiltshire and as wonderful as it is, within a short drive of the royal triangle. It is not without it problems, not withstanding the NICE lottery. In life you pay your money and you take your chance. I live in a very respectable area, with many other foreign nationals. And in a very nice house, in a lane of just six houses. Not all of us live in appartments. Perhaps your parents should have thought more before buying where they did. After all if nobody bought these "ticky tacky houses, in ghettoes" no more would be built. I find the fact that you alude to your parents as among the "suckered tens of thousands" as quite sad. And as for "third world" Spain may not be as hell bent on Health and Safety as the U.K. But then our Spanish hospitals are not the germ ridden hell holes that are common in the U.K. Our local clinic will apologise if you have to wait more than a day or two for an appointment, this is usually during the summer months. The local hospital has only private rooms with en-suite, and a comfortable bed for any relative that wishes to stay the night. It is common that those that find fault with any county that they relocate to, find that they are no longer living in their homeland. Well hard luck. Did your parents never consider moving here for a few months to get the feel of the place. It really is just common sense. Get real and get a life of your own.

[sunshinegal]

English holiday makers are generally forgiven for not speaking the language... you can't expect anyone to learn a language in the space of 2 weeks. No, although some holiday makers give our nationality the bad name of 'boozers and troublemakers' whilst on holiday here, the majority are well behaved... providing they remember and respect hte fact that they are visitors in another country and treat it with the respect deserved.

The main grain of all of us 'ex-pats' is that we are embarrassed by the types who try to get whatever they can out of Spain, whilst not wasnting to give anything back... with the usual excuse... "why should I pay here when I paid in England all my life"... to that I respond... "are you still paying your taxzes in England" and the majority suddenly start trying totell me that "that's not what I meant". Another embarrassment are those that I hear laughing with their other British friends saying... I don't need to learn Spanish, they all speak English wherever I go... how narrow minded.

I respect other people's views, but when the country and the nationals here, the very people who have made it possible to create a much better life than I would have had at home and made me welcome in the meantime are insulted... I feel it's my duty to defend them in a language where they may not be able to hold their own.

[ScottB]

I am sure that you would know that the town hall receives money according to the number of people that signs on the padron. Sadly many "foreigners" do not. I believe it does extremely well with the resources it does have. We have endless police patrols, regular street cleaning teams and the streets are even washed regularly here. We have all this at a fraction of what we paid in the UK.

Ah yes! The padron! It amazes me just how many ex-pat Brits refuse to sign themselves onto the padron, claiming that the Spanish are trying to catch them out for tax purposes. Quite simply, the number of people signed onto the padron equals the amount of cash that the municipality receives from central government in Madrid. The ayuntamiento could not give two figs about your tax status; they want to claim 200 euros (or thereabouts) per person from central government to be able to run the services in their municipality.

It is thought that 45% of British ex-pats refuse or forget to sign onto the Padrón Municipal de Habitantes.These people are normally the same people who moan (now there's a surprise) about the poor postal service or disappointing rubbish collection. Yet they fail to comprehend (now there's a surprise) that each municipality receives a certain amount of cash from central government PER PERSON SIGNED ONTO THE PADRON to help support the costs of services in that municipality. For example, if a town has 15,000 people signed, then they will receive funds for 15,000 people ONLY no matter if the real population count is twice that number (which is normally the case because so many Brits don't sign up).

The next time Brits moan and groan about their services, ask them if they have signed the Padrón Municipal de Habitantes. If you receive a blank look then you may have the answer as to why your services are perceived to be bad ...

[JOHN73]

To most of us...

Life is what we make of it!