Long Live The NHS!

Dyson Centre.

Sorry for not writing much for the last month or so, but I have been quite busy and otherwise engaged. I don’t usually talk about my health on the internet as I consider that a private matter. Today however I thought that I should try and get back into things by expressing my gratitude for the medical treatment I received recently at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, and especially in the radiology department of the James Dyson Cancer Centre. I had a PSA blood test back in September and my GP referred me to the hospital. I had an MRI scan which showed that I needed a biopsy. In early October I was informed that I had prostate cancer. I feel quite lucky because it was detected early before it had spread outside the prostate. I had a course of hormone tablets and two hormone injections. Then starting in February I had to attend the radiology unit for four weeks, every day Monday to Friday for twenty sessions of radiotherapy. My last session was on March 11th. 

Linear Accelerator, 

The machine I was treated on is called a Linear Accelerator. These incredible machines cost millions of pounds each. The cost to me of my treatment? Nothing!. The people of this area are extremely fortunate to have such a state-of-the-art cancer centre right here in Bath. The facility was opened by Queen Camilla only two years ago. It was partly funded by the generosity of local inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson and dozens of other fundraisers. I met some wonderful people during the twenty days. The doctors and nurses are amazing, always greeting the patients with a smile even though they are rushed off their feet with the amount of people they have to treat every day. Also, because of seeing the same fellow patients every day I got to know some of them quite well. They all had interesting stories to tell. The whole experience has confirmed to me what a precious institution the NHS is. When the National Health Service was created in 1948 it was the envy of the world. Everyone in Britain was entitled to free health care regardless of their status. I believe that the vast majority of people in this country still support the NHS and want to see it continued and adequately funded. 

There are certain figures though in politics who would like to see it sold off and replaced with an American style insurance system. So, if you support the NHS, next time you go to vote, I hope you remember which government established the NHS and ask yourself which party is most likely to protect it for the future. The other point I want to make is that we don’t have a national screening programme yet for prostate cancer although it is the most common male cancer, so if you have any concerns ask at your local surgery for a PSA blood test. It might save you a lot of trouble further down the line. I have another blood test at the end of May and a final appointment in June when I’ll find out if my treatment is a success. I was told to take it easy for a while because of side-effects. However, the weather has been so good this week I have been doing some gardening. I’ll try and tell you about that later in the weekend.