Yes, that is right, get your health checked for free on the NHS. No voucher or coupon required.
Of course that is now. Before anything happens so make the most of the opportunity and make an appointment for a check up.
Don’t tell them you are feeling depressed or stressed, even if you are, because if you do you can say goodbye to a firearms license. Simply tell them you want a general check up because you feel unwell and tired. That will get you the basic tests and give you the reassurance you need.
Of course if you have a more specific health issues such as coughing, stomach pains, etc. then you need to have those issues looked at. Treatments available now to cure a minor, or even serious, health issue may not be available or effective later when it is more serious.
Basic medical treatment will be all that is available in a disaster scenario. Little more than first aid. If you are lucky you will have a doctor or a paramedic as part of your group. Even then though without CAT scanners, X-Rays, etc. they are limited in what they can do. If you don’t have anyone medically trained as part of your group then get one or get a book such as Where There Is No Doctor and Where Women Have No Doctor and pray that nothing serious happens. Download a copy of each from here and here but you should buy a copy of each for your medical kit.
In the UK, although the NHS covers dental treatment, dental treatment is handled differently. You need to be registered with a NHS dentist and the bulk of dentists seem to be private with NHS dentists taking no more patients. Don’t ask, it’s the result of another useless government policy. My experience with NHS dentists is that it depends on who you get. Some will just extract a tooth because it is quick and easy others will patch it up with a filling but few go beyond that and look at more than the individual tooth to give you proper dental care. That is the reason our US cousins think UK Dental care is medieval and I don’t blame them.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here. Basic hygiene, and by that I include dental hygiene, is a must do for us. In a survival scenario we will not be able to go to a good dentist unless you are really lucky. The best you will have is someone like me who knows how to pull out the bad or broken tooth and fill the hole with gauze until it heals. I have a copy of the book Where There is No Dentist and with the right tools I believe I could do most of the treatments there. The others require antibiotics and similar. I suggest that you download the book from here and make a list of the equipment you need. Also, buy a copy to keep with your dental kit.
Notice that both those books are intended for Africa. In a disaster scenario it will be worse than that as there will be no antibiotics and other supplies being sent to replenish your medical stores. Be careful with what you have and be adaptable to alternatives. I also have a copy of NATO : Emergency War Surgery which deals with some serious stuff like amputations, triage, etc. I bought mine a few years ago with a nice medical toolkit containing the tools in the book.
I’ve also looked for books to add to my book list on performing minor surgery such as Appendectomy, Cesarean section, Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, Hysterectomy, Breast lumpectomy/mastectomy, Skin grafting. Something that we may be able to do if push came to shove but cannot find anything. Any suggestions from budding surgeons?