Then I decided to use the MyEnergi eddi device to control the hot water tank.

PV feeding an immersion made financial sense when exports were "deemed" (e.g. 50% of generated under the old FIT arrangement), but now I think many people are on an smart export guarantee tariff, so every unit not exported means a reduction in income - it effect it costs about 15p/kWh to heat water that way (compared with maybe 6p ish to do it by gas (depending on boiler efficiency etc)). Environmentally it's swings and roundabouts of course, but quite likely your kWh might be better spend displacing a kWh of gas fired electricity generation (at perhaps 60% efficiency)  than gas fired local hot water generation (at perhaps 90% efficiency). Depends on your gas boiler of course - if yours still has a pilot light, I guess it's not in the efficient condensing category...

Another approach (which I've got) - is to have solar thermal panels in tandem with PVs (if you've got the roof space of course) - simple thermal panels get many more kW out of a sq m of roof than PVs, even if it's only "low grade" energy as warm water, it's perfectly useful for heating (even pre-heating) a stored hot water system. In my case it feeds a thermal store that provides space heating as well as domestic hot water - so the thermal panels make a contribution to the underfloor heating in winter too.

   - Andy.

mapj1 said:

It surprised me - I expected more fluoridation but the report shows that relative wealth has more to do with good teeth than water supplier

So would I. I see that none is added to my supply.

Toothpaste is full of fluoride, but I suppose that does not help if you cannot be bothered.

The other great threat to teeth is (cigarette) smoking. Vaping does not help either. Nicotine reduces blood flow in the gums.

Any road, my teeth are sound and my legs are lightly tanned - at least between my socks and the hem of my shorts.

Peter Brooks said:

bad teeth

Perfect-looking teeth aren't always healthy. I'm happy to demonstrate they are still there, few fillings, and all my own, and unaffected by the application of braces etc

Peter Brooks said:

white legs

We also can't trust that tanned legs are because of time spent in the sun either, given the many products that permit us to apply appropriate shades of colour (including orange if we so desire) to give a false outward appearance of our health (or lack of it).

Peter Brooks said:

There is an old joke in the Orlando theme parks

Both of which go to show that maybe the stage-managed glitz has spread beyond the silver screen and theme parts and is now out in the wild ?

Not for me, and if that means I'm a 'Brit' then so be it !

You must have gone "private" for your dental services (such as cleaning) if you still live in the UK.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay

Peter Brooks said:

You must have gone "private" for your dental services (such as cleaning) if you still live in the UK.

Why? I know there have been problems in some areas of the UK, but all of my family use an NHS dentist no problem ... there are small charges for certain procedures (although these are waived for children and eligible adults).

Having worked all over the world, I never wanted to move anywhere else for a number of reasons. I'm equally happy for ex-pats to tell me they are enjoying their life ... it doesn't mean I would have the same experience, though.

There was a recent news item (May 29, 2024) that stated that the NHS has only 42.3 dentists per 100,000.

It didn't say however, what the waiting time for dental service was.

Where one lives or works for that matter, is a purely personal decision and if you are happy with your life, that is very positive.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay

gkenyon said:

Why? I know there have been problems in some areas of the UK, but all of my family use an NHS dentist no problem ... there are small charges for certain procedures (although these are waived for children and eligible adults).

AFAIK, the problem is getting registered as a new patient. I have had a look at the NHS search facility for my area: some are simply not accepting new NHS patients, some accept limited categories, e.g. children, some accept on the basis of availability.

I assume that dentists are obliged to continue to provide services to existing patients.

Dentists were always more sensible than doctors. If I could find a private GP locally, I would go there.

My practice has recently put up a sign saying, "New patients welcome". I really have tried very hard not to add with a felt pen, "but what about the existing ones?" 

gkenyon said:

Having worked all over the world, I never wanted to move anywhere else for a number of reasons. I'm equally happy for ex-pats to tell me they are enjoying their life ... it doesn't mean I would have the same experience, though.

Agreed. I think I could settle in France, but there is always the risk that the grass only appears to be greener.

Hello Chris:

There is no such place as paradise.

I will start putting up my hurricane window boards, in the next few weeks.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

oddly I do live in the UK, and like it, but  I will say dentistry is very variable. Twice now, once in Essex and once in Hampshire, I have been told that my current NHS dentist is going private, and I should find another or re-join as a private patient.

In both cases the nearest NHS dentist with space being over 50 miles away, I have reluctantly gone private, and in the second case, when I had children,  there was an offer to keep the children as NHS while still at school, which really meant until 16 ,then the same applied.

There is no obligation, other than reputation, to retain old patients, the decision is purely commercial - private patients clearly pay better. And indeed getting an appointment is now easy, they are seldom unable to fit you in,  just expensive, though I do wonder what is happening to the teeth of those less able to pay.

Being born in Yorkshire I grumble at paying 85 quid each for an inspection and prod about or whatever the next one will be, but having a decent job I can at least afford for all of us to be checked annually. Others I suspect wait for symptoms.

I have not yet reached a state of health where I actually need to know my GP, but I am not convinced that by I am there will be a great deal of support there either.

Considering the no of folk turned away each year applying to study medicine and dentistry, compared to say engineering, part of the answer to me is obvious - not it seems to the politicians.

Mike.

mapj1 said:

Considering the no of folk turned away each year applying to study medicine and dentistry, compared to say engineering, part of the answer to me is obvious - not it seems to the politicians.

More medical school places! Hang on, it is already happening (under the last government): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/350-extra-medical-school-places-allocated-in-nhs-training-boost.

One of the other problems is that being a full-time partner in (NHS) general practice is no longer attractive, so there may be more doctors who work a total of fewer hours.

so there may be more doctors who work a total of fewer hours.

Still not seeing the problem in training more folk. -a larger pool of qualified people doing a 4 day week able perhaps with the offer of overtime to come in if there is a crisis. I'm not suggesting lowering the intake standard, but not turning away folk who could.

Rather that 350 extra places it seems like not enough -  just adding a few hundred on what that article suggests is 7500 training places a year is an increase of about 5% - the sort of figure that gets lost in the tides between individual years in other subjects.

Looking at the same thing another way, what is a reasonable  MTTF of a UK GP ?

Apparently the UK has about 38 kGPs in the NHS at the moment and about half as much again working but not in the NHS. Then there are all the other sorts of doctor a medical student may become that are not GPs.

Assuming no career changes  then maybe very roughly one NHS and half a private kGP retires and must be replaced per year.

Retirement ages and lifesyles are changing that and that 1k5  figure is clearly an hopelessly low estimate  as this suggests a job continuity like no other field.  Folk take sabbaticals, move abroad, have families, get ill you name it  so that covers another factor of 2 or 3 probably, and ignoers all the other roles, then that 7k5 medical student figure is not looking overly generous.

I'm not sure that we should expect total career lock-in from a degree choice - no other subjects do - not all folk who do maths degrees in the UK  (comparably about 8000  of them each year apparently) go on to be professional mathematicians, or even maths teachers - you need to train quite a lot more than you need.

Mike.

so there may be more doctors who work a total of fewer hours.

Still not seeing the problem in training more folk. -a larger pool of qualified people doing a 4 day week able perhaps with the offer of overtime to come in if there is a crisis. I'm not suggesting lowering the intake standard, but not turning away folk who could.

Rather that 350 extra places it seems like not enough -  just adding a few hundred on what that article suggests is 7500 training places a year is an increase of about 5% - the sort of figure that gets lost in the tides between individual years in other subjects.

Looking at the same thing another way, what is a reasonable  MTTF of a UK GP ?

Apparently the UK has about 38 kGPs in the NHS at the moment and about half as much again working but not in the NHS. Then there are all the other sorts of doctor a medical student may become that are not GPs.

Assuming no career changes  then maybe very roughly one NHS and half a private kGP retires and must be replaced per year.

Retirement ages and lifesyles are changing that and that 1k5  figure is clearly an hopelessly low estimate  as this suggests a job continuity like no other field.  Folk take sabbaticals, move abroad, have families, get ill you name it  so that covers another factor of 2 or 3 probably, and ignoers all the other roles, then that 7k5 medical student figure is not looking overly generous.

I'm not sure that we should expect total career lock-in from a degree choice - no other subjects do - not all folk who do maths degrees in the UK  (comparably about 8000  of them each year apparently) go on to be professional mathematicians, or even maths teachers - you need to train quite a lot more than you need.

Mike.

mapj1 said:

Looking at the same thing another way, what is a reasonable  MTTF of a UK GP ?

Difficult to reduce the starting age. These are the minimum ages: university at 18, pre-registration years at 23, GP training at 25, completion at 28. However, perhaps have a gap year, traditional medical sciences BA, another year or two getting some extra speciality experience and we are up to 30 years.

When the NHS pension schemes were final salary-based, it was easy, but now it is very complicated. So a doctor who started in 1984 would have expected to work until this year to get ½ pay. (Bear in mind that students are not paid, save for the clinical phase in the Armed Forces).

Now then, I am still working (part-time) at 65. There is no real reason why a GP should not do so and indeed I once knew a doctor who retired after his son (he made President Biden look youthful).

So the real issue is to keep GPs longer, which is to say make their working lives better.

Chris Pearson said:

I am still working (part-time) at 65

It's interesting that you should post that. When I were a lad it would have seemed an odd thing to say, just because the assumption was that (if you were male) of course you would work until you were 65 (if you made it that far). It seems that we're now in the position where, while the state pension age has gone up to 67, there's an assumption that if you have a "good job" you should be able to retire by...55? 50? 40??? 

My suspicion (although I'm by no means an expert in economics) is that this is a blip though and we're going to see more people having to work longer. While being told by 25 year old Executive Recruitment Consultants that they're "past it" once they're over 40...

Andy (due to retire when I'm 66.5)

Andy Millar said:

It's interesting that you should post that. When I were a lad it would have seemed an odd thing to say, just because the assumption was that (if you were male) of course you would work until you were 65 (if you made it that far).

Not would work, but had to work! State pension did not start until 65, and if you had an occupational pension, ditto. In 1948, the life expectancy at birth was 68 years, so 3 years of pension on average.

That said, somebody born in 1948 is now 76 and can expect to live until 87. Of course the average figure is ssignificantly lower because of all the people who have already died.

Incidentally, one of my grandfathers worked part-time until 80. I do not fancy that because I am too busy!

Chris Pearson said:

Incidentally, one of my grandfathers worked part-time until 80. I do not fancy that because I am too busy!

There are significant numbers of professional people who have retired with good occupational pensions (many index linked) who retire at a relatively early age (55, 60) who continue to work in a voluntary capacity, still working but just not getting paid, many well into their 80's and choosing how busy they want to be.  From my point of view the best of both worlds.

Peter Brooks said:

We also have them trained for Cardiology.

My experience of the NHS (at least our local hospital trust) is that it is patchy, some things are very good, many are mediocre.  My wife has access by telephone to specialist trained Arrhythmia Nurses, that she can ring if she needs advice and can get access to Consultant advice, or if necessary fast track access to A&E.  On the other hand, I have been waiting for 18 months for an operation on a near useless thumb joint.  I am told "possibly September"

David

How would you like to see a continuous (never ending) line of sick people every 20 minutes, over your whole work day?

That could be a real mental downer.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

The new US mortality tables show that 70 is the new 60!

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

A women typically lives 5 more years that a man!

Remember I am not a doctor BUT regarding your wife's problem did they ever check her thyroid TSH?

For you thumb is it trigger fingers? If so surgery will fix it.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

20 minutes!!!

10 minutes is the norm in UK.