At last someone who has actually had experience of the appalling NHS at its' very worst speaks.
These Pollyannas who blithely state that the NHS is free and people choose to go privately live in Tony Blair-land .
People HAVE to pay privately for treatment or they will get appointments in 2008 which will be cancelled without telling you.
I have gone privately since the 1970s because the "free" NHS is useless .
Tony Blair didn't wait in casualty for 6 hours when he had his little coronary ?
Ditto, Maggie who when she fell, was treated with kid-gloves at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital !
NHS dentists in London are few and far between and offer limited treatment regimes.
Reality checks, all round . [/quote]
Nelly, yes, but not all of the NHS is that bad. I had cancer last year in my Sinus, and I had excellent and speedy treatment. It seems that for major diseases, the NHS is performing an excellent service (HIV/AIDS, cancers, Dialysis...)....so let's not get too over dramatic. It just seems that for everything else, such as my partner Patrick having an injured back, the NHS falls flat on it's face. Big time.
Tony-Blair land......fuck, don't get me started again.