The events that happened at Stafford are shocking and disgraceful, make no mistake. There should be at the very least some resignations, and perhaps even criminal charges - and there are anecdotal stories from other hospitals where patients have complained about having received poor, shoddy or appalling treatment. Who can forget the whistleblower documentary centred on the terrible treatment of the patients on the elderly care wards at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, for instance.?
We should be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater though. Some are suggesting that what happened at Stafford would never happen in a different system from the NHS, but that simply is not true.
And, despite its faults, its offers one of the best medical systems in the world, and certainly one with the best value for money.
There is a massive, huge difference in spend between the costs of healthcare in the US compared to here in the UK, and the idea that somehow this extra cost is entirely due to illegal immigrants in the US or similar is absurd. 45 million people - 3/4 of the UK population virtually - are unable to obtain any kind of healthcare insurance in the US and are totally reliant upon free clinics. It is down to inflated salaries, an overabundance of well paid bureaucrats, and shareholder profits for the health insurance companies - and for all the talk about healthcare rationing in a socialist system that often gets levelled at the NHS, there is just as much rationing if not more going on in the US by Health Insurance companies, doing what they can to avoid making payments for treatment...
I have myself witnessed the shocking site of hundreds of people queuing around the block overnight in Atlanta Georgia outside a sports centre in order to see a free dentistry and basic GP style clinic, run by a charity.This, is the richest country in the world - a superpower that prides itself on its opportunities and its wealth.
There are undoubtedly issues about the NHS - some of the target culture, a proliferation of middle management, more top down re-organisations that you can shake a stick at, restricting entry to nursing and other ancillary health professions to degree only in an effort to raise the profile of the professions etc - but overall the system works well for the majority of the population.
And if you ever have doubts or concerns about the level of care either you or a family member are receiving, complain, ask questions, demand answers. Go to PALS if necessary.