Common Belief Versus Assessment

[KARL]

There is no shortage of people in England and throughout the UK who believe and firmly state that the NHS is the world's best health service. An organisation called Health Consumer Powerhouse has just published a report on the quality and cost effectiveness of health treatment leading to a table of Euro Health Consumer Index for 2013. The conclusion is that the best health service in Europe is that of the Netherlands. Searching for the UK, I found that they divide UK Scotland from UK England (probably because the NHS for the two are different) and Scotland is rated infinitesimally better. UK England is fourteenth behind Netherlands, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Scotland of a total of 35 countries. Serbia is at the bottom of this table.

It seems that England's (and Scotland's) NHS is in fact only the world's best in England (and Scotland).

[boxtops]

I'm not surprised.

[askyourgran]

I had a feeling that countries such as Germany, Denmark and Switzerland would be cleaner and more efficient than we are, but Scotland is a surprise to me.

[Hypognosis]

What? Ringo not even the best health service in the Beatles? Gah!

[anneasquith]

NH in Scotland is now rubbish and I have no faith whatsoever in the system , so it must be dire in England,

[boxtops]

^ pardon, hypo?

[shaneystar2]

Having availed myself of the health services in the Netherlands (maternity care there is superb ) and in Germany and Norway ,they are very good .
However ,I know the NHS has it faults but I can only speak from personal experience .When my husband was very seriously ill they pulled out all the stops and I couldn't fault them really .

[askyourgran]

I'm not sure whether everyone has to pay for all European Hospital treatments. Maybe it is because the UK hospital treatment is free that it is considered so wonderful.

[wolf63]

I am really tired so this may be garbled.

I can't think of one thing that I have to complain about regarding the treatment that I have received by the NHS. I have regular blood tests at the surgery and the staff are really friendly.

We all want to pay less tax but want better services - not sure that it will work.

[penelope2]

NHS England. Example:
Time to see GP = 3 weeks.
Referral to Physiotherapy = 4 weeks.
Wait for MRI Scan = 7 weeks.
Waiting time for orthopaedic consultation = 12 weeks.
Resulting waiting time for surgery= Up to 18 weeks.

Draw your own conclusions.

[jomifl]

My experience in France'
wait for GP 30 mins
wait for consultant 3 hours
wait for specialist consultant 3 weeks
wait for proton therapy 4 weeks.

[Hypognosis]

@boxtops,

it was a reference to something I recall which I don't know whether it's a recycled well-known old joke or just something that came up in a private conversation.

One side says, almost apologetically, "Well, what do you expect, Ringo isn't exactly the best drummer in the world"
The other side quips, "Yes, some might say he isn't even the best drummer in The Beatles".

[ToraToraTora]

depends on how you determine "best". No doubt the NHS is not the best in a lot of areas but it's the approach that knocks spots off the rest. Most of the rest of the world is more interested in how you are going to pay for it than actually giving health care. The NHS is civilised if not perfect.

Still you'll get a good pat on the back from the anti British on here.