//

In some countries nursing is just that, the provision of medical care, they don’t even provide food. It is up to the patient and/or their family to ensure that their non-medical needs like food and personal hygiene are met. While I wouldn’t like to see that happen in the UK, it’s easy to lambast the NHS when things do go wrong and say it should be scrapped but that would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater, far better to look at what is going wrong and work to put it right. Of course with the scale of the NHS, there will always be things that go wrong, umbrage to be taken, and often quite rightly so, but as Words says, the NHS also does a lot of good work that goes unrecognised.

I have a group of friends who have had breast cancer. Some were treated privately, some NHS. The ones who were treated privately got quicker appointments, speedier treatment, plush hospital rooms, but treatment was “fragmented” as they got passed from one consultant to the next for the next stage of their treatment, almost like a pass the parcel, and constant uncertainty as to what their medical insurance would and wouldn’t cover, whether they were still within the limits, etc. The treatment was also for the body only with no counselling support offered. The ones treated by the NHS were treated by a team who worked together and offered a consistency of approach throughout the treatment and a holistic approach, offering full support for the patient and the close relatives. Guess which group felt more positive and optimistic about their treatment and recovery?

It’s easy to slate the NHS when things go wrong but should I, heaven forbid, find myself in dire need of treatment I know where I’d rather go.

This is a joke right ?? abandon the NHS that was set up for the working classes and the poor. ffs. I HAVE A great Doctor in both Ninewells ( dundee) and a brilliant Doc in the Royal Marsden. Without the National health , my babies would have never been born and i woud never have received MRI scans against an illness that is common after Breast Cancer. ..

does everyone on here agree ??

Bonjour J in France.. I come from Scotland in the united kingdom. without the NHS we could have privatation. like America ? where doctors go through pockets of the dying to see of they have insurance?? we have a good idea of illness and free health service. should my children or grandchildren need health service.?we have it. I can go into any hospital in the U.k. i would never wish this bad, as its an excellent service. I suppose if i was rich i might jump the queue. I have no wish to make myself anymore a victim than the next person .
we are all equal be it here in sunny scotland and en francais.. vive le auld alliance :)

Ruby, although we live in France we are British, but from south of the border to you. All my comments were about the British NHS of which we have a lot and continuing experience of.

Bon Soir j in France :) i too have paid my national health contributions. have worked all my life.x