You have my sympathies Matt. Toothache is rather unpleasant! As you know I have been having my own experiences of the NHS in recent months. I was in hospital when the junior doctors were on strike - though it was quite good fun watching the consultants (including the chap who had operated on me) trying to remember how to do basic doctoring. Fortunately the nurses were around, so they knew what to do. My own cancer treatment was delayed due to staff shortages, including my chemotherapy.
There is a huge crisis in the NHS. Staff shortages throughout. We need a new Beveridge report to decide what to do about it. There is some waste, how could there not be in such an organisation (managers? Administration?), but so many procedures are so expensive. Should we be saying that certain elements, eg IVF - we are over-populated, should belong in the private sector or, radical thinking, don't use them at all? We do a lot of scanning just in case people have a problem. Is this all good for the population and the individual or could we cut down? Just because we can do MRIs with anyone anytime doesn't mean we should. We need to look at the evidence.
On the other hand dentists have never been fully in the NHS and ought to be, along with opticians. Income tax increases and - particularly - ensuring large organisations and rich people pay their fair share of tax, are essential?
I am now certainly getting my money's worth from the NHS. A couple of weeks ago I worked out there is one day a fortnight I have about 16 different drugs (fewer the rest of the days fortunately). Somehow my body is holding up, hopefully responding to the treatment, so selfishly - and selflessly - I am a strong supporter of the NHS. The alternative you mention, insurance, is the US way, and surely no one wants that in the UK.
That morning the dentist tried and failed to extract the truth, humour, or typo, extract the tooth!
Phew! It was a typo, but also inadvertently humorous. To think that it’s been sitting there all this time! Corrected. Thanks.
You have my sympathies Matt. Toothache is rather unpleasant! As you know I have been having my own experiences of the NHS in recent months. I was in hospital when the junior doctors were on strike - though it was quite good fun watching the consultants (including the chap who had operated on me) trying to remember how to do basic doctoring. Fortunately the nurses were around, so they knew what to do. My own cancer treatment was delayed due to staff shortages, including my chemotherapy.
There is a huge crisis in the NHS. Staff shortages throughout. We need a new Beveridge report to decide what to do about it. There is some waste, how could there not be in such an organisation (managers? Administration?), but so many procedures are so expensive. Should we be saying that certain elements, eg IVF - we are over-populated, should belong in the private sector or, radical thinking, don't use them at all? We do a lot of scanning just in case people have a problem. Is this all good for the population and the individual or could we cut down? Just because we can do MRIs with anyone anytime doesn't mean we should. We need to look at the evidence.
On the other hand dentists have never been fully in the NHS and ought to be, along with opticians. Income tax increases and - particularly - ensuring large organisations and rich people pay their fair share of tax, are essential?
I am now certainly getting my money's worth from the NHS. A couple of weeks ago I worked out there is one day a fortnight I have about 16 different drugs (fewer the rest of the days fortunately). Somehow my body is holding up, hopefully responding to the treatment, so selfishly - and selflessly - I am a strong supporter of the NHS. The alternative you mention, insurance, is the US way, and surely no one wants that in the UK.
Toothache is nothing compared to what you've been going through, Nigel. Glad to hear you've been getting the treatment you deserve.