NHS here is good.

There are issues with the NHS that need to be addressed, and there are many people who receive an inadequate service, but it is true that millions of people receive an excellent service. The problem is that the media will always focus on the negative aspects of the NHS and barely touch on the positive.

Unfortunately I have had a lot of dealings with the NHS through an ongoing illness myself (managed fantastically by the NHS), with Intensive Care and Special Care for babies (absolutely outstanding service), through a heart operation for a child (amazingly fantastic) and through a back operation for myself (absolutely appalling!). I think my opionion would be that in an emergency and when the going gets really tough the NHS really are fantastic. It's something we should make sure gets the right funding as there are real problems being faced by the people who work in hospitals in terms of under-staffing, cut backs, etc. What the NHS is not good at are dealing with non-emergency cases. I think that then you become a number who sits on a waiting list for a very long time and can get lost easily in the system.

I think the NHS has flaws, but that it is better than the alternative. Free health care is one of the best, most humane and cultured elements of our society and I am really proud of a nation that can support such a fantastic and rare ideal. All we need now is to favour care over admin, and get matrons back on every ward - oh and end the practice of mixed wards!