Totally agree. Its the envy of the word, but sadly most british people slate anything that is unique about our country (TV license etc....). We love to moan and don't know hoe lucky we are. Bet there aren't many cancer sufferers who move to the US during their treatment.
Not wishing to turn this into an NHS debate but I think part of the problem is the way the NHS is perceived. People think that because they have "paid" for it through tax and NI contributions they are entitled to care no matter what the cost. Unfortunately there are a finite number of people paying into the system and the NHS is not a bottomless pit of money. NICE and Primary Care Trusts get slagged off something rotten because they won't let this patient have that drug at a cost of £30,000 for an extra month with their family, but the people in charge of the purse strings have to look at the big picture and it comes down to where the money is best spent: giving one person another month or paying for a nurse for a year.
The other problem is that people only tend to comment about the NHS when it's either done something really fantastic or bloody awful. There's little recognition for the day-to-day grind that is work in the public health sector. I can speak from recent experience in this respect. My Dad had some of the most fantastic, dedicated care I've ever seen and my Mum is now experiencing a similar level of care from specialist clinicians. On the other hand, I had the misfortune to spend 2 nights in the now infamous Stafford Hospital. My early admission to the surgical assessment unit was fine and the staff were wonderful and couldn't do enough, but by midnight when I'd been deemed non-surgical and transferred to the ward it was rapidly going downhill and resulted in my being left without food or water for over 24 hours and having to threaten to take my own discharge at 10pm in order to get a glass of water and a sandwich.
The other problem is that whilst you'll remember the good things, it's the bad stuff that really sticks in your head. For my family, Stafford Hospital is now a no-go zone. I'm lucky that I live equidistant between 2 A&E units, but if ever I'm looking at an A&E trip again I'll make sure the vehicle I'm going there in turns left at the roundabout instead of right.
