Artful Dodger: Honest.. He's an MEP if you are talking about the guy I think you are. The leader of the conservative party has disowned him on this, seeing as his child's life quality owed so much to the NHS staff.

Yes.. It's a kinda unwritten rule in the UK that kids do come first, even before OAP's... though that is a point that depends on the circumstances. But in a life and death, it's considered kids always come first.. One has a life to live, one has lived. I thought being a pro lifer, you'd understand such a principle. A person with a young child is always given right of way in queues and the like. As the old saying goes.. it's kinda wrong for children to die before their parents.

The prostate problem is to lack of reporting, men over here have been kinda going in and having checks made... it's a delicate area. But with advertising campaigns, such figures will improve. Our NHS likes to educate us people over matters that through self awareness can be detected earlier.

Fraud was rampant through those who worked to rebuild Iraq, fraud is rampant in your business, how many billions are owed through storing dosh in offshore accounts?? Reckless... Madoff.

Lesson.. no system is perfect.

As to staff... here is the official 2005 figures based on a headcount.

Approximately 1.3 million people were employed in the NHS in England in
September 2005 on a headcount basis. This represents an increase of 34,300
since 2004 and an average increase of over 38,000 per year since 1997.
• There were 679,157 professionally qualified clinical staff in the NHS, including
122,345 doctors, 404,161 qualified nursing, midwifery & health visiting staff
(including practice nurses), 134,534 qualified scientific, therapeutic & technical
(ST&T) staff and 18,117 qualified ambulance staff.
• There were a further 376,219 staff in support to clinical staff. These were in
three key areas – 310,441 support to doctors & nursing staff, 55,715 scientific,
therapeutic & technical support staff and 10,063 ambulance support staff.
• There were also 220,387 staff involved in NHS infrastructure support. This
includes 105,565 staff in central functions, 75,431 staff in hotel, property &
estates and 39,391 managers and senior managers.
• There were 89,190 GP practice staff, excluding practice nurses.

.. ain't you learned to double check your data first yet?

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/nhsstaff/NHSStaffNHSLeaflet240406_PDF.pdf


It's a 4 page PDF document with a staffing breakdown.

(V): Just because you don't like the message it doesn't follow that it isn't true. Facts are facts. There's no wiggle room. The UK system is a huge mess. Waiting lists, underserving, poor equiptment, lack of trained professionals, the list goes on. There's not one public service that the Feds run that isn't bankrupt in the US. There's no efficient model anywhere in the world that's based on any government run system.

Artful Dodger: ... what facts? Please explain!! As for the MEP... his party do not support him on what he's saying about the NHS. All major parties here support the NHS, David Cameron says it transformed his son's life who was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Waiting lists... why is it every time some org sets up a clinic in the USA for those waiting for medical treatment, there is a very long queue? And even though the USA does not collect data on waiting times in it's country (which other countries do) from what is collected..

""In reality, both data and anecdotes show that the American people are already waiting as long or longer than patients living with universal health-care systems."

Paul Krugman - New York Times July 16, 2007........

[N]ot all medical delays are created equal. In Canada and Britain, delays are caused by doctors trying to devote limited medical resources to the most urgent cases. In the United States, they're often caused by insurance companies trying to save money.

This can lead to ordeals like the one recently described by Mark Kleiman, a professor at U.C.L.A., who nearly died of cancer because his insurer kept delaying approval for a necessary biopsy. ''It was only later,'' writes Mr. Kleiman on his blog, ''that I discovered why the insurance company was stalling; I had an option, which I didn't know I had, to avoid all the approvals by going to 'Tier II,' which would have meant higher co-payments.''

He adds, ''I don't know how many people my insurance company waited to death that year, but I'm certain the number wasn't zero.''

...... explain this please!!

(V):  I've already explained the facts.  See below.

Artful Dodger: Facts?? where are they?????

Prove my data wrong then rather then just keep calling people you don't like the views of "loon".

And seeing as you are no expert, what makes you right?

(V): Jules, I'm just playing by your rules.  I've stated the facts you just choose to ignore them.

Artful Dodger: You are stating your opinions are facts... back em up them. You ask me to do so.. so I can ask you the same

(V):  Nope.   Not my opinions.  Facts. 

Artful Dodger: oooooo pantomine time....

Ohhhhh no they are not!!

(V):

(V):  Krugman is a far left loon.  He's no expert.  Data mining isn't always accurate.  Anyone can find someone to quote that supports their view.