I'm going to have a little rant...lol
I think it would be much better to do more of the 'keeping people well', however, from things I've seen written on here, there doesn't seem to be much interest in a lot of that...simple tests that should be run in some instances but are usually overlooked, even when it can prevent something deadly. It seems to me a lot of doctors in the UK don't seem to care about the fact running a simple swab test could prevent something serious...for instance, only recently in the UK has Group B Strep become an issue which some doctors address and I've seen/heard about it in the press...however, it's still almost unheard of, even when that swab during pregnancy (in EVERY pregnancy!) can prevent life threatening disease in a newborn. Would the NHS just rather some infants die and others to become seriously ill, just because they don't have their doctors run a very simple culture test and, if the woman tests positive, give her antibiotics during labor? I mean, how hard is that? It's so simple, but overlooked and shoved aside as though it's unimportant.

Having said that, though, I've seen many a netmum talk about having things like gall stones and waiting YEARS, with unbearable pain and suffering, to get a simple keyhole operation. My mom and my sister have both been through this surgery in the US and from diagnosis to treatment it was a matter of days! I know the population of the UK is much more concentrated than it is in West Virginia, but to make someone suffer that long for something that should and can be done fairly quickly is ridiculous! They don't need a donor for it and it can be life threatening...they should just get it done and stop making patients suffer needlessly for years on end! However, unless you carry a little gold card because you're privately insured, you are just put to the bottom of a very long list...it's funny, though, that if you do have that card, they seem to find time here and now to treat you