NHS - 65th Anniversary Today

shyvas

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The National Health Service Act 1946[1] came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National Health Service in England and Wales. Though the title 'National Health Service' implies a single health service for the United Kingdom, in reality one NHS was created for England and Wales accountable to the Secretary of State for Health, with a separate NHS created for Scotland accountable to the Secretary of State for Scotland by the passage of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://news.sky.com/story/1111893/nhs-at-65-service-under-significant-pressure
 
65 years of socialized healthcare for everyone! Woot.

/My country can't even make get one day.
 
In his documentary "Sicko", Michael Moore visits England and praises the NHS as being a better healthcare system than what we Americans have. He interviews somebody (I forget who), who says that the NHS is so well thought of in the UK that no politician dares dismantle it, even Margaret Thatcher.

Has anyone in the UK seen Sicko? If so, did you think the portrayal of the NHS is accurate or inaccurate?
 
I hope they are able to fix any problems.

From the link above ^^

"The NHS - hailed as "one of the greatest achievements of civilisation" on its 65th anniversary - may cease to exist in its current form within 10 years, a new report has warned.

According to the NHS Confederation, the health service faces "significant financial and demand pressures", which require a "radical shift" in the way it delivers care.

It comes as the Prime Minister and doctors' leaders heaped praise on the system - the first of its kind anywhere in the world when it launched in 1948."
 
In his documentary "Sicko", Michael Moore visits England and praises the NHS as being a better healthcare system than what we Americans have. He interviews somebody (I forget who), who says that the NHS is so well thought of in the UK that no politician dares dismantle it, even Margaret Thatcher.

Has anyone in the UK seen Sicko? If so, did you think the portrayal of the NHS is accurate or inaccurate?

I've seen this, nothing was untrue in the doctumentary although I think the NHS was portrayed as perfect, which of course it isn't.

The big difference between the NHS and private healthcare is waiting times. You might need surgey and have to wait several months on the NHS, but get an appointment within a couple of weeks privately. But the surgey will probably be done by the same doctor (I think most private doctors also work for the NHS) and you'll get the same treatment - you just have to wait. The other differences are really just pampering - you'll spend more time chatting to a private doctor, get free drinks, sit in a more plush waiting room, get a more spacious hospital room, etc.

Most right-wing (by UK standards) politicals believe in the NHS. Most Brits love the NHS and want it to stay - they might moan amoungst themselves about waiting times, but it's very rare to find a Brit to believes we shouldn't have an NHS. Nonetheless, a lot of people are concerned the NHS is being undermined by the Conservative government... I really hope that doesn't happen. Happy Birthday NHS :)