Is the NHS really the best healthcare system in the world?

There will be better care provided in some private healthcare systems, but the fact that the NHS is for everyone and is FREE, it IS the best and our nurses and doctors should be taken care of more.

Do you have a source? The last WHO ranking I saw was from 2000,fairly useless for comparison today.

Youre right, the uk was 18th in 2000. However, the more recent european consumer index (2015) put britain at 15th.

I would put i link, but i cant while on my phone.

Best in perhaps the metaphorical sense but if you're using these criteria, you could probably find a country in Europe that does all that as well as making sure doctors and nurses aren't overworked and are compensated appropriately, which would make whichever that country is the best.

While it could be argued that all the continental European countries that use a compulsory insurance model aren't technically free for everyone, neither is the NHS. It's free at the point of use, but the staff aren't working for nothing, you know. What I'm trying to say is that, while you may feel it's metaphorically the best given its noble principles, in practice you could probably find another healthcare system that matches all that stuff and probably does one or two things better than the NHS.

A lot of NHS workers my mum knows say it is

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/17/nhs-health

I'm not sure though?

It's one of the best not the best

/thread there isn't anything else to be said


Posted from TSR Mobile

According to the news, it's understaffed, over budget, workers always under pressure to meet targets that they fail to meet targets etc etc

This is the biggest problem with debates over healthcare in the UK. It seems to go we either have the NHS or some American dystopia hell hole where hospitals will turf out those without money or insurance to die in the streets. We need a more nuanced debate looking at how comparable countries like France, Germany or the Scandinavian nations do healthcare.

People who've used both tell me Germany has a better system... which is based on compulsory insurance.

The NHS is embarrassingly bad in several areas, early detection of cancer is poor here, also remember that Ashya King story? why are British people having to go to Prague for proton beam therapy?

But i agree there has to be alternative from total privatisation and keeping it as its going as it is (which is ultimately unsustainable)

"The only serious black mark against the NHS was its poor record on keeping people alive."

Well, apart from that...

Best in perhaps the metaphorical sense but if you're using these criteria, you could probably find a country in Europe that does all that as well as making sure doctors and nurses aren't overworked and are compensated appropriately, which would make whichever that country is the best.

While it could be argued that all the continental European countries that use a compulsory insurance model aren't technically free for everyone, neither is the NHS. It's free at the point of use, but the staff aren't working for nothing, you know. What I'm trying to say is that, while you may feel it's metaphorically the best given its noble principles, in practice you could probably find another healthcare system that matches all that stuff and probably does one or two things better than the NHS.

There will be better care provided in some private healthcare systems, but the fact that the NHS is for everyone and is FREE, it IS the best and our nurses and doctors should be taken care of more.

It does have its issues though, I have a relative who is a nurse and the biggest struggles the NHS has is bad management, and red tape everywhere that makes simple tasks difficult.

Everyone else in this thread has done a good job of saying something.

Nothing useful as my comment really is the only thing you can say.

Could it be better ? Yes.

Could it be worse? Yes.

Would it be better if we spent more like the small amount of countries that are better? Yes.

One of the best, not the best. End of story nothing else to be said

The simple answer is no.

There are a number of European states which have better health outcomes and lower mortality rates. While the NHS is very cost efficient we still have a lot of waste and when you factor in unfunded liabilities I'd wager that the Europeans would beat us too.

Unfortunately the left in the UK seem blind to anything but a pure government funded NHS or American insurance when the evidence seems to suggest that Blair's internal market improved the NHS and that social insurance of the type we have in Europe is superior.

The fact that my taxes allow me to walk into a hospital with a broken leg and come out with a cast on and I don't have to bring my wallet or expect a large bill, it's pretty darn good.

France, Germany and the Netherlands are all highly rated.

Yeah. Personally I'd like to see a much leaner and focused NHS. Make working people take out outpatient insurance for the small stuff and have a complete review of NHS services so that we no longer waste resources providing transgender surgeries and hymen replacements.