Percentages and cash numbers do not show anything more than possible inequalities in health care provision. The UK NHS could have double the money allocated to health care but would the money be used for health care needs eg community care to enable elderly and disabled patients to be moved "home" from general hospital beds.? Extra cash would likely be used for paying contractors for doing what was already being done economically in house eg revenue effects of Private Finance Initiatve contacts set for 40 years! Too many political fancies infliuence what health policies are being carried out. The internal market arrangements may have a place in industry especially where international trading occurs but the why applyit to the UK's NHS? Are "efficiency savings" just fancy lables for cuts. All the UK political oiks currently do is create disharmony amongst demoralised staff. How do you value the effect of a demoralised NHS work force?

'Excellent care'? Do we live on different planet? It's barely adequate. We need to get rid of most of the 48% non medical staff, who have non jobs but vote Labour like good children. The NHS is a political nightmare and we're talking about peoples' health. It takes us over 4 weeks to see a doctor. In my younger days I saw the same GP for 20 years, and then 30 years. Now it's pot luck who you see. It's a dreadful service. I paid 40 years NI and my wife 30 years. If we were given the choice to pay private instead, it would have been cheaper and much better service. I've has private treatment and the difference is staggering. I pay through the nose for private dental care as the NHS dentists are appalling in my experience (and still wanted to charge private fees to do a 'proper job'. My experience with foreign trained doctors has been very worrying. We now have a horrible service for a horrible country.

Why do we have to click right-arrow 32 times to read this article? Why can't it be presented as a single article that you scroll down? Same question about comments. Why do I have to click the "Read comments" button, followed by the "Read All Comments" button to read the comments?