Patients losing faith in the NHS, claims survey
Extract from Sunday Telegraph article:
"Keith Pollard, of the information website Treatment Abroad, who carried out the study, said: "Despite huge investment in the NHS over the past 17 years, patients from the UK are voting with their feet and travelling abroad."
A fifth of those questioned by the Patients Association identified a reduction in waiting times as their main priority.
Fifteen per cent said cuts in hospital infections would make the greatest difference to them and 14 per cent wanted to see more staff on duty.
The findings follow the publication of official figures which show the Government is failing to meet its target for reducing the spread of hospital infections.
Cases of C. diff increased by seven per cent in hospital patients over the age of 65. Cases of MRSA fell by 10 per cent from a high of 7,096, but this was not enough to meet the Government's pledge to halve the rate by next year.
However, despite grave concerns over the NHS, the Patients Association survey found a clear majority rejects any move towards creating an insurance-based health care system on US or French lines.
More than 40 per cent support the current method of funding the NHS through national taxation. Twenty four per cent of those who took part, however, back a tax deductible insurance policy as a way of paying for treatment.
The survey, shows an overwhelming majority want an end to Britain's healthcare "postcode lottery" where availability of drugs and treatments depends on location.
Our findings on the growing number of health tourists provoked an angry response from the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson.
In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph he states: "Most of the treatment carried out overseas is either minor cosmetic surgery or dentistry. Little of the treatment is for general elective surgery, and where it is the majority of people accessing it would probably have gone private in the UK anyway."
The Patients Association is still collecting responses to its survey at www.patientsassociation.org.uk."
In my opinion, the hugely expensive and extremely flawed NHS should be scrapped.
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