Evening all.
My son has decided that my wife should not pick up his sister from school.
My daughter is not aware of the fact that while she is at school, her brother is doing the best he can to have her abandoned.
Today, he got my wife to take him to Sainsburys. While there, a woman was handing out free samples of chocolate. Needless to say he kept managing to go past her. And she, like so many women before her, fell for his charm. Lots of chocolate later...
Friday, 13 May 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure.
So yesterday, when my wife took him to school (to drop my daughter off) he went up to one of the girls he is friends with to show of his pants. Fortunatley my wife stopped him exposing himself in the school playground. Kids eh!
Anway, here is hoping that you like the music.
A man charges into a bank wearing a balaclava and wielding a handgun.
He shouts 'this is a raid – everyone get on the floor!!', and proceeds to empty the cash drawers.
As he runs towards the door with the loot, a brave customer yanks off his balaclava.
The robber immediately shoots the customer in the head and shouts.. 'Did anybody else here see my face?'.
The robber notices another customer peering from behind a counter and goes over and shoots him in the head also.
'Did anybody else see my face?' he shouts again, waving his gun around There is silence for a few seconds before a male voice is heard from a distant corner..
'I think my missus caught a glimpse....'
Sunday, 8 May 2011
ManUre have won the league by having a lot of depth to their squad. They won today despite big names such as Howard Webb not performing for them.
Evening all. Sorry about there being no post about the kids for a while. I keep meaning to make a post, but for one reason or another, one thing will get in the way. Mainly time.
Anyway, my daughter has not been that well, and a urine test picked up a slight abnormality. Which means that she needs a blood test this week, so fingers crossed...
A Manc buys a Scouser an album for his birthday. When the Scouser opened it, he punched the Manc in the face.
It was '19' by Adele.
Rumours that Osama Bin Laden has been hiding in Arsenal's Trophy Room were yesterday dismissed by Arsene Wenger who angrily told reporters "There is no such place"
Oh well, another weekend, and another loss.
What I am hoping for is that we manage to nab Gareth Bale when the Scum fail to qualify for the European Cup. I doubt that he will stay there, and he would be a great addition to the squad, and he is a player that can make us into a team that will win things. Anyway, time for me to make a post about the kids...
Monday, 2 May 2011
Osama has Bin Laden to rest
I guess Osama Bin Laden was looking forward to his 47 virgins in paradise.
Let's hope they're all male.
Osama Bin Laden
World Hide & Seek Champion: 2001 - 2011
BBC Website:
US President Barack Obama - "Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children."
Former US President Bill Clinton - "This is a profoundly important moment not just for the families of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and in al-Qaeda's other attacks but for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom, and co-operation for our children. "
Former US President George W Bush - "Who?"
Really?
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Bin Laden's dead, but I don't believe the US army has got anything to do with it. I can't help but think that his death coincides with the fact there's been 12 million nerds unable to play Call of Duty for two weeks, and one of them has finally lost it.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
The NHS, the truth
As some of you know, I am active on Yahoo Answers. I started to post there as I saw some outright lies, as well as half truths being told by members and supporters of the BNP. Well one of the other things I noted, was the debate on healthcare in the USA. I saw some terrible things being said about healthcare in the UK, and of course, working in the NHS, I could not let such things go without being challenged.
Well, now, there are a few posters who are regurgitating the same facts. And to be fair, some are right, but loads are blatant distortions. So this post is dedicated to pointing out the truth with these statements.
Question a doctor and lose your child - This article in the Times is one on child protection. In the vast majority of cases, parents know better than doctors when it comes to their children. I am a parent after all and we in the health professions respect that. But there are cases there parents do not know. And in cases, where a child is at risk of harm or abuse, then we as healthcare workers have to act in the best interests of the child. The many cases where such actions help children is not reported in the news, but the very few stories where healthcare workers get it wrong, or where it makes good headlines do.
'Doctors told me it was against the rules to save my premature baby' - this article (in a paper known to have supported Hitler in the past) refers to a baby born at a gestation of 21 weeks and five days. The youngest child to have survived was born at 21 weeks and six days, that being a very rare occurence. Yes, there are guidelines by the UK that state that resuscitation should not be carried out on babies born before 22 weeks but the thing that makes it even more interesting, is that these posts made by Americans make no mention that in the USA, babies born before 23 weeks are considered non-viable!
Daughter claims father wrongly placed on controversial NHS end of life scheme - This refers to a claim, not a fact and the Liverpool Care Pathway which it refers to is not controversial really. Yes, like with all things, there are people who disagree with it, but then there are those who think that the earth is flat. Is it controversial to say it is round, or that the sun is a ball of hydrogen within which nuclear fusion is taking place? Some would say such statements are completely wrong!
NHS is paying millions to gag whistleblowers - I am not going to claim that some authorities do the best they can to hide things, but the NHS as a whole encourages people to speak up in order to help patient care. Those from abroad forget that, or never bothered to listen when told otherwise. Or never knew about it and did not find out more.
Patients forced to live in agony after NHS refuses to pay for painkilling injections - an interesting headline. But if you look at the article, "A spokesman for NICE said its guidance did not recommend that injections were stopped for all patients, but only for those who had been in pain for less than a year, where the cause was not known." Something that our American cousins seem to miss when they quote this on Yahoo! Answers.
People in the UK face longer waits for non-emergency surgery and struggle to see GPs out-of-hours compared with other western countries, a survey says - again an interesting article, because in the comparisons, the US fails big time. But the BBC link while it reports some of the findings in the Commonwealth Fund article, does not mention those that US posters fail to realise! These of course refer to medical error rates and those who skip healthcare due to costs. Click on the link above if you want more on that story!
Britain's healthcare system 'worse than Estonia's' is another headline article that has been quoted. However, when it was posted, the person who used this to bash the NHS neglected to mention that this was when it came to patient satisfaction and neglects to mention that when it came to "access" and "efficiency" that the NHS scored much, much better.
Others in the USA have posted how the NHS is to be reformed. And yes it is. But it is still to be a service that is funded through the government that is free at the point of delivery. The reforms are controversial, with not everyone being in favour of them. And the reforms are only taking place in England, not in the other areas of the UK.
Now, the fire service in the USA can be run like the healthcare system has been run under the rule of the GOP.
And the video does show how that would work!
There is the statement dealing the the death rates for unhealthy teenage girls which is high in the UK. But not as high as that in the USA. The article quite rightly mentions that the UK has high death rates for boys and girls, the chance of them living till 60 being high, but not high enough. But the people who quote it forget the rates for the USA!
Another article states "Die in Britain, survive in the US" using figures that date back to 1996! The same article, written by someone who is plugging his book mentions the US healthcare system, as well as it's failures, but fails to mention the latest facts on the management of chronic conditions. A fact ignored in this article which looks at UK cancer survival rates, again quoted against the NHS. In them, the USA rates better than the UK in just one of the outcomes. In all the others, the UK beats the USA. So, yes, there are some areas where you do better if you live in the USA than if you live in the UK. But there are so many other ways in which having access to the NHS gives you better outcomes. And you do not have to become bankrupt to do so.
And of course, there are these facts...
FACT - Insurance companies in the USA admit to pushing up prices, buying politicians and not paying out claims when they should
FACT - PER PERSON the USA spends more on healthcare than any other nation on the planet
FACT - Obama debated his plans before the election for healthcare
FACT - the chance of a child under five of dying in the USA is greater than industrialised nations with universal healthcoverage
FACT - Obama was elected by the American people to bring in change
FACT - Obama wants to stop insurance companies from screwing the American people
FACT - The reforms Obama wants work in the Netherlands and in Switzerland
Sorry of this causes offence to some. That is not the intent and I am always open to debate. If you want to debate, feel free to e-mail me using Yahoo! Answers, or if you want, you can post comments here. If you want to post abuse, or a negative comment, I am more than happy to publish those posts as well.
But, remember, rationing occurs in all healthcare systems. It is up to the people of a nation to decide if they want that based on health related factors, or on the ability to pay.
Well, now, there are a few posters who are regurgitating the same facts. And to be fair, some are right, but loads are blatant distortions. So this post is dedicated to pointing out the truth with these statements.
Question a doctor and lose your child - This article in the Times is one on child protection. In the vast majority of cases, parents know better than doctors when it comes to their children. I am a parent after all and we in the health professions respect that. But there are cases there parents do not know. And in cases, where a child is at risk of harm or abuse, then we as healthcare workers have to act in the best interests of the child. The many cases where such actions help children is not reported in the news, but the very few stories where healthcare workers get it wrong, or where it makes good headlines do.
'Doctors told me it was against the rules to save my premature baby' - this article (in a paper known to have supported Hitler in the past) refers to a baby born at a gestation of 21 weeks and five days. The youngest child to have survived was born at 21 weeks and six days, that being a very rare occurence. Yes, there are guidelines by the UK that state that resuscitation should not be carried out on babies born before 22 weeks but the thing that makes it even more interesting, is that these posts made by Americans make no mention that in the USA, babies born before 23 weeks are considered non-viable!
Daughter claims father wrongly placed on controversial NHS end of life scheme - This refers to a claim, not a fact and the Liverpool Care Pathway which it refers to is not controversial really. Yes, like with all things, there are people who disagree with it, but then there are those who think that the earth is flat. Is it controversial to say it is round, or that the sun is a ball of hydrogen within which nuclear fusion is taking place? Some would say such statements are completely wrong!
NHS is paying millions to gag whistleblowers - I am not going to claim that some authorities do the best they can to hide things, but the NHS as a whole encourages people to speak up in order to help patient care. Those from abroad forget that, or never bothered to listen when told otherwise. Or never knew about it and did not find out more.
Patients forced to live in agony after NHS refuses to pay for painkilling injections - an interesting headline. But if you look at the article, "A spokesman for NICE said its guidance did not recommend that injections were stopped for all patients, but only for those who had been in pain for less than a year, where the cause was not known." Something that our American cousins seem to miss when they quote this on Yahoo! Answers.
People in the UK face longer waits for non-emergency surgery and struggle to see GPs out-of-hours compared with other western countries, a survey says - again an interesting article, because in the comparisons, the US fails big time. But the BBC link while it reports some of the findings in the Commonwealth Fund article, does not mention those that US posters fail to realise! These of course refer to medical error rates and those who skip healthcare due to costs. Click on the link above if you want more on that story!
Britain's healthcare system 'worse than Estonia's' is another headline article that has been quoted. However, when it was posted, the person who used this to bash the NHS neglected to mention that this was when it came to patient satisfaction and neglects to mention that when it came to "access" and "efficiency" that the NHS scored much, much better.
Others in the USA have posted how the NHS is to be reformed. And yes it is. But it is still to be a service that is funded through the government that is free at the point of delivery. The reforms are controversial, with not everyone being in favour of them. And the reforms are only taking place in England, not in the other areas of the UK.
Now, the fire service in the USA can be run like the healthcare system has been run under the rule of the GOP.
And the video does show how that would work!
There is the statement dealing the the death rates for unhealthy teenage girls which is high in the UK. But not as high as that in the USA. The article quite rightly mentions that the UK has high death rates for boys and girls, the chance of them living till 60 being high, but not high enough. But the people who quote it forget the rates for the USA!
Another article states "Die in Britain, survive in the US" using figures that date back to 1996! The same article, written by someone who is plugging his book mentions the US healthcare system, as well as it's failures, but fails to mention the latest facts on the management of chronic conditions. A fact ignored in this article which looks at UK cancer survival rates, again quoted against the NHS. In them, the USA rates better than the UK in just one of the outcomes. In all the others, the UK beats the USA. So, yes, there are some areas where you do better if you live in the USA than if you live in the UK. But there are so many other ways in which having access to the NHS gives you better outcomes. And you do not have to become bankrupt to do so.
And of course, there are these facts...
FACT - Insurance companies in the USA admit to pushing up prices, buying politicians and not paying out claims when they should
FACT - PER PERSON the USA spends more on healthcare than any other nation on the planet
FACT - Obama debated his plans before the election for healthcare
FACT - the chance of a child under five of dying in the USA is greater than industrialised nations with universal healthcoverage
FACT - Obama was elected by the American people to bring in change
FACT - Obama wants to stop insurance companies from screwing the American people
FACT - The reforms Obama wants work in the Netherlands and in Switzerland
Sorry of this causes offence to some. That is not the intent and I am always open to debate. If you want to debate, feel free to e-mail me using Yahoo! Answers, or if you want, you can post comments here. If you want to post abuse, or a negative comment, I am more than happy to publish those posts as well.
But, remember, rationing occurs in all healthcare systems. It is up to the people of a nation to decide if they want that based on health related factors, or on the ability to pay.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Why we love the NHS
This is from a UNISON Factsheet specially prepared for sister unions in the USA and was produced by UNISON to counter the lies and half truths that the right in the USA produce about the NHS in the UK. I hope UNISON do not mind me posting it here, even though it is a bit out of date, dating back to Augst 2009.
The UK’s National Health Service provides a comprehensive range of services that is free at the point of need and accessible to all. It provides peace of mind to millions, regardless of their income or employment circumstances.
The NHS has come under attack from right-wing critics of President Obama’s health plans. Some of these claims, such as those that patients over a certain age cannot receive treatment for brain tumours or heart bypasses, are simply untrue – there are no such bans and nor have there ever been.
Various rogue British commentators, such as Daniel Hannani and Karol Sikoraii, are trying to portray the NHS as dysfunctional or describing it as a “60 year mistake”. However, as the facts and figures below demonstrate, nothing could be further from the truth.
Is the NHS an efficient system?
- OECD figures show that UK total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (8.4%) is actually below the OECD average and a long way below that of the USA, which has easily the most expensive system at 16%, nearly double UK spending.iii
- The UK spend per head of population is $2,992 as opposed to $7,290 in the USA.iv
- The UK NHS is largely free of the huge transaction costs associated with revenue collection and marketing that blight other systems, such as the USA.v As a result, the cost of administration in the UK is estimated at around 12% compared to more than 30% in the USA.vi
- The UK spends 3% of its budget on management costs, as opposed to 17% in the USA.vii
- The NHS has not been complacent or uncritically carried on as normal; a major review at the start of this decade evaluated different healthcare funding options and concluded that the current method of NHS funding through general taxation was both the fairest and most efficient one.viii
- The UK spend per head of population is $2,992 as opposed to $7,290 in the USA.iv
- The UK NHS is largely free of the huge transaction costs associated with revenue collection and marketing that blight other systems, such as the USA.v As a result, the cost of administration in the UK is estimated at around 12% compared to more than 30% in the USA.vi
- The UK spends 3% of its budget on management costs, as opposed to 17% in the USA.vii
- The NHS has not been complacent or uncritically carried on as normal; a major review at the start of this decade evaluated different healthcare funding options and concluded that the current method of NHS funding through general taxation was both the fairest and most efficient one.viii
- Productivity in the NHS has been rising alongside recent extra funding, for example by 0.7 per cent in 2006 and by 1.2 per cent in 2007.ix
What are the waiting times for treatment on the NHS?
- From January 2009, no one in England waits more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their treatment.x Most importantly, the average wait for treatment is much shorter, at just 8 weeks. And median waiting times are just over 2 weeks for outpatients and 4 weeks for inpatients.xi
- For cancer patients, 99.7% of patients are seen within 2 weeks from urgent GP referral to outpatient appointment. For breast cancer, 99.8 % of patients are treated within 1 month from diagnosis to treatment. xii
- Virtually all patients are treated within four hours at Accident & Emergency units in hospitals.xiii
How is the NHS performing?
- Claims that clinical outcomes in the NHS are lagging behind other countries, particularly the USA, are wide of the mark.
- For example, the UK outperforms the USA where mortality rates from lung cancers are concerned.xiv
- Likewise, UK mortality rates from heart disease and stroke are considerably better than the USA.xv
- And in terms of in-hospital recovery from stroke, the UK is ranked second only to Japan amongst the OECD countries.xvi
How does the UK system compare to others?
- In comparison with the healthcare systems of five other comparable countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the USA) the NHS was found to be the most impressive overall by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund in 2007 (the USA came last). Specifically the NHS was rated as the best system in terms of quality of care, co-ordination of care, and equity, but also, crucially, in terms of the efficiency of care.xvii
- The last time the World Health Organization produced a ranking of the world’s health systems, the UK was ranked considerably higher than the USA.xviii
- Life expectancy at birth is greater in the UK than in the USA and the infant mortality rate is lower in the UK than in the USA.xix
What is NICE?
- Far from being a “death panel”, the National Institute for healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is a world-renowned body that evaluates the effectiveness of drugs for use in the UK health system.
- NICE does not put a limit on the amount the NHS can spend on an individual patient.
What are the waiting times for treatment on the NHS?
- From January 2009, no one in England waits more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their treatment.x Most importantly, the average wait for treatment is much shorter, at just 8 weeks. And median waiting times are just over 2 weeks for outpatients and 4 weeks for inpatients.xi
- For cancer patients, 99.7% of patients are seen within 2 weeks from urgent GP referral to outpatient appointment. For breast cancer, 99.8 % of patients are treated within 1 month from diagnosis to treatment. xii
- Virtually all patients are treated within four hours at Accident & Emergency units in hospitals.xiii
How is the NHS performing?
- Claims that clinical outcomes in the NHS are lagging behind other countries, particularly the USA, are wide of the mark.
- For example, the UK outperforms the USA where mortality rates from lung cancers are concerned.xiv
- Likewise, UK mortality rates from heart disease and stroke are considerably better than the USA.xv
- And in terms of in-hospital recovery from stroke, the UK is ranked second only to Japan amongst the OECD countries.xvi
How does the UK system compare to others?
- In comparison with the healthcare systems of five other comparable countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the USA) the NHS was found to be the most impressive overall by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund in 2007 (the USA came last). Specifically the NHS was rated as the best system in terms of quality of care, co-ordination of care, and equity, but also, crucially, in terms of the efficiency of care.xvii
- The last time the World Health Organization produced a ranking of the world’s health systems, the UK was ranked considerably higher than the USA.xviii
- Life expectancy at birth is greater in the UK than in the USA and the infant mortality rate is lower in the UK than in the USA.xix
What is NICE?
- Far from being a “death panel”, the National Institute for healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is a world-renowned body that evaluates the effectiveness of drugs for use in the UK health system.
- NICE does not put a limit on the amount the NHS can spend on an individual patient.
- Its evaluation process involves top medical experts working alongside members of the public and many other health systems in the world are now looking to duplicate its approach to drug evaluation.
- NICE rejects only a tiny percentage of all the drugs it assesses for use on the NHS (around 5 per cent) and since 1999 has recommended over 90 per cent of the cancer drugs it has been asked to look at.xx
What do patients think of their NHS?
- The NHS remains a defining feature of life in the UK, consistently rated as more popular than the Royal Family or Parliament.
- The NHS regulator’s latest patient survey recorded 92% of patients saying their care was “good”, “very good” or “excellent”.xxi
- According to the 2009 British Social Attitudes report, satisfaction with the NHS is at its highest level for 25 years. And those with personal experience of the NHS rate it highest of all.xxii
What do people say about the NHS?
- Professor Stephen Hawking: “I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived”.
- Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "I love the NHS because they saved me from certain death following a massive heart attack. Also, when my wife of 36 years was terminally ill with cancer the NHS looked after her diligently and with expertise and patience".
- Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “The NHS makes the difference between pain and comfort, life and death”.
- UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis: “Regardless of your income, the NHS provides peace of mind even at the most uncertain economic times, like those we're experiencing now. In the US, losing your job means losing your health insurance”.
About UNISON
UNISON is a powerful voice for working people in the United Kingdom. We have over 1.3 million members working in public services, the community and voluntary sector and for private companies.
UNISON is the UK's largest healthcare trade union – representing 400,000 nurses, student nurses, midwives, health visitors, healthcare assistants, paramedics, cleaners, porters, catering staff, medical secretaries, clerical and admin staff and scientific and technical staff.
UNISON campaigns for quality public services as the foundation of a strong economy and a fair society. Add your voice to ours at http://www.unison.org.uk/million
- NICE rejects only a tiny percentage of all the drugs it assesses for use on the NHS (around 5 per cent) and since 1999 has recommended over 90 per cent of the cancer drugs it has been asked to look at.xx
What do patients think of their NHS?
- The NHS remains a defining feature of life in the UK, consistently rated as more popular than the Royal Family or Parliament.
- The NHS regulator’s latest patient survey recorded 92% of patients saying their care was “good”, “very good” or “excellent”.xxi
- According to the 2009 British Social Attitudes report, satisfaction with the NHS is at its highest level for 25 years. And those with personal experience of the NHS rate it highest of all.xxii
What do people say about the NHS?
- Professor Stephen Hawking: “I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived”.
- Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "I love the NHS because they saved me from certain death following a massive heart attack. Also, when my wife of 36 years was terminally ill with cancer the NHS looked after her diligently and with expertise and patience".
- Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “The NHS makes the difference between pain and comfort, life and death”.
- UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis: “Regardless of your income, the NHS provides peace of mind even at the most uncertain economic times, like those we're experiencing now. In the US, losing your job means losing your health insurance”.
About UNISON
UNISON is a powerful voice for working people in the United Kingdom. We have over 1.3 million members working in public services, the community and voluntary sector and for private companies.
UNISON is the UK's largest healthcare trade union – representing 400,000 nurses, student nurses, midwives, health visitors, healthcare assistants, paramedics, cleaners, porters, catering staff, medical secretaries, clerical and admin staff and scientific and technical staff.
UNISON campaigns for quality public services as the foundation of a strong economy and a fair society. Add your voice to ours at http://www.unison.org.uk/million
i Daniel Hannan is a Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for SE England.
ii Dr Karol Sikora is a founder member of the UK think tank Doctors for Reform.
iii OECD Health Data 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf
iv OECD Health Date 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf
v See for example, “Competition in a publicly funded healthcare system”, S Woolhandler, D Himmelstein, British Medical Journal, 2007, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7630/1126
vi David Rowland, Allyson Pollock & Neil Vickers, “The British Labour Government's Reform of the National Health Service”, Journal of Public Health Policy, 2001. And S Woolhandler, T Campbell, D Himmelstein, “Costs of health care administration in the United States and Canada”, New England Journal of Medicine,2003, http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/349/8/768
vii NHS Confederation, Key Statistics on the NHS, http://www.nhsconfed.org
viii Derek Wanless, Securing our future health: taking a long-term view, 2002,
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_wanless_index.htm
ix Office for National Statistics, June 2009, Total public service output and productivity, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/TotalPublicServiceFinalv5.pdf
x Department of Health, Referral to treatment statistics, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/18WeeksReferraltoTreatmentstatistics/index.htm
xi NHS Confederation, Key Statistics on the NHS, http://www.nhsconfed.org
xii Department of Health, NHS cancer waiting times, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_091122
xiii Department of Health, Total time spent in A&E, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/AccidentandEmergency/DH_079085
xiv OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xv OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xvi OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xvii The Commonwealth Fund, 2007, Mirror Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2007/May/Mirror--Mirror-on-the-Wall--An-International-Update-on-the-Comparative-Performance-of-American-Healt.aspx
xviii WHO, http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
xix OECD Health Data 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf and http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/2/38980580.pdf
xx Health Service Journal online, “NICE chairman hits back at critics”, Sir Michael Rawlins, 18 August 2008, http://www.hsj.co.uk/nice-chairman-hits-back-at-critics/1799765.article
xxi Adult Inpatient Survey Results 2007, published 2008, http://www.nhssurveys.org/Filestore/documents/Key_Findings_report_for_the_2007_Inpatients_Survey.pdf
xxii John Appleby and Miranda Phillips, “The NHS: satisfied now?”, British Social Attitudes: the 25th Report, 2009, http://www.natcen.ac.uk/bsa/docs/BSA-25-Report.pdf
ii Dr Karol Sikora is a founder member of the UK think tank Doctors for Reform.
iii OECD Health Data 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf
iv OECD Health Date 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf
v See for example, “Competition in a publicly funded healthcare system”, S Woolhandler, D Himmelstein, British Medical Journal, 2007, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7630/1126
vi David Rowland, Allyson Pollock & Neil Vickers, “The British Labour Government's Reform of the National Health Service”, Journal of Public Health Policy, 2001. And S Woolhandler, T Campbell, D Himmelstein, “Costs of health care administration in the United States and Canada”, New England Journal of Medicine,2003, http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/349/8/768
vii NHS Confederation, Key Statistics on the NHS, http://www.nhsconfed.org
viii Derek Wanless, Securing our future health: taking a long-term view, 2002,
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_wanless_index.htm
ix Office for National Statistics, June 2009, Total public service output and productivity, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/TotalPublicServiceFinalv5.pdf
x Department of Health, Referral to treatment statistics, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/18WeeksReferraltoTreatmentstatistics/index.htm
xi NHS Confederation, Key Statistics on the NHS, http://www.nhsconfed.org
xii Department of Health, NHS cancer waiting times, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_091122
xiii Department of Health, Total time spent in A&E, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/AccidentandEmergency/DH_079085
xiv OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xv OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xvi OECD, Health at a Glance 2007, http://www.oecd.org/health/healthataglance
xvii The Commonwealth Fund, 2007, Mirror Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2007/May/Mirror--Mirror-on-the-Wall--An-International-Update-on-the-Comparative-Performance-of-American-Healt.aspx
xviii WHO, http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
xix OECD Health Data 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/4/38980557.pdf and http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/2/38980580.pdf
xx Health Service Journal online, “NICE chairman hits back at critics”, Sir Michael Rawlins, 18 August 2008, http://www.hsj.co.uk/nice-chairman-hits-back-at-critics/1799765.article
xxi Adult Inpatient Survey Results 2007, published 2008, http://www.nhssurveys.org/Filestore/documents/Key_Findings_report_for_the_2007_Inpatients_Survey.pdf
xxii John Appleby and Miranda Phillips, “The NHS: satisfied now?”, British Social Attitudes: the 25th Report, 2009, http://www.natcen.ac.uk/bsa/docs/BSA-25-Report.pdf
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