To Blindmonsteve, I suspect you've been away for a while. The NHS is being dragged screaing and kicking into the 21st century. Staff are being paid something closer to what they're worth, hospitals are being paid for the procedures they carry out, and as a result have reduced waiting times and the time people spend in hospital, and nearly bankrupted the fovernment by fitting in more procedures than the government bargained for, with the result that the government have had to reduce the amount they pay for each procedure. Hospitals are getting more user-oriented, and both staff and adminstrators are listening to patients and carers. The ancer services users group on which I sit have made some sweeping changes to practices and procedures in our cancer network, and our members sit on site-specific groups, and are treated as equals with other members of those groups.

I found a lump on my back last week, I went to my GP, and was seen by a consultant at the hospital ten days later. If a cancer is suspected you have to be seen by a specialist within two weeks, have a treatment plan within 31 days, and have started treatment within 62 days. Last quarter our hospital had only one case that missed the target, due to the complexities of having treatment split over local hospital and regional cancer centre.

THere are still improvements to be made, but the NHS has improved considerably even over the last five years.

John