rec.arts.theatre.musicals

On Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:56:33 +0100, Stephen Farrow
< @ > wrote:

> Eagle wrote:
> > I see you make no mention of waiting lists (which goes a long way to
> > explaining why cancer survival rates are so poor in England --
> > government rationing discourages early diagnosis).
>
> No, actually, if you show up at an NHS medical practice or hospital with
> a potentially cancerous lump, or some other symptom indicating the
> potential presence of a cancer, all the anecdotal evidence I've seen
> from people I know suggests that you get treatment *very* quickly.

That was my experience. They prioritise according to the urgency of
the condition. Last year I went into hospital with what was suspected
to be a life-threatening problem (of the could-drop-dead-at-any-moment
variety) and they'd run a battery of tests on me within a couple of
hours. It turned out the situation wasn't as serious as they thought
and four days later they let me go.

When it really counts the NHS moves very quickly. The long waiting
times happen in cases where a long waiting time isn't going to make
a difference.

--
Matthew Winn
[If replying by mail remove the "r" from "urk"]