For stuff like GPs and A&E in London I think the volume of people seeking help and the private practice stuff hampers 'service' but in a proper emergency (as above) I was rushed to the premier brain surgery ward and operated on multiple times. I still get regular MRIs and it all cost me nothing. Even as foreign scum it's free. So, as much as I hate having to dive on the phone and call on the day I want an appointment with a GP, I can't really complain too much about the NHS. Australia has a similar thing in Medicare.
Its scary how your nose disappears!