What can you tell us Yanks about Healthcare in the UK

Increasingly, though, services provided by the NHS are commissioned by people in the public purse from private companies. So, in some forms of complex care you might find yourself in a private facility, run by a private company, but with everything paid for by the NHS. T**here's no longer a clear-cut distinction between NHS and private. **In fact, the NHS is moving to separate its commissioning functions from its provider functions completely to encourage competition between public providers and private providers.

True Nigel; had that come about by the nationalisation of private clinics I'd celebrate it; but it's come about by the underhand privatisation of the NHS, so I don't. Anecdotal evidence is always to be treated with caution but I know quite a few GPs none of whom are happy with what's happening and a couple who have direct experience of tendering being rigged to ensure that new practices are run by private companies.