I couldn't breath at night because of tonsilitis when I was young, but I guess soon the luxury of breath will not be available on the NHS.

Posted by nic at January 30, 2007 07:49 PM

I wonder whether IVF, 'gender realignment' surgery and methadone treatment would be chargeable.

Posted by Ian Bennett at January 31, 2007 12:17 PM

Bits are also being cut off so as to ensure that PFI debts are serviced. Certain interests are doing well out of all this - and Patsy is happy to deliver (i.e. hand over).

Posted by lost_nurse at January 31, 2007 06:08 PM

If the NHS knows that some treatments are ineffective and there is "not good evidence that they work", the real question is why it is doing them now, not whether it should bill patients in future. Who is recommending these operations and why? Is it in someone's interest to perform ineffective operations?

Posted by HJHJ at January 31, 2007 07:21 PM

I loved The Welfare State We're In and every time I hear the word healthcare come out of Hillary Clinton's mouth, I think of it and shudder.

Posted by Ashley at February 2, 2007 10:47 PM

I don’t know what the ‘success rate’ is for grommets, but I do know from personal experience that they can be successful as they have relieved my young daughter of excruciating earache and enabled her to hear and participate at school.

Are we now to have an NHS which only performs operations which are guaranteed to be a success every time – a fairly small list – so that the government can massage the figures to suit themselves? God help us all.

Posted by Rob Clark at February 6, 2007 05:09 PM