That we have problems with the NHS is undeniable.  But let me tell you about one incident that shows that when it works it’s a fantastic asset to the UK.

A friend of mine lives in a town nestled ‘twixt Cardiff and Chepstow.
I needn’t paint you a picture for you to know the place to which I’m referring.
Besides, where would you put it if I went to the time and trouble of painting one for you?  Your walls are currently covered in Christmas cards, tinsel and baubles!

I suppose you could hang it in the loo.  But that would be an insult to my artistic…where was I?

A couple of Sundays ago, my friend’s wife – let’s call her Molly for no other reason than it might make her smile – started coughing, shivering and felt feverish.  Molly took the usual flu relief tablets, went to bed and woke up on the Monday feeling slightly better.  But by the afternoon she rapidly went downhill, wheezing, weak and nauseous. Then she started to cough up spots of blood.   Reluctant, as we all are right now, to call an ambulance to attend A & E, she asked her husband to call their GP surgery for advice.  When he got through, their advice was to call the NHS helpline.  He did so and eventually Molly was able to speak to a very helpful call handler who said a doctor would call back in a few hours.  This was around 4.30 pm.

Just after 10 that evening, by which time Molly was feeling worse, a different call handler phoned back to apologise for the delay in a doctor phoning, explaining that the service was incredibly busy.  Just 11pm a clinician phoned and was very thorough in her questions about Molly’s condition and said she’d pass the information on to a doctor who would call soon.
The doctor phoned around two am and suggested my friend should drive his wife to A& E. Although he doesn’t drive, their daughter, who was aware of the situation and worried sick, had insisted that if Molly had to go to hospital she would drive her and they should phone her whatever time it was.  However, when my friend hesitated about Molly being taken to A&E, the doctor said if they preferred he could arrange a home visit – which took my friend aback as he didn’t know these still happened.

Long story short, around 4 am, an excellent, reassuring doctor arrived, examined Molly and diagnosed pneumonia. She gave Molly seven day’s supply of antibiotics and currently she’s recovering, albeit slowly, while waiting for an X-ray appointment.

This is an example of how, when it works in a joined-up manner, the NHS is an incredibly professional, caring organisation.  May I raise a glass and propose a pre-Christmas toast…

“To our National Health, ladies and gentlemen!”