In the 50s when I was treated for Polio, the NHS really was the envy of the world. Every Friday my surgeon would arrive with his Ward Round, always accompanied by at least four foreign doctors sent to Stanmore by their hospitals, and paying good money to the NHS for the chance to learn. Today, only one hospital (amongst the eight I patronise) has foreign doctors sent to learn. Mostly the doctors seem to come from EU countries, where they have better survival rates; today was no exception. I asked the nice doctor with excellent English if his British colleagues asked him about how they treated patients, bearing in mind he came from a country with an excellent record of survival, and I would think we could learn something from them. “No. Never” was the reply. Come on NHS, don’t be so arrogant. You are losing the chance to learn something.
