Published 21 April 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b1573
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b1573

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This house believes doctors are neglecting their duty to lead health service changes: Second opposer

doi:10.1136/bmj.b1555doi:10.1136/bmj.b1578doi:10.1136/bmj.b1572doi:10.1136/bmj.b1577

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Medicine has been evolving for thousands of years. The National Health Service is 60 years young. It is an instrument of delivery of health services led by politicians and directed by civil servants to promote the health of the nation. At its core the relative priorities of health care and the way they are received by patients and communities in the UK are shaped by policy. Between the policy at the centre and the individual patient in the distant community are structures which are in a constant state of flux. The NHS is but one of many systems in use worldwide and, by most measurements, not necessarily the best.

Few practising doctors today who qualified and trained in the UK will have any experience of any other health system. The NHS has become synonymous in the minds of the public and the profession with health in the UK. In practice . . . [Full text of this article]

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