OECD rates quality of UK healthcare as worse than in many similar countries

Access to healthcare in the United Kingdom is good, but the quality of care is not so good, shows the latest digest of statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.1 The UK’s health spending remains lower than in similar developed economies and is below the OECD average.

Health at a Glance is an annual publication that brings together a mass of statistics from 34 OECD member countries and 10 partner countries. This year’s edition, which is based chiefly on 2013 statistics, finds the UK ranked near average for most outcomes measured—but, given that the OECD 34 includes several less developed nations such as Turkey and the former Eastern Bloc countries, this is not as satisfactory as it might appear.

Against …