NHS care and spend differs nationwide

National Health Service (NHS) performance indicators including waiting times, health care expenditure and staff productivity vary significantly across the UK, according to a new report from the Nuffield Trust.

While Scotland has the highest rates of NHS expenditure, hospital doctors, nurses and GPs per capita, it also records the highest levels of poor health and lowest rates of medical staff productivity.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, said: "While 'productivity' is important, it is by no means the only measure of how well the NHS is performing.

"The BMA would support the recommendations for more research into health outcomes, as well as the experiences of staff and patients - both areas where the impact of policies in England have often been negative."

NHS Employers recently reported that the care service is facing a real terms cut of around £20 billion in the three years from 2011.

The Coalition Government’s NHS Health Reforms for England have been watered down this week in response to the outcry from the medical profession and poor feedback from the public.  The NHS reforms now...

David Flory the NHS Deputy Chief Executive has admitted that the 18 week pledge which promises that you will start treatment within 18 weeks of your GP referring you, are being increasingly missed. In a...

Despite pledges by David Cameron to keep waiting times low, newly released figures indicate that the number of people waiting more than six weeks for key NHS tests has quadrupled in one year*. In June 2010...

Figures released by the Department of Health show that the number of people waiting for NHS care has gone up by 61% in a year. Nearly 12,000 people waited longer than six months for treatment, and 718 of these...

GPs should not refer women for labiaplasty on the NHS who are in good health but concerned about the appearance of their genitalia, experts say. Specialists at a Central London hospital say they have received...