The NHS is safe in my hands ....

Oh how we health care professionals across the UK laughed at that bullshit from Cameron because it was either that or cutting our own throats. Successive Tory and Labour Governments had been hiving off chunks of the NHS, across the UK, to the private sector since the early 1980's. Devolution saw this process halted in Wales and Scotland. NHS Scotland saw a reversal of much of this privatisation when we elected the SNP to Holyrood in 2007 but the damage caused to many Scottish Hospital Trusts and Health Boards by poorly scoped PFI contracts still cuts hard into budgets for patient care.

Over two years ago, on a Question Time in Liverpool, that spawn of Satan (also known as Alex Salmond) warned the BBC listeners what was happening to the NHS in England, why the impact of the cuts to NHS England was critical to Scotland and why the SNP had refused to follow NHS England's 'lead' on hiving off services to private health companies.

As long as the English continue to swallow the NHS England bashing propaganda from the London based media it is estimated we have five years before NHS England will be publicly paid for but privately run for profit. If we want to know how that will look head over to New York and spend a weekend in the A&E department of one of the 'public hospitals', then ponder just what is so bad with current A&E in England or Scotland.

Given the growing conflict between the GDC, Government and the UK's dentists, we could also be seeing the final end of NHS Dentistry in England, inside two years, as a combination of an unworkable NHS England dental contract, the importation of dentists not up to UK standards and the GDC's attempt to double the registration fee to cover the increasing costs of disciplinary action against these poorly qualified dentists brought in to cover successive government's attempts to fill the gaps in NHS Dental provision - tips even Daily Mail / Telegraph reading dentists over the edge.

Why do they import dentists?

Because the UK as a whole does not train enough dentists to meet its needs and is seeing the bulk of its current dental professionals now reaching retirement, the bulk of whom qualified between 1970 and 1980 before the Tories cull of UK University Dental places in the mid 80's to save money. There is a big hole in dental home trained 'manpower' not helped by the increased numbers of lady graduates who, quite correctly, want to take time out to have a family between the ages of 30 and 40, a gap the Tories cuts never allowed for, and the ladies often return on a job share basis to better balance child care needs - a situation now increasingly seen amongst GPs as well. The SNP are seeking to address this shortage in Scotland by opening a new dental course at Aberdeen University. The problem is on most Scottish dental courses 60% of the students are from outside Scotland, attracted to Scotland by the perceived high standard and reputation of our University dental courses (the UK has been importing doctors from the Commonwealth and now the EU since the early 60's for much the same reasons, the problem is the same as with NHS Dentists, most GP's are now reaching retiral age in a large group).

Of course it is 'greedy professionals' who are causing all the problems in NHS England and not the incompetent Westminster politicians nor their out of control Health Quangos and 'Jobs Worths' in the Department of Health for England.

I fear NHS England has already been mostly sold off via Brown's PFI scam and the Tories are simply tidying up the remaining loose ends. If you want to get an idea of NHS England's future get on the 1730 Glasgow Pendolino from Euston on a Friday - where you will more than likely have to stand until Carlisle, the food sold out by Rugby, the toilets will have failed by Crewe and you will be unable to stand any more of the pathetic staff apologies by the time the train is cleared away from the platform at Euston.

Welcome to NHS Scotland on a 'NO' vote.