In May over half a million people waited more than 4 hours in A&E. Not much more than a decade ago that number was negligible. Tens of thousands are waiting 12 hours or more. There can be no doubt this is killing many thousands of people. Excess mortality in 2023 is running above the 5 year average, which includes the pandemic years.
Sam Freedman, “How Bad Does It Need to Get? Understanding the NHS Crisis.”
I went to my dentist a month or two ago. I was shocked by the price for a deep teeth cleaning. A teeth cleaning is included with an annual membership and the deep cleaning is an upcharge from the basic cleaning. I suspect my dentists requires a deep cleaning as a way to charge as much for my free service as the service usually costs retail. I’m in and out of his office in less than 30 minutes usually.
At my last visit the annual membership fee was also due, so my total bill was enough to buy an iPhone 11 on eBay. I don’t think I even spoke to the dentist during the visit; I just met with the dental hygienist. Why was the price so high?