Another tidbit just in from England, focusing attention on their socialized medical system. - Robert Bartell
HEALTHCARE, etc * NHS bed crisis hitting London The NHS is facing an emergency beds crisis with just one intensive care bed available in London. A spokesman for the ambulance service has said that a major incident or flu epidemic would lead to a serious crisis in hospitals. The Department of Health admitted that the service was under strain but said an extra 41 critical care beds in London would be in use by Dec 1. The solitary free bed was in the Royal Free Hospital, east London. The next nearest emergency bed was north of London in Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Ambulance crews in at least six hospitals in the capital were unable to respond to emergency calls. Some crews had to wait up to four hours for beds to become free so that they could deliver patients. Some also had to surrender their stretchers to hospitals, making their vehicles redundant. Source: The Daily Telegraph Useful link: http://telegraph.co.uk
