The National Ill-Health Service

When the National health Service was introduced in 1948 it was greeted as a wonderful aid for workers who could not afford basic health care, but with the passage of time it has been exposed as a cheap substitute for worthwhile medical assistance. 'Tens of thousands of patients are dying needlessly in hospital every year from kidney failure linked to dehydration, NHS  officials have revealed. They calculate that up to 42,000 deaths a year would be avoided if staff ensured patients had enough to drink and carried out simple tests. NICE, the NHS watchdog, is today issuing guidelines to staff to help them prevent deaths from the condition " known as acute kidney injury" which is common in the  elderly and patients with  heart disease,  diabetes and blood infections.' (Daily Mail, 28 August) Is even a glass of water too much to ask for an ailing worker. RD