Though the Brits have a much maligned health system, according to the Commonwealth Fund’s report in 2014 the NHS outperforms the majority of other western European health systems, including France. It was rated best overall in terms of efficiency, effective care, safe care, co-ordinated care, patient-centred care and cost-related problems. Sadly the report does not tally with the vast number of other publications, not least those produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which ranks the NHS leagues below the majority of its Western neighbours. So what is really happening?