Wait until you get really sick in the UK. My father has some gastro intestinal issues (amongst other things) and needs to have a gastroscopy. He has been waiting 3 weeks for an 'emergency' appointment. My mother who has knee problems that are making it hard for her to walk takes care of my Dad. Her GP thinks she need arthroscopic surgery and wants to take an X-Ray to confirm this. Her appointment for this is 3-4 MONTHS from now. That's just the X-Ray, not the surgery. The ONLY good thing about the NHS is that it is universal, but increasing numbers of Brits are using their hard earned money to go private for some procedures because the waits are so long.