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What is the postcode lottery?

lottery NHS postcode Society
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What is the postcode lottery?

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The postcode lottery is shorthand for seemingly random countrywide variations in the provision and quality of public services – the huge gap between the best and the rest. Where you live defines the standard of services you can expect. So if you live in the “wrong” area, and, in extreme cases, on the “wrong” side of a road, you may get a poorer service than your neighbour or you may not get the service at all and have to pay for it privately. The postcode lottery is a big issue in the NHS, where the gap between the rhetoric of a comprehensive and universal “national” service and the reality is increasingly stretched. Which services are affected by the postcode lottery? In practice, there are geographical variations in almost all aspects of care. Recent examples include variations in charges for disabled people’s home care; NHS availability of the multiple sclerosis drug, beta interferon; availability of NHS invitro fertilisation services; waiting times for NHS treatment; assessment of

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