Abstract

AIM: In response to American colleagues' concerns about the state of the NHS, we undertook a comparison of deaths in England and Wales and the US. METHOD: Figures for 1974-2000 were obtained from World Health Organization data on all-cause and cancer mortality rates. RESULTS: Overall rates fell substantially in all three countries but there was a more significant drop in England and Wales over the period. The reduction in deaths in England and Wales was also economically more effective. CONCLUSION: This finding is a credit to the NHS and should be a boost for patient and staff morale.