The lastest proposals by the coalition government to use the NHS brand overseas to generate millions of pounds for the UK has had the media in a right old tizzy.
Pundits couldn't decide how to present the plans to leverage the world class stature of UK medical expertise overseas in operations, no pun intended. Was it the UK, fresh in its Olympic afterglow leading the way or wicked politicians selling the family silver?
Shorlty after the Tories had suggested the idea there were howls of opposition, accusations that the coalition was selling out the NHS. It shorlty became clear that Moorfields had opened such an outlet in the Middle East in 2007 and it was doing very nicely thank you.
Suddlenly it was realised that great benefits had been realised from that venture. As the story unfolded it turned out that Labour had picked up on this and suggested such as scheme itself shortly before losing office. Sadly that project had proved a bit of a damp squib and no deals had been done.
It's interesting that Moorfields should be a shining example of success in this area. Perhaps someone might suggest primary eyecare could make a similar leap.
Perhaps the great model used by high Street opticians could be exported. Who knows, one day there could be UK branded optician stores on the streets of places as far flung as Sydney, Marbella, Copenhagen or Oslo....Perhaps the NHS should have gone there too?
Whatever happens its clear that clinicians, not marketeers or politicans, are the best people to decide where services will work and are the ones to make it happen.