Very true. bankhaunter, a very dangerous road indeed.  It would be better to start by reducing waste in hospitals.  I know people employed by the NHS and have heard of many examples - perfectly good chairs being thrown out and replaced, a treatment room being kept heated and lit but empty, and staff being paid overtime to use it after their normal working hours, financial rewards being offered to any employee who can recruit a nurse, doubled if the nurse stays 6 months...  Too many managers who are not up to the job.  The higher up their career ladder they go, the further removed they are from real life.