These figures on healthcare costs, expressed by UK-funded pensioners moving abroad in the EU on a E121, are interesting.

The destination countries are no surprise: Spain wins by a country mile. France a significant second, with Cyprus third, and Italy, Germany, Greece and Portugal scrapping for a repercharge place.

But the stats for Ireland (as in Republic of) are intriguing.

Zero. Not one single person who has NHS 'cover' retired to Ireland.

Seems a bit curious.

Back at primary school, back in the day, we used to get free milk. If we were lucky, the crate was delivered not too long before mid-morning break, and the milk would still be coldish. But we weren't often lucky, and it was usually lukewarm

For me, the taste of lukewarm milk is Proustian. Marcel had his madeleines; I had little 1/3 pint-bottles of school milk. I'm not sure if that says more about Proust than me ...

The Telegraph proves the old truism that fear sells; in this case, it's selling health insurance. Wowsa.

BBC News looks at an Indian hospital bringing Fordist principles to healthcare.

... and this proves me right.

Again.

Commercial declarations of interest in NHS Professionals are being sought. Begging the question, shouldn't they have called it NHS Amateurs?

This extends the recent announcement on the fate of Arms' Length Bodies.

Accidents can and do happen. Web hosting renewal gets forgotten.

But it's interesting that just right now, we can't access the source of this story in the Mirror about Lib Dem equalities minister Lynne Featherstone's blog expressing concerns about private operations lengthening NHS waiting times - which is also referenced on her Twitter feed.

Morning, all.

Today, we are thinking about:

The extraction of digits at Mid Staffs over staffing 'issues'. Better extremely late than never.

Controversy emerging over the cancer screening study in the BMJ. Enjoy, data fiends and economists!

Happy Wednesday to you. Not far till the weekend now.

So today ... we have learned that:

GPs should be midwives (which might not have helped this consultant)

'Ello. Childcare day, so the frontiers of health policy knowledge will have to remain broadly un-pushed back (insofar as they are ever pushed back in this parish).

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend, and return refreshed for another foray into the fray.

And fray is exactly what's happening to a veil of secrecy that's been drawn over some pretty ugly things. They are poking their pustular noses into the mainstream media, as discussed below.

Today, we have fresh Maynard Doctrine for you, in which The Good Professor discusses the literary influences and political consequences of the NHS White Paper for its professed goals of equity and excellence.