The UK style healthcare system is fundamentally flawed as it does not attempt to address the root cause of a health problem, and is skewed towards providing a tactical solution to the health problem instead. I.e. fixing up the patient just enough to make them come back later again either with the same or with a new but related health problem. Patients are seen as commercial clients (i.e. cash cows) rather than somebody in a real need. It does not matter who pays (the state or the patient out of the pocket or through a health insurance), as somebody generates the revenue stream for the doctor anyway. Which creates a vicious circle for the patient and adds a unnecessary extra burden on the already strained healthcare system.
Australia and New Zealand face the same problem, but Australia is rolling downhill at a faster pace.
Ironically, one issue with the NHS is retention of staff. A sizeable majority of the new cohorts of junior doctors are steadily migrating to Australia due to the better working conditions.
In the health care world, you either have private, or wait until your condition worsens. Then get put on a different waiting list for that.
There are the haves and have nots.
I wonder if going the Singapore route would work? Probs not though, UK is significantly larger than Singapore.