Netherlands tops health care rankings, with UK in 14th place

The Netherlands is the best country in Europe to live for health care, a new report has found.

The 2014 Euro Health Consumer Index (ECHI) ranked 37 countries according to several factors. These were patient rights and information disclosure; accessibility and waiting times for treatment; outcomes; the range of services offered; illness prevention and access to pharmaceuticals.

The top score possible was 1,000 points, and the Netherlands achieved 898. Switzerland came second, followed by Norway, Finland and Denmark. The UK, excluding Scotland, landed in 14th place (718 points) with Spain 19th and Italy 22nd.

Scotland, which has a separate health service and a higher per-capita spend, was ranked two places below England.

The data for the report was gathered last year. A recent NHS survey of more than 1 million patients, published last month, found that almost 11 per cent of them were unable to get an appointment to see a GP the last time they tried – placing extra strain on accident and emergency departments.