it's weird because they take a much more relaxed attitude here. they call a pap smear, a cervical smear and it is as basic as it sounds. they could have sent me the swab and i could have done it myself, no actual exam, in the US sense and it's only allowed every three years. i am having some heavy bleeding and am going to have an actual exam of my female organs in a few weeks for the first time in over 4 years! while i have had two mamograms in the US in my 40's, they are not allowed here on the NHS until your 50th birthday.

saying all that though, cancer has become a BIG concern with the NHS and any suspicious lump/result will be followed up by a specialist within two weeks. i can say that it does happen because i had a funny fast growing mole on my nose and i was seen in the dermatology clinic within the 2 weeks.

birth control/morning after pill, sexually transmitted disease/HIV clinics and abortion services are freely and widely available from the NHS. although a co worker went to an out of hours NHS clinic on a sunday asking for the morning after pill and was refused because they only provide (free)emergency contraception when another method has failed. however that's only a case of limited resources, they can easily be obtained (for a fee) from a chemist.

i am a huge supporter of nationalized healthcare, even though the NHS is basic and simple, it is free to all people who are here legally at the point of service. there is a misconception that it is "FREE", it is not.... i think i pay more here than i paid for insurance in the US but it does cover everyone and that is a very good thing for a society.