Lovely column by Vanora Bennett on how her grandad was finally cured of his belief that private medicine must be best because you’re paying for it.

And, within 24 hours of excellent treatment, the problem was solved. At lunchtime the next day Grandad was sitting up by his bed, doing the Times crossword and chatting with the nurses, as cheerful as anything. He wasn’t coughing at all.  “Dr Wu took me off the medicine and put me on something else,” he said happily. “I haven’t coughed once since she did.”

It was that simple – a bit of intelligent, disinterested medical care from an NHS doctor who wasn’t looking at a fee of thousands of pounds – just a person in need of attention and reassurance. Despite all the cuts that the Royal Free has been suffering, it can still do better for its patients than the smartest of private care…