Chief casualty could be the senior service

A more emotive word than 'private' would be difficult to find in the world of health care at the moment. As public spending contracts, private medicine, or at least talk of it, expands. Guardians of the NHS are rushing to the defence of their embattled institution. The Government-led 'private' army is mobilising. Trade unions have pitched into the battle and even the innocent populace is caught up in the cross-fire.