The National Health Service has always been portrayed as one of the best care systems in the world. But statistically, Britain is not the best place to be if you are suffering from cancer. DEBBIE WAITE reports.

CANCER sufferer Jade Topp says she is so fed up with NHS services in Swindon that she is returning to her birthplace in America for the healthcare she needs.

Today she criticised old-fashioned views on treatment, long waiting lists and outdated facilities that she believes make the health facilities in this country second rate.

Mrs Topp, 40, moved to Swindon in May 2001 after marrying her husband Iain, 26, whom she met on the internet.

Four years earlier, while living in California, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer of the blood and bones. At the time she was treated successfully by American doctors and since being given the all-clear two years ago, had been on a programme of pain relief to help her manage the agony she still suffered in her affected joints.

But upon arriving in Swindon, Mrs Topp, of Cricklade Road, says she was left dumbfounded by the standard of care and apathy she experienced at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Mortified by the long waiting lists for regular checks on her blood, she's now so frightened of what will happen if her cancer returns, that she's returning to America rather than trust her life to the NHS.

She said: "When I decided to move here with my husband I didn't realise that I would be dealing with Victorian medicine.

"The concept of pain management is commonplace for cancer sufferers in America, but when I asked about it here I was looked at like I was a junkie.

"As a result of not having pain relief, I've become a lot more immobile and have put on lots of weight.

"And although I would have been having blood tests every six months in America to make sure my cancer hadn't come back, I was told at PMH that I would have to go on a waiting list and then wait six months afterwards for the results.

"Quite simply I said 'No way, this is my body and I want to know if the cancer comes back so I can fight it again, not find out when it's too late'."

Mrs Topp says she will be sad to leave Swindon as she loves Britain and its people, but she fears that if she does not leave, she might not survive if her cancer comes back.

She said: "In the US we have the equivalent of your NHS called Public Assistance. These patients receive the same quality if care as a cash paying patient, right down to and including in-hospital privacy. Regardless of your ability to pay you are placed in either a private or semi-private room. This not only reduces infection but also speeds recovery. Wards were eliminated 40 years ago."

Mrs Topp, her husband and son Antoni, 12 will be returning to Pennsylvania in America for good in eight weeks.

She said: "I feel I would rather opt for a better chance of survival in the 21st century in America than risk my life in the 19th century here."

PMH spokesman Chris Birdsall said: "From our own perspective, our performance in seeing patients referred with a suspected cancer is very good, with us seeing all or almost all these referrals within two weeks.

"Our new hospital at Commonhead, the Great Western, is far from Victorian and offers superb facilities.

"The NHS treats millions of people every year and if the letters and comments we receive are indicative of the situation nationally, most are grateful for the skill and dedication of the people who provide them with their care."