But in any case it doesn’t surprise me.
The ridiculous devolution arrangements put in place for the three minor constituent parts of the UK was always going to lead to such scandals. To shovel money from England to the other parts and then set up a bureaucracy to claim it back is bad enough. But to deny somebody treatment on the basis of the part of the UK they come from is scandalous.
Lance-Corporal Brown is entitled to feel miffed. Strangely enough this girl:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai
was also treated in the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham (the same place that told L/Cpl Brown they could no longer tend his wounds). I don’t recall there being any argument about whether she would be treated there or not on the basis that she did not come from England, When things like this happen the UK becomes the laughing stock of the civilised world. Devolution is one of the most ridiculous fiascos that UK politicians have presided over in recent years (and there have been plenty to choose from). I suppose we’d all better watch out when travelling outside our “Home Nation” (but still within the UK, which is the nation that “national” in NHS refers to).