"One rarely gets to choose a surgeon. But turning one down based on their forename is a bit like turning one down based on accent or skin colour etc. Just makes you ignorant and you should be grateful the NHS isn't merit based"
You are making a lot of assumptions, here.
I did not imply that I would turn down an NHS surgeon on the basis of his or her forename.
What I said was that if I were choosing a surgeon, as one does when one books a private consultation, I would not choose someone with the names I listed.
I did not imply that I would consider a surgeon with any of the names I had listed to be less qualified than someone with a name that did not make me cringe.
I was not thinking about the NHS, where, as you rightly say, you don't often get to select the consultant to whom a referral is being made.
In the past, I have had an NHS consultant with the first name "Tyrone" - not a name I care for but it certainly did not occur to me that he might be any less qualified or skilled than a "Simon" or a "James" or a "Richard".
I would simply be put off by a name that made me cringe were I selecting a specialist out of half a dozen others all with similar qualifications, experience etc.
I don't think that is being "ignorant" nor does it have anything to do with perceptions of class.
I just don't like some names and many of those considered "cool" or "edgy" come into that category.