Disposable Instruments how widely used?

[Beaaware]

From experience I have noticed that some instruments in private hospitals are disposable but not on the NHS, certainly this applies to cervical smears, why is this?

All the speculums I've encountered recently (since 2008 - smear, coil insertion, coil removal) have been disposable plastic ones. These were in 2 completely different geographic areas.

god nearly evrything is bloody disposable now, the midwives at work have to give each prgnant woman a disposable tape measure (for health and safety apparently) and every time they take blood they are supposed to use disposable sphygs. lunacy if you ask me, what a bloody waste. I will agree with you on speculums though, disposable plastic ones much better then the old metal type ones.