Might I suggest that running a relatively small military medical service is a bit different to running the NHS (the largest organisation in Europe). The larger the organisation, the more scope there is for reform. The armed forces medical services deal with a generally fit and disciplined customer base and are not normally burdened with resource-sapping older people, smack heads and malingerers.
If the NHS is seen as a sacred cow, that is because most people like it that way. With advances in medicine and higher public expectations, there will never be sufficient resources for the NHS and, consequently, it will always be found wanting.
Have I missed something or are the health and education sectors not almost buckling under the weight of performance targets and reforms?