I think bad medical practitioners here are actually fairly common. In my experience, the disparity between the top and bottom is huge.
While the NHS is in no way perfect, I do feel in Britain there's a more level playing field.
In terms of physios here, I highly recommend Caroline Stuart. She does real physio stuff (including massage and manipulation) and is also a certified pilates instructor and integrates that into her programmes to deal with long term problems. Always had good sessions with her dealing with my (long-term) back issues.
The downside is that she is fairly expensive. She used to be at Isofit, but is now at the London Clinic in Central.