Nhs in Uk
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- Date Submitted: 11/30/2015 09:26 AM
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Essay n1 p207 : Structure & Condition of NHS
What is the NHS?
The NHS is a rare example of truly socialized medicine. Health care is provided by a single payer the British government. All appointments and treatments are free to the patient (though paid for through taxes), as are almost all prescription drugs.
How was it formed?
The NHS officially came into being in July 1948, in the wake of World War II, to replace an inadequate system of volunteer hospitals that had, during the war, come to rely on government funding. Doctors and conservative politicians vehemently opposed the NHS in the run-up to its formation, using many of the arguments that opponents of greater government involvement in the U.S. cite today. According to Geoffrey Rivett, author of From Cradle to Grave — The First 60 Years of the NHS, the then head of doctor's body the British Medical Association (BMA), Charles Hill, gave a radio address in 1948 in which he asked, "Do you really want the state to be your doctor?" Today, the BMA is a champion of the NHS and resists any privatization initiatives. In a statement on Aug. 14, BMA chairman Dr. Hamish Meldrum said, "The NHS is not perfect. But the market-style philosophy of the U.S. is a lesson we could do well without."
Scale
The NHS employs more than 1.6 million people, putting it in the top five of the world’s largest workforces together with the US Department of Defence, McDonalds, Walmart and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
The NHS in England is the biggest part of the system by far, catering to a population of 53.9 million and employing more than 1.3 million people. Of those, the clinically qualified staff include 40,236 general practitioners (GPs), 351,446 nurses, 18,576 ambulance staff, and 111,963 hospital and community health service (HCHS) medical and dental staff.
The NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland employs 159,748; 84,817 and 62,603 people respectively.
Funding
Funding for the NHS comes directly from...
What is the NHS?
The NHS is a rare example of truly socialized medicine. Health care is provided by a single payer the British government. All appointments and treatments are free to the patient (though paid for through taxes), as are almost all prescription drugs.
How was it formed?
The NHS officially came into being in July 1948, in the wake of World War II, to replace an inadequate system of volunteer hospitals that had, during the war, come to rely on government funding. Doctors and conservative politicians vehemently opposed the NHS in the run-up to its formation, using many of the arguments that opponents of greater government involvement in the U.S. cite today. According to Geoffrey Rivett, author of From Cradle to Grave — The First 60 Years of the NHS, the then head of doctor's body the British Medical Association (BMA), Charles Hill, gave a radio address in 1948 in which he asked, "Do you really want the state to be your doctor?" Today, the BMA is a champion of the NHS and resists any privatization initiatives. In a statement on Aug. 14, BMA chairman Dr. Hamish Meldrum said, "The NHS is not perfect. But the market-style philosophy of the U.S. is a lesson we could do well without."
Scale
The NHS employs more than 1.6 million people, putting it in the top five of the world’s largest workforces together with the US Department of Defence, McDonalds, Walmart and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
The NHS in England is the biggest part of the system by far, catering to a population of 53.9 million and employing more than 1.3 million people. Of those, the clinically qualified staff include 40,236 general practitioners (GPs), 351,446 nurses, 18,576 ambulance staff, and 111,963 hospital and community health service (HCHS) medical and dental staff.
The NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland employs 159,748; 84,817 and 62,603 people respectively.
Funding
Funding for the NHS comes directly from...