National Health Service (NHS), the health care system of the United Kingdom, provides state-funded medical services to all residents. The NHS system consists of four separate services for: (1) England, (2) Northern Ireland, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales. Each service is administered by the health department of the respective political division.
The NHS provides health care services, including primary care, inpatient (hospital) care, long-term care, mental health care, and dental care, as well as preventive medicine and community services. Most services are offered free of charge and paid for mainly from general taxes. The system charges small fees for optician and dental services and for prescription drugs. People who are employed make an additional contribution through a compulsory health insurance plan.
Many people make use of the services of the NHS by consulting a local doctor called a general practitioner (GP). General practitioners are independent health care providers who receive funding from the government and can buy support—including nurses, ambulances, and hospital services—from NHS agencies. A GP can also refer a patient to a hospital-based specialist. The NHS directly employs most doctors, nurses, and other health care providers who work in U.K. hospitals.
The British government founded the NHS in 1948 as the world’s first national system to provide comprehensive medical care to all citizens based on need rather than the ability to pay. Since then, the NHS has undergone many changes in organization to cope with the rising cost of health care, increasing sophistication in medical treatments, and a growing demand for health care services driven by the aging of the population.
Many Commonwealth nations, independent countries and other political units once under British law and government, have health care systems that are similar to or influenced by the NHS. A number of them, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, have national health insurance programs administered by the state to cover the cost of health care for citizens.
See also Medicine (The United Kingdom) .
