National Health Service

The four publicly funded healthcare systems in the countries of the United Kingdom, may be referred to as the National Health Service (NHS).

The systems are primarily funded through central taxation. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use for people legally resident in the United Kingdom. The four systems are entirely independent, and operate under different management, rules, and political authority.[1]

The individual systems are:

National Health Service (England)
Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (HSCNI)
NHS Scotland
NHS Wales
All services are often referred to as "the NHS", although only the English NHS is officially called the "National Health Service". All of the services were founded in 1948, based on legislation passed in 1946, 1947 and 1948. NHS Wales was part of the same structure as England until powers over the NHS in Wales were transferred to the Secretary of State for Wales in 1969, and responsibility for NHS Wales was passed to the Welsh Government under devolution in 1999.
History Main articles: History of the National Health Service (England), History of NHS Scotland, and History of NHS Wales
The Labour Government elected in 1945 had made manifesto commitments[2] to implement the recommendations of the Beveridge Report of 1942. The report's recommendation to create "comprehensive health and rehabilitation services for prevention and cure of disease"[3] was implemented across the United Kingdom by 1948. The services were initially funded through general taxation and National Insurance as part of the introduction of a wider Welfare State. They were initially free at the point of use, although some prescription charges were soon introduced in response to economic difficulties. These charges are still in place with the English NHS, but not in the other three systems.

In the UK Parliament at Westminster, the new health services were established through two Acts:

The National Health Service Act 1946, creating the National Health Service in England and Wales
The National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947, creating the National Health Service in Scotland
From 1969 the National Health Service in Wales became a separate entity under the Secretary of State for Wales.

In the Parliament of Northern Ireland at Stormont:

Health Services Act (Northern Ireland) 1948, creating a Health Service in Northern Ireland.
Following devolution in the United Kingdom from 1998, control over the non-English services passed to the devolved national governments, with the UK Government retaining control over the NHS in England.

Structure Each system operates independently, and is politically accountable to the relevant government: the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, and the UK Government which is responsible for England's NHS.

Despite their separate funding and administration, there is no discrimination when a resident of one country of the United Kingdom requires treatment in another, although a patient will often be returned to their home area when they are fit to be moved. The financial and administrative consequences are dealt with by the organisations involved and no personal involvement by the patient is required.

Treatment of people not resident in the United Kingdom is subject to mostly uniform arrangements made by or delegated to the UK Department of Health rather than any individual health service. Foreign nationals always receive treatment free at the time of use for emergencies.

Foreign nationals also receive free treatment if they have been legally resident in the UK for 12 months, have recently arrived to take up permanent residence, are claiming asylum or have other legal resident status. Citizens of European Economic Area nations, as well as those from countries with which the UK has a reciprocal arrangements, are also entitled to free treatment by using the European Health Insurance Card.[4][5] Foreign nationals may be subject to an interview to establish their nationality and residence status, which must be resolved before non-emergency treatment can commence. Patients who do not qualify for free treatment are asked to pay in advance, or to sign a written undertaking to pay.

Treatment for injuries caused in a road traffic accident has been chargeable since the 1930s, but such charges were not generally enforced until the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 came into force to direct the charges to the insurers of the vehicles involved. This necessarily involves patients in the charging process even though they are not personally billed for treatment.

Funding Each National Health Service is mainly funded ultimately from general taxation (with a much smaller amount from National Insurance contributions). Other, less significant sources of income include charging overseas visitors and their insurers for the cost of NHS treatment, charges to patients for prescriptions and dental treatment, hospital car parking, patient telephone services, etc. NHS Trusts can earn income through treating patients privately; in England Trusts generate 0.6% of core revenues this way, much less in the rest of the UK.[1]

Expenditure for 2012/13 is planned to be:

£108.9 billion for National Health Service (England)[6]
£3.9bn for Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland[7]
£9.38bn for NHS Scotland[8]
£5.3bn for NHS Wales[9]
The UK Parliament sets the overall budget available to the NHS in England. It also allocates a block grant to each devolved national government to spend on local needs. Each government may choose how much of its block grant to spend on its health care system.

Cuts to NHS funding have reduced patient care in a wide range of areas including increased delays for cancer treatment. [10]