Healthcare in the United Kingdom Healthcare in the

Healthcare in the United Kingdom

Healthcare in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, with England, Northern Ireland, Scotland Wales each having their own systems of publicly funded healthcare, funded by and accountable to separate governments and parliaments, together with smaller private sector and voluntary provision. As a result of each country having different policies and priorities, a variety of differences now exist between these systems.

The National Health Service (NHS) is the name of the public health services of England, Scotland Wales, and is commonly used to refer to those of Northern Ireland.

Each NHS system uses General Practitioners (GPs) to provide primary healthcare and to make referrals to further services as necessary. Hospitals then provide more specialist services, including care for patients with psychiatric illnesses, as well as direct access to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. Community pharmacies are privately owned but have contracts with the relevant health service to supply prescription drugs.

Healthcare in England MOST HEALTHCARE IN ENGLAND IS PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (NHS), ENGLAND'S PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR MOST OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S BUDGET.

NHS ▪ Healthcare in England is mainly provided by England's public health service, the National Health Service, that provides healthcare to all permanent residents of the United Kingdom that is free at the point of use and paid for from general taxation. Since health is a devolved matter, there are differences with the provisions for healthcare elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Though the public system dominates healthcare provision in England, private health care and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are available for those willing to pay.

Нealthcare in Scotland THE MAJORITY OF HEALTHCARE IN SCOTLAND IS PROVIDED BY NHS SCOTLAND; SCOTLAND'S CURRENT NATIONAL SYSTEM OF PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTHCARE WAS CREATED IN 1948 AT THE SAME TIME AS THOSE IN NORTHERN IRELAND IN ENGLAND WALES, INCORPORATING AND EXPANDING UPON SERVICES ALREADY PROVIDED BY LOCAL AND NATIONAL AUTHORITIES AS WELL AS PRIVATE AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

Overall Scotland has a healthy population. The average life expectancy in 2014 was 79. 4 years, mortality rates from illnesses such as cancer and heart disease are declining, and obesity rates have stayed stable. But because Scotland is a country with large rural expanses (i. e. 20% of the population lives across 94% of the land space), there are parts of the population that find it challenging to access some healthcare services.

Healthcare in Wales THE MAJORITY OF HEALTHCARE IN WALES IS PROVIDED BY NHS WALES. THIS BODY WAS ORIGINALLY FORMED AS PART OF THE SAME NHS STRUCTURE FOR ENGLAND WALES CREATED BY THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT 1946 BUT POWERS OVER THE NHS IN WALES CAME UNDER THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WALES IN 1969[25] AND, IN TURN, RESPONSIBILITY FOR NHS WALES WAS PASSED TO THE WELSH ASSEMBLY AND THE WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT UNDER DEVOLUTION IN 1999.

University Hospital of Wales

Healthcare in Northern Ireland THE BIGGEST PART OF HEALTHCARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND IS PROVIDED BY HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND. THOUGH THIS ORGANIZATION DOES NOT USE THE TERM 'NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE', IT IS STILL SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE 'NHS'.