The national health service. One of the prides of the British welfare system is the National Health Service

THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

One of the prides of the British welfare system is the National Health Service (NHS), which was set up in 1946 to ensure that everyone has equal access to good medical care. Originally, all medical attention was free, with funds for the service coming from taxes. As the cost of medicine and equipment has risen, some charges have been passed on to the patients. While all hospital treatment, ambulance service, and check-ups by doctors are still free (except for an emergency treatment charge for drivers involved in road accidents), people now pay set charges for prescriptions, dental work and eye tests, which are usually far below the actual costs. GPs still make free house calls, and community health workers and district nurses visit people at home who are convalescent, bedridden or who have new babies, to make sure they are getting on all right.

Private medicine exists alongside the NHS and is now being encouraged, to save the government a lot of money. Most private patients are treated in NHS hospitals by state-trained doctors who earn extra money through taking private patients. People are tempted to go for private treatment in order to get round the long queues for minor operations, but most people do not yet have private medical insurance to help pay the costs. Alternative forms of medicine such as osteopathy, acupuncture, etc are not recognised by the NHS and so must be paid for by the individual.

Foreigners who come to Britain for special medical treatment are considered private patients and must pay the costs. If you are a legal resident in England and want to join the NHS, you should register with a particular GP and go to him or her whenever you need to. You can change doctors if you are not satisfied with yours as long as another doctor has room on her or his list. If you need to see a specialist, you must first go to your GP who will refer you to the specialist for free treatment (without a referral, you will have to pay). Visitors to England who need to see a doctor should just phone or visit the nearest one. You may have to pay.

The quality of care by the medical profession is good, but financial pressures on the system have led to recent cutbacks in staff and facilities at hospitals and clinics. There are long waiting lists for many types of non-emergency operations. In general, the NHS is very good for emergency care, but not so wonderful for chronic, non-emergency or preventive care.

THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

One of the prides of the British welfare system is the National Health Service (NHS), which was set up in 1946 to ensure that everyone has equal access to good medical care. Originally, all medical attention was free, with funds for the service coming from taxes. As the cost of medicine and equipment has risen, some charges have been passed on to the patients. While all hospital treatment, ambulance service, and check-ups by doctors are still free (except for an emergency treatment charge for drivers involved in road accidents), people now pay set charges for prescriptions, dental work and eye tests, which are usually far below the actual costs. GPs still make free house calls, and community health workers and district nurses visit people at home who are convalescent, bedridden or who have new babies, to make sure they are getting on all right.

Private medicine exists alongside the NHS and is now being encouraged, to save the government a lot of money. Most private patients are treated in NHS hospitals by state-trained doctors who earn extra money through taking private patients. People are tempted to go for private treatment in order to get round the long queues for minor operations, but most people do not yet have private medical insurance to help pay the costs. Alternative forms of medicine such as osteopathy, acupuncture, etc are not recognised by the NHS and so must be paid for by the individual.