united kingdom health system

Pre WWII

• Healthcare was largely private and charity-based

• Hospitals and general practices were run independently 

• Healthcare was not universally accessible

Post WWII

• The modern NHS was established in 1948 under the Ministry of Health, providing free care for all citizens

• Centralized funding from the government with strong emphasis on public health

Primary Care

Delivered at the local level through General Practitioners (GPs) and community services

GP- general practitioners

responsible for commissioning care for their patients

the gatekeeper who lets you go to the secondary level of care

Funded by the NHS- free care (standard basic level of care) wait times long

GP provided by

location

well placed with accessibility

secondary care

Provided by NHS Acute Trusts and Foundation Trusts, which manage hospitals and specialized care

• Cardiologist, neurologist, dermatologists, surgeons- non urgent procedures 

• Mental health- counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists 

• Diagnostic imaging 

• Planned surgeries 

pros of secondary care

funded through NHS, accessibility

cons of secondary care

becoming more specialized, limited numbers, long wait times for non urgent surgery

Tertiary care 

• Advanced and complex treatments for severe and rare conditions 

• Research centers, cancer treatment centers, 

• Highly trained surgeons who do high level surgeries  

• Life sustaining/saving treatments

• Organ transplants, emergency treatment 

• Limited- only a few hospitals in the UK have tertiary care 

• Costly for the NHS

workforce

Highly trained medical staff, with professional education supported by the government

Advanced technology and medical equipment are available in hospitals but

under budgetary constraints

Funded primarily through

taxation with additional national insurance contributions

The NHS operates under a

• general medical services (GMS) contract ensuring consistent service delivery 

access to healthcare

universal, but. can take time waiting

Focus on

digital health integration and cost saving technologies

program aimed at integrating patient records across providers

Connecting for health

Health and care act of 2016

intended to address system inefficiencies, promote integration and manage rising costs

Healthcare model

Single prayer system

NHS funded through taxation providing universal healthcare free at the point of use

Funded mechanism

Primarily funded by general taxation and national insurance contributions healthcare is free for most services

Access to care

Universal access to care for all citizens and residents free at the point of use

Healthcare costs

Healthcare costs represent around 10% of GDP. The NHS controls costs centrally but faces budget constraints

Private sectors costs

Limited private sector participation. Private healthcare exists but supplements NHS services

Primary care

Delivered through NHS GPs with universal access and strong gatekeeping for referrals to specialists

Specialist and secondary care

Access to specialist is through GP referrals, non-urgent specialist care may involve long wait times

Quality of care

High quality care with strong population health metrics like life expectancy and low infant mortality. Wait times for non urgent care are a challenge

Innovation and technology

Adopts new technology more slowly, but NHS is focused on integrating digital health innovations