Healthcare System In The Uk Essay
The NHS is the nationalised hence, publicly funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom. The NHS is largely funded by general taxation (including a proportion from National Insurance payments but the National Insurance is not enough to cover the whole system)[1]. The UK government department responsible for the NHS is the Department of Health, headed by the Secretary of State for Health, who sits in the British Cabinet. The NHS provides healthcare for residents in the UK with most services free at the point of delivery for the patient though there are charges imposed in response to financial deficits and it seems to be moving towards a privatised sector on particular services e.g. Eye tests, dental care, prescriptions etc.
Around £98.6 billion in 2008-9[2] is spent on the NHS. It is the fourth largest employer in the world, and 70% of the NHS budget is spent on pay, a considerable sum goes to general practitioners, most of who have remained independent contractors and not salaried employees. Yet, many junior …show more content…
A healthier population of people would mean that less would need to spent on health care thus costs of healthcare would decrease which could deal with financial deficits. Dangers of preventative medicine would be that increase in life expectancy would continue to rise, producing an aging population. Doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives. Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone. £1.7 billion is spent treating diseases caused by smoking, such as lung cancer and emphysema. Fertility treatment and "social" abortions are also on the list of procedures that many doctors say should not be funded by the
Around £98.6 billion in 2008-9[2] is spent on the NHS. It is the fourth largest employer in the world, and 70% of the NHS budget is spent on pay, a considerable sum goes to general practitioners, most of who have remained independent contractors and not salaried employees. Yet, many junior …show more content…
A healthier population of people would mean that less would need to spent on health care thus costs of healthcare would decrease which could deal with financial deficits. Dangers of preventative medicine would be that increase in life expectancy would continue to rise, producing an aging population. Doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives. Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone. £1.7 billion is spent treating diseases caused by smoking, such as lung cancer and emphysema. Fertility treatment and "social" abortions are also on the list of procedures that many doctors say should not be funded by the