NHS FOUNDING & STRUCTURAL CHANGES

NHS Founding & Structural Changes

NHS Founding & Structural Changes

The National Health Service (NHS) is the name commonly used to refer to the four single-payer publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, collectively or individually, although only the health service in England uses the name 'National Health Service' without further qualification. The publicly-funded healthcare organisation in Northern Ireland does not use the term 'National Health Service', though is still sometimes referred to as the 'NHS' as well. Each system operates independently, and is politically accountable to the relevant devolved government of Scotland (Scottish Government), Wales (Welsh Assembly Government) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Executive), and to the UK government for England. There is generally no discrimination when a patient resident in one country of the United Kingdom requires treatment in another. The consequent financial matters and paperwork of such inter-working are dealt with between the organisations involved and there is generally no personal involvement by the patient comparable to that which might occur when a resident of one European Union member country receives treatment in another.

It was launched as a single organization based around 14 regional hospital boards. This new NHS was originally split into three parts: hospital services family doctors, dentists, opticians and pharmacists local authority health services, including community nursing and health visitingIn 1948, NHS went through a drastic change in respect to the organizational structure and in regard to the services provided to the patients. This was a monumental task to make health services available to all citizens which mainly fell into the system of public finance and public provision.

Two key factors that governed NHS was that there should be equal basis to treatment for all based on clinical needs regardless of patients monetary circumstances. Secondly, collective funding of NHS through national taxation is the most effectual way to ensure that quality health care is available to all on the grounds that paying for all health care expenses is beyond personal financial means.

The NHS has undergone a massive transformation structurally in 2000/2001. It was concluded that the conservative reforms of 1991 were not showing any signs of improving health care so labour have now introduced some major changes that it hopes will. The major structural changes are as follows:

The Private Finance Initiative is simply a change in how the NHS raises capital for its new projects. Previously the treasury was responsible for funding all new projects.

The PFI, which has now been introduced states that all funding for projects such as new hospitals must be secured privately at commercial rates.

The creation of Primary Care Groups (PCG's) To use a quote championed by Jennifer Dixon "The NHS had long been in a position analogous to that in which someone (the GP) chooses a meal from a restaurant (the hospital), another person eats it (the patient), and someone else has to foot the bill (the NHS in the form of the health authority purchaser). The new PCG at least ensured that the person ordering the meal paid ...