The National Health Service or NHS as it is more commonly known was set up on the 5th July 1948 to provide healthcare for all citizens, based on need, not the ability to pay.

That principle remains at its core. With the exception of charges for some prescriptions and optical and dental services, the NHS remains free at the point of use for anyone who is resident in the UK

Although funded centrally from national taxation, NHS services in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are managed separately.

The NHS employs more than 1.7m people. Of those, just under half are clinically qualified, including 120,000 hospital doctors, 40,000 general practitioners (GPs), 400,000 nurses and 25,000 ambulance staff.

Health Care in United Kingdom

As a whole, the population of the UK is in good health, with life expectancy at birth for women at 82 years and for men at 77.

Each NHS system uses General Practitioners (GPs) to provide primary healthcare and to make referrals to further services as necessary. Pharmacies (other than those within hospitals) are privately owned but have contracts with the relevant health service to supply prescription drugs.

The NHS system also provides dental services through private dental practises and dentists can only charge NHS patients at set rates (though the rates vary among countries).

Within the United Kingdom is a private healthcare sector which is considerably smaller than its public equivalent, with provision of private healthcare acquired by means of private health insurance, funded as part of an employer funded healthcare scheme or paid directly by the customer.

Government Responsibilities

Healthcare in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, meaning England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each has its own system of private and publicly-funded healthcare, together with alternative, holistic and complementary treatments.

The responsibility for healthcare in the United Kingdom lies with four executives; the Government of the United Kingdom for England and the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government. Each asserts governmental influence over its National Health Service but with each having different policies and priorities, a variety of differences exist between the systems.

Roles of Different Agencies and Departments

General Medical Council - registers doctors to practise medicine in the UK and protects, promotes and maintains the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine. 

UK Border Agency - responsible for securing the UK border and controlling migration in the UK. 

British Medical Association - organisation established to look after the professional and personal needs of doctors in all branches of medicine all over the UK. 

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) - sets guidelines for medical practitioners in England and Wales as to how various conditions should be treated and whether or not a particular treatment should be funded. 

Scottish Medicines Consortium - advises NHS Boards there about all newly licensed medicines and formulations of existing medicines.