National Health Service

{{Further|History of the National Health Service|History of the National Health Service (England)|History of NHS Scotland|History of NHS Wales}}

File:BevanMP.jpg, the founder of the NHS{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/nhs-70-years-aneurin-bevan-health-welfare-uk-politics-a8421781.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/nhs-70-years-aneurin-bevan-health-welfare-uk-politics-a8421781.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=70 years of the NHS: How Aneurin Bevan created our beloved health service|last=Thomas-Symonds|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Thomas-Symonds|date=3 July 2018|work=The Independent|access-date=5 July 2018}}]]

Calls for a "unified medical service" can be dated back to the Minority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law in 1909.Brian Abel-Smith, The Hospitals 1800–1948 (London, 1964), p. 229.

Somerville Hastings, President of the Socialist Medical Association, successfully proposed a resolution at the 1934 Labour Party Conference that the party should be committed to the establishment of a State Health Service.{{cite news |title=Health Service debate |url=https://www.sochealth.co.uk/2018/06/14/health-service-debate-1934-labour-party-conference/ |access-date=30 June 2018 |publisher=Labour Party |date=October 1934}}

Following the 1942 Beveridge Report's recommendation to create "comprehensive health and rehabilitation services for prevention and cure of disease", cross-party consensus emerged on introducing a National Health Service of some description.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/19_07_05_beveridge.pdf |title=Social Insurance and Allied Services |publisher=HM Stationery Office |date=November 1942 |access-date=3 March 2013 |author=Beveridge, William}} Conservative MP and Health Minister, Henry Willink later advanced this notion of a National Health Service in 1944 with his consultative White Paper "A National Health Service" which was circulated in full and short versions to colleagues, as well as in newsreel.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyjbUK88CB4 White Paper – A National Health Service], YouTube.

When Clement Attlee's Labour Party won the 1945 election he appointed Aneurin Bevan as Health Minister. Bevan then embarked upon what the official historian of the NHS, Charles Webster, called an "audacious campaign" to take charge of the form the NHS finally took.Charles Webster, The Health Services since the War, Volume 1: Problems of Health Care, The National Health Service Before 1957 (London: HMSO, 1988), p. 399. Bevan's National Health Service was proposed in Westminster legislation for England and Wales from 1946 and Scotland from 1947, and the Northern Ireland Parliament's Public Health Services Act 1947.Ruth Barrington, Health, Medicine & Politics in Ireland 1900–1970 (Institute of Public Administration: Dublin, 1987) pp. 188–89.

NHS Wales was split from NHS (England) in 1969 when control was passed to the Secretary of State for Wales.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wales.nhs.uk/nhswalesaboutus/historycontext/1960s|title=NHS Wales {{!}} 1960's|last=Wales|first=NHS|website=www.wales.nhs.uk|access-date=22 November 2016|date=23 October 2006}} According to one history of the NHS, "In some respects the war had made things easier. In anticipation of massive air raid casualties, the Emergency Medical Service had brought the country's municipal and voluntary hospitals into one umbrella organisation, showing that a national hospital service was possible."{{cite journal |last1=Delamothe |first1=Tony |title=Founding Principles (31 May 2008) |journal=BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) |year=2008 |volume=336 |issue=7655 |pages=1216–1218 |publisher=British Medical Journal |doi=10.1136/bmj.39582.501192.94 |pmid=18511796 |pmc=2405823}} Webster wrote in 2002 that "the Luftwaffe achieved in months what had defeated politicians and planners for at least two decades."Webster C. The National Health Service: a political history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

The NHS was born out of the ideal that healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth. Although being freely accessible regardless of wealth maintained Henry Willink's principle of free healthcare for all, Conservative MPs were in favour of maintaining local administration of the NHS through existing arrangements with local authorities fearing that an NHS which owned hospitals on a national scale would lose the personal relationship between doctor and patient.{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1946/apr/30/national-health-service-bill |publisher=Hansard |date=30 April 1946 |title=NHS Bill Second Reading}}

Conservative MPs voted in favour of their amendment to Bevan's Bill to maintain local control and ownership of hospitals and against Bevan's plan for national ownership of all hospitals. The Labour government defeated Conservative amendments and went ahead with the NHS as it remains today; a single large national organisation (with devolved equivalents) which forced the transfer of ownership of hospitals from local authorities and charities to the new NHS. Bevan's principle of ownership with no private sector involvement has since been diluted, with later Labour governments implementing large scale financing arrangements with private builders in private finance initiatives and joint ventures.{{Cite web |url=https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publication_file/perspectives-estates-nhs-property-nigel-edwards-jul13.pdf_ |title=Kingsfund, July 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

At its launch by Bevan on 5 July 1948 it had at its heart three core principles: That it meet the needs of everyone, that it be free at the point of delivery, and that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay.{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/aboutnhs/Pages/NHSCorePrinciples.aspx |title=The NHS in England – About the NHS – NHS core principles |publisher=Nhs.uk |date=23 March 2009 |access-date=27 June 2017 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707052317/http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/aboutnhs/Pages/NHSCorePrinciples.aspx |url-status=dead }}

Three years after the founding of the NHS, Bevan resigned from the Labour government in opposition to the introduction of charges for the provision of dentures, dentists,{{Cite web|title=Paying for dental treatment in the UK|url=https://www.dentalhealth.org/paying-for-dental-treatment-in-the-united-kingdom|access-date=2 February 2021|website=Oral Health Foundation|date=16 January 2017 }} and glasses; resigning in support was fellow minister and future Prime Minister Harold Wilson.Kenneth O. Morgan, 'Aneurin Bevan' in Kevin Jeffreys (ed.), Labour Forces: From Ernie Bevin to Gordon Brown (I.B. Taurus: London & New York, 2002), pp. 91–92. The following year, Winston Churchill's Conservative government introduced prescription fees. However, Wilson's government abolished them in 1965; they were later re-introduced but with exemptions for those on low income.{{cite web |url=https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/nhs-prescription-charges/ |title=NHS prescription charges |website=politics.co.uk |access-date=20 October 2021 }} These charges were the first of many controversies over changes to the NHS throughout its history.Martin Powell and Robin Miller, 'Seventy Years of Privatising the British National Health Service?', Social Policy & Administration, vol. 50, no. 1 (January 2016), pp. 99–118.

From its earliest days, the cultural history of the NHS has shown its place in British society reflected and debated in film, TV, cartoons and literature. The NHS had a prominent slot during the 2012 London Summer Olympics opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle, being described as "the institution which more than any other unites our nation".{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle's intro on Olympics programme |url=http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ |publisher=Awards Daily |first=Ryan |last=Adams |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=27 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206135250/http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ |archive-date=6 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}

{{See also|Immigration health surcharge}}

Some health services are free to everyone, including accident and emergency room treatment, registering with a GP and attending GP appointments, treatment for some infectious diseases, compulsory psychiatric treatment, and some family planning services.{{cite web |title=Check if your immigration status lets you get free healthcare |url=http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_family/health/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm |access-date=2 December 2024 |publisher=Citizens Advice}}{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Graeme |date=2016-02-24 |title=Eligibility for NHS Treatment |url=https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/hr-services/relocating-uk/living-uk/healthcare/eligibility-nhs-treatment |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk |language=en}}

Everyone living in the UK can use the NHS without being asked to pay the full cost of the service, though NHS dentistry and optometry have standard charges in each of the four national health services in the UK.[https://www.myhsn.co.uk/top-tip/what-is-the-nhs Kilic Y, Korolewicz J, Stein A. What is the NHS?] Most patients in England have to pay charges for prescriptions though some patients are exempted.

People who are not ordinarily resident (including British citizens who may have paid National Insurance contributions in the past) may have to pay for services, with some exceptions such as refugees.{{cite web |date=18 August 2015 |title=Categories of exemption – Healthcare in England for visitors – NHS Choices |url=http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/uk-visitors/visiting-england/Pages/categories-of-exemption.aspx |access-date=6 June 2016 |website=NHS England |archive-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530221417/http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/uk-visitors/visiting-england/Pages/categories-of-exemption.aspx |url-status=dead }} Patients who do not qualify for free treatment are asked to pay in advance or to sign a written promise to pay for treatment.

There are some other categories of people who are exempt from the residence requirements such as specific government workers, those in the armed forces stationed overseas, and those working outside the UK as a missionary for an organisation with its principal place of business in the UK.National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989.

Citizens of the EU or European Economic Area (EEA) nations holding a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and people from certain other countries with which the UK has reciprocal arrangements concerning health care can get NHS emergency treatment without charge.{{cite web |date=1 January 2016 |title=Non-EEA country-by-country guide – Healthcare abroad |url=http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/NonEEAcountries/Pages/Non-EEAcountries.aspx |access-date=6 June 2016 |website=NHS Choices |archive-date=5 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605051308/http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/NonEEAcountries/Pages/Non-EEAcountries.aspx |url-status=dead }} People from the EU without an EHIC, Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC){{Cite web |title=Get temporary cover for emergency treatment abroad (Provisional Replacement Certificate) {{!}} NHSBSA |url=https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/get-healthcare-cover-travelling-abroad/get-temporary-cover-emergency-treatment-abroad-provisional-replacement-certificate |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk}} or S1 or S2 visa may have to pay.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-09 |title=How to access NHS services in England if you are visiting from abroad |url=https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/visiting-or-moving-to-england/how-to-access-nhs-services-in-england-if-you-are-visiting-from-abroad/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=nhs.uk |language=en}}

People applying for a visa or immigration application for more than six months have to pay an immigration health surcharge when applying for their visa and can then get treatment on the same basis as a resident. There are some people who do not have to pay, including health and care workers and their dependents, dependents of some members of the armed forces, and victims of slavery or domestic violence.{{Cite web |title=Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application |url=https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/who-needs-pay |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} In 2024, the charges were £776 per year for students, their dependents, those on Youth Mobility Schemes, and those under aged 18, and £1035 for all other applicants who are not covered by exemptions.{{Cite web |title=Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application |url=https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

The NHS is funded by general taxation and National Insurance contributions, plus around 1% of funding from patient charges for some services.{{Cite web |title=The NHS Budget And How It Has Changed |url=https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/nhs-budget-nutshell |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The King's Fund |language=en}}

In 2022/3, £181.7 billion was spent by the Department of Health and Social Care on services in England. More than 94% of spend was on salaries and medicines.

In 2024/5, the NHS in Wales budgeted £11.74 billion for health and social care, which was 49% of its budget.{{Cite web |title=How is the NHS in Wales funded? {{!}} NHS Confederation |url=https://www.nhsconfed.org/articles/how-nhs-wales-funded-0 |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.nhsconfed.org |language=en}}

£19.5 billion was budgeted for health and social care in Scotland for 2024/5.{{Cite web |title=Annex A.1 – NHS Recovery, Health & Social Care |url=https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2024-25/pages/5/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.gov.scot |language=en}}

£7.3 billion was budgeted for health in Northern Ireland in 2024/5.{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Secretary announces 2023-24 Budget and contingency plans for governance |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/northern-ireland-secretary-announces-2023-24-budget-and-contingency-plans-for-governance |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

The NHS is the largest employer in Europe, with one in every 25 adults in England working for the NHS.{{Cite web |date=21 August 2019 |title=Chapter 4: NHS staff will get the backing they need |url=https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/online-version/chapter-4-nhs-staff-will-get-the-backing-they-need/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=NHS Long Term Plan}} Nursing staff accounted for the largest cohort at more than 330,000 employees, followed by clinical support staff at 290,000, scientific and technical staff at 163,000 and physicians at 133,000.{{Cite web |date=25 May 2023 |title=NHS Workforce Interactive Report |url=https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiYTlhMTAzNDEtMzQ2Ny00MDRjLWIyZTAtMTY2ZGVlZmJhMjEwIiwidCI6IjUwZjYwNzFmLWJiZmUtNDAxYS04ODAzLTY3Mzc0OGU2MjllMiIsImMiOjh9 |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=NHS Digital}}

{{Further|History of the National Health Service}}

The funding of the NHS is usually an election issue, and fell under scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In July 2022, The Telegraph reported that think tank Civitas found that health spending was costing about £10,000 per household in the UK. They said that this was the third highest share of GDP of any nation in Europe and claimed that the UK "has one of the most costly health systems – and some of the worst outcomes". The findings were made before the government increased health spending significantly, with a 1.25% increase in National Insurance, in April 2022. Civitas said that "runaway" health spending in the UK had increased by more than any country despite the drop in national income due to the COVID pandemic.{{Cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Laura |date=23 July 2022 |title=UK's 'runaway' health spending costs £10k per household – but produces some of the worst results |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/07/23/uks-runaway-health-spending-costs-10k-per-household-produces/}}

The Labour Government elected in 2024 stated that their policy was that the "NHS is broken".{{Cite news |date=2024-07-06 |title=Wes Streeting says NHS is broken as he announces pay talks with junior doctors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/06/wes-streeting-nhs-broken-announces-talks-junior-doctors |access-date=2024-07-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} They announced an immediate stocktake of current pressures led by Labour peer Lord Ara Darzi.{{Cite journal |last=Iacobucci |first=Gareth |date=2024-07-12 |title=Ara Darzi is charged with uncovering "hard truths" of NHS performance |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q1552 |journal=BMJ |language=en |volume=386 |pages=q1552 |doi=10.1136/bmj.q1552 |issn=1756-1833 |pmid=38997127}} This was to be followed by development of a new "10 year plan" for the NHS to replace the NHS Long Term Plan published in 2019.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-11 |title=Streeting appoints former New Labour minister to review NHS |url=https://www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article/nhs-review-ara-darzi-streeting-appoints-former-new-labour-minister |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Civil Service World |language=en}}

The potential rise of the cost of social care has been signaled by research. Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard of the Royal College of GPs said: {{when|date=February 2023}} "It's a great testament to medical research, and the NHS, that we are living longer – but we need to ensure that our patients are living longer with a good quality of life. For this to happen we need a properly funded, properly staffed health and social care sector with general practice, hospitals and social care all working together – and all communicating well with each other, in the best interests of delivering safe care to all our patients."[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/24/nhs-faces-staggering-increase-in-cost-of-elderly-care-academics-warn-dementia "NHS faces staggering increase in cost of elderly care, academics warn"], The Guardian.

[[File:EU workers joining and leaving the NHS, annual variation in absolute numbers (2012-2017).svg|thumb|upright=2|EU workers joining and leaving the NHS in England, annual variation in absolute numbers (2012–2017){{cite news |last1=Aguilar |first1=Carmen |title=Brexit causes flight of European health workers from the NHS |url=https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/eng/News/Data-news/Brexit-causes-flight-of-European-health-workers-from-the-NHS |access-date=30 August 2018 |work=VoxEurop/EDJNet |date=29 May 2018}}

{{legend|#6f2c91|Joiner}}

{{legend|#a6ce39|Leaver}}]]

In June 2018, the Royal College of Physicians calculated that medical training places need to be increased from 7,500 to 15,000 by 2030 to take account of part-time working among other factors. At that time there were 47,800 consultants working in the UK of which 15,700 were physicians. About 20% of consultants work less than full-time.{{cite news |date=25 June 2018 |title=Medical school places must double by 2030 to meet demand for doctors, college warns |publisher=GP Online |url=https://www.gponline.com/medical-school-places-double-2030-meet-demand-doctors-college-warns/article/1485826 |access-date=27 June 2018}}

On 6 June 2022, The Guardian said that a survey of more than 20,000 frontline staff by the nursing trade union and professional body, the Royal College of Nursing, found that only a quarter of shifts had the planned number of registered nurses on duty.[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/06/demoralised-nurses-being-driven-out-of-profession-rcn-survey-finds 'Demoralised' nurses being 'driven out' of profession, RCN survey finds] The Guardian. 6 June 2022

The NHS will potentially have a shortage of general practitioners. From 2015 to 2022, the number of GPs fell by 1,622 and some of those continuing to work have changed to work part-time.{{cite news |last1=Hayward |first1=Eleanor |title=GP shortage leaves doctors in some areas with 2,500 patients |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/gp-shortage-leaves-doctors-in-some-areas-with-2-500-patients-mhnrqzwxd |work=The Times |date=1 June 2022 |language=en}}

In 2023, a report revealed that NHS staff had faced over incidents of 20,000 sexual misconduct from patients from 2017 to 2022 across 212 NHS Trusts.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

In June 2023, the delayed NHS Long Term Workforce Plan was announced, to train doctors and nurses and create new roles within the health service.{{cite news |title= Plan to train and retain more NHS doctors and nurses |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66052274 |publisher=BBC |date=30 June 2023}}

The Welsh and UK governments announced a partnership on 23 September 2024 to reduce NHS waiting lists in England and Wales during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. This collaboration aimed to share best practices and tackle common challenges. Previously, Eluned Morgan rejected a Conservative proposal for treating Welsh patients in England. The Welsh Conservatives welcomed the new partnership as overdue, while Plaid Cymru criticized it as insufficient for addressing deeper issues within the Welsh NHS.{{cite news|last=Evans |first=Tomos |title=Welsh and UK governments to 'work together' to cut NHS waiting lists |date=23 September 2024 |url=https://news.sky.com/story/welsh-and-uk-governments-to-work-together-to-cut-nhs-waiting-lists-13220614 |access-date=24 September 2024}}

{{Further|Mental health in the United Kingdom}}

One in four patients throughout the UK wait over three months to see an NHS mental health professional, with 6% waiting at least a year.{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Dennis |date=October 8, 2018 |title=Delays in NHS mental health treatment 'ruining lives' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/09/mental-health-patients-waiting-nhs-treatment-delays |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=The Guardian}} The National Audit Office found mental health provisions for children and young people will not meet growing demand, despite promises of increased funding. Currently one-quarter of young people needing mental health services can get NHS help. The Department of Health and Social Care hopes to raise the ratio to 35%. Efforts to improve mental health provisions could reveal previously unmet demand.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/09/children-young-people-mental-health-services-demand-national-audit-office|title=Child mental health services will not meet demand, NAO warns|first=Rajeev|last= Syal|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 October 2018}}

In 2024, some NHS hospitals required radiographers to ask all male patients aged 12 to 55 if they were pregnant for inclusivity purposes. This received significant coverage in the media.{{cite web |last=Quadri |first=Sami |date=2024-08-11 |title=NHS tells staff to ask men if they're pregnant during X-rays |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nhs-guidance-men-pregnant-x-rays-b1175868.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812012509/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nhs-guidance-men-pregnant-x-rays-b1175868.html |archive-date=2024-08-12 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=Evening Standard |quote=Radiographers at several NHS hospitals have been instructed to ask all men aged 12 to 55 if they are pregnant before performing X-rays. The controversial policy, aimed at considering non-binary, transgender and intersex patients, has sparked outrage among patients and campaigners alike.}}{{cite web |last=Searles |first=Michael |date=2024-08-11 |title=NHS staff told to ask men if they are pregnant before X-rays |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/10/nhs-staff-asking-men-if-pregnant-before-x-ray-scans/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240813110751/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/10/nhs-staff-asking-men-if-pregnant-before-x-ray-scans/ |archive-date=2024-08-13 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=The Telegraph |quote=But forms designed to be inclusive have caused confusion and anger among patients and pose a risk to their safety, radiographers told The Telegraph.}}{{cite web |last=Wace |first=Charlotte |date=2024-08-11 |title=NHS radiographers told to check if men are pregnant |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/nhs-radiographers-told-check-if-men-are-pregnant-jxxls3gvg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812173437/https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/nhs-radiographers-told-check-if-men-are-pregnant-jxxls3gvg |archive-date=2024-08-12 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=The Times & The Sunday Times |quote=Radiographers in multiple NHS hospitals have been advised to check if men are pregnant before conducting scans as part of inclusivity guidance.}}{{cite web |last=Kingsley |first=Thomas |date=2022-03-29 |title=Hospital is asking men if they're pregnant before taking scans |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hospital-nhs-men-pregnant-walton-trust-b2046241.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240813050728/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hospital-nhs-men-pregnant-walton-trust-b2046241.html |archive-date=2024-08-13 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=The Independent}}

{{See also|Health system#Health systems performance}}

Performance of the NHS is generally assessed separately at the level of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since 2004 the Commonwealth Fund has produced surveys, "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall", comparing the performance of health systems in 11 wealthy countries in which the UK generally ranks highly. In the 2021 survey the NHS dropped from first overall to fourth as it had fallen in key areas, including 'access to care and equity.'{{cite news |title=The NHS has never been the 'envy of the world' |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-nhs-has-never-been-the-envy-of-the-world- |access-date=23 May 2022 |publisher=Spectator |date=5 August 2021}} The Euro Health Consumer Index attempted to rank the NHS against other European health systems from 2014 to 2018. The right-leaning{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Philip |date=7 April 2014 |title=A close encounter with the property boom |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10749930/A-close-encounter-with-the-property-boom.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404163247/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10749930/A-close-encounter-with-the-property-boom.html |archive-date=4 April 2023 |access-date=18 August 2023 |website=The Daily Telegraph}} think tank Civitas produced an International Health Care Outcomes Index in 2022 ranking the performance of the UK health care system against 18 similar, wealthy countries since 2000. It excluded the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as data stopped in 2019. The UK was near the bottom of most tables except households who faced catastrophic health spending.{{cite web |last1=Knox |first1=Tim |title=International Health Care Outcomes Index 2022 |url=https://files.constantcontact.com/9bc520cb001/c6ad1930-c922-494e-9750-dd9680e4a123.pdf |publisher=Civitas |access-date=27 April 2022}}

A comparative analysis of health care systems in 2010, by The Commonwealth Fund, a left-leaning US health charity, put the NHS second in a study of seven rich countries.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10375877|title=UK health system is top on "efficiency", says report|date=23 June 2010|access-date=26 July 2010|publisher=BBC News}}{{cite news|url=http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2010/Jun/Mirror-Mirror-Update.aspx|title=Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally, 2010 Update|date=23 June 2010|access-date=26 July 2010|publisher=The Commonwealth Fund|first=Karen|last= Davis|author2= Cathy Schoen and Kristof Stremikis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727195621/http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2010/Jun/Mirror-Mirror-Update.aspx|archive-date=27 July 2010|url-status=dead}} The report put the United Kingdom health systems above those of Germany, Canada and the United States; the NHS was deemed the most efficient among those health systems studied.

A 2018 study by the King's Fund, Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies to mark the NHS 70th anniversary concluded that the main weakness of the NHS was healthcare outcomes. Mortality for cancer, heart attacks and stroke, was higher than average among comparable countries. The NHS was doing well at protecting people from heavy financial costs when ill. Waiting times were about the same, and the management of longterm illness was better than in other comparable countries. Efficiency was good, with low administrative costs and high use of cheaper generic medicines.{{cite news |title=How good is the NHS? |url=https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-06/NHS_at_70_how_good_is_the_NHS.pdf |access-date=8 September 2018 |publisher=Kings Fund |date=July 2018}} Twenty-nine hospital trusts and boards out of 157 had not met any waiting-time target in the year 2017–2018.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46212058 "The hospitals that fail to treat patients on time"], BBC. The Office for National Statistics reported in January 2019 that productivity in the English NHS had been growing at 3%, considerably faster than across the rest of the UK economy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/publicservicesproductivity/articles/publicservicesproductivityestimateshealthcare/financialyearending2017|title=Public service productivity: healthcare, England: financial year ending 2017|date=9 January 2019}}

In 2019, The Times, commenting on a study in the British Medical Journal, reported that "Britain spent the least on health, £3,000 per person, compared with an average of £4,400, and had the highest number of deaths that might have been prevented with prompt treatment". The BMJ study compared "the healthcare systems of other developed countries in spending, staff numbers and avoidable deaths".{{Cite journal|last=Blakely|first=Rhys|date=28 November 2019|title=NHS spends least on patient health|journal=The Times|page=25}}

Over 130,000 deaths since 2012 in the UK could have been prevented if progress in public health policy had not stopped due to austerity, analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research found. Dean Hochlaf of the IPPR said: "We have seen progress in reducing preventable disease flatline since 2012."[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/01/perfect-storm-austerity-behind-130000-deaths-uk-ippr-report "Austerity to blame for 130,000 'preventable' UK deaths – report"], The Guardian.{{needs update|date=March 2025}}

Overall satisfaction with the NHS in 2021 fell, more sharply in Scotland than in England, 17 points to 36% – the lowest level since 1997 according to the British Social Attitudes Survey. Dissatisfaction with hospital and GP waiting times were the biggest cause of the fall.{{cite news |title=View grows that NHS 'must live within its means' as satisfaction plummets |url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/policy-and-regulation/view-grows-that-nhs-must-live-within-its-means-as-satisfaction-plummets/7032188.article |access-date=23 May 2022 |publisher=Health Service Journal |date=30 March 2022}}

The NHS Confederation polled 182 health leaders and 9 in 10 warned that inadequate capital funding harmed their "ability to meet safety requirements for patients" in health settings including hospitals, ambulance, community and mental health services and GP practices.[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/14/rundown-nhs-hospitals-have-become-a-danger-to-patients-warn-health-chiefs Rundown NHS hospitals have become a danger to patients, warn health chiefs] The Guardian

In 2016 it was reported that there appeared to be support for higher taxation to pay for extra spending on the NHS as an opinion poll in 2016 showed that 70% of people were willing to pay an extra penny in the pound in income tax if the money were ringfenced and guaranteed for the NHS.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/30/people-may-be-ready-to-pay-extra-penny-on-tax-for-nhs-tim-farron-says|title=People may be ready to pay extra penny on tax for NHS, Tim Farron says|first=Rowena|last=Mason|date=30 December 2016|newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=20 October 2021 }} Two thirds of respondents to a King's Fund poll, reported in September 2017, favoured increased taxation to help finance the NHS.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/16/two-thirds-support-higher-taxes-to-fund-nhs |title=Two-thirds support higher taxes to maintain NHS funding|first=Denis|last= Campbell|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 September 2017 |access-date=20 October 2021 }}

A YouGov poll reported in May 2018 showed that 74% of the UK public believed there were too few nurses.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44075352 |title=Three-quarters of public worried about nurse staffing |work=BBC |last=Triggle |first=Nick |date=13 May 2018 |access-date=20 October 2021 }}

The trade union, Unite, said in March 2019 that the NHS had been under pressure as a result of economic austerity.[https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2019/march/nhs-public-satisfaction-dip-due-to-government-austerity-policies-says-unite/ NHS public satisfaction dip due to government austerity policies, says Unite]. 7 March 2019

A 2018 public survey reported that public satisfaction with the NHS had fallen from 70% in 2010 to 53% in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/public-satisfaction-nhs-social-care-2018|title=Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2018|date=7 March 2019|website=The King's Fund|language=en|access-date=30 September 2019}} The NHS is consistently ranked as the institution that makes people proudest to be British, beating the royal family, Armed Forces and the BBC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/british-lifestyles-the-nhs-tops-list-of-uks-most-cherished-institutions|title=The NHS tops list of UK's most cherished institutions|last=Team|first=Mintel Press|website=Mintel|language=en-US|access-date=30 September 2019}} One 2019 survey ranked nurses and doctors – not necessarily NHS staff – amongst the most trustworthy professions in the UK.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/advertising-execs-rank-below-politicians-britains-least-trusted-profession|title=Advertising execs rank below politicians as Britain's least-trusted profession|website=Ipsos MORI|language=en-uk|access-date=30 September 2019|archive-date=30 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930222258/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/advertising-execs-rank-below-politicians-britains-least-trusted-profession|url-status=dead}}

In November 2022 a survey by Ipsos and the Health Foundation found just a third of respondents agreed the NHS gave a good service nationally, and 82% thought the NHS needed more funding. 62% expected care standards to fall during the following 12 months. Sorting out pressure and workload on staff and increasing staff numbers were the chief priorities the poll found. Improving A&E waiting times and routine services were also concerns.[https://news.sky.com/story/public-support-for-uk-governments-handling-of-nhs-in-england-drops-to-new-low-12817621 Public support for UK government's handling of NHS in England drops to new low] Sky News Just 10% of UK respondents felt their government had the correct plans for the NHS. The Health Foundation stated in spite of these concerns, the public is committed to the founding principles of the NHS and 90% of respondents believe the NHS should be free, 89% believe NHS should provide a comprehensive service for everyone, and 84% believe the NHS should be funded mainly through taxation.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/nhs-uk-government-health-b2287890.html 9 in 10 disagree with government's handling of NHS in new low, poll reveals] The Independent

{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

{{See also|COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom}}

In 2020, the NHS issued medical advice in combating COVID-19 and partnered with tech companies to create computer dashboards to help combat the nation's coronavirus pandemic.[https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ Advice for everyone-Coronavirus (COVID-19)] www.nhs.uk, accessed 12 April 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52079287|title=Coronavirus: NHS turns to big tech to tackle Covid-19 hot spots|first=Leo|last=Kellon|work=BBC News|date=28 March 2020|access-date=12 April 2020}} During the pandemic, the NHS also established integrated COVID into its 1-1-1 service line as well.[https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/ Check if you have coronavirus symptoms] 111.nhs.uk, accessed 12 April 2020. Following his discharge from the St. Thomas' Hospital in London on 13 April 2020 after being diagnosed with COVID-19, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described NHS medical care as "astonishing" and said that the "NHS saved my life. No question."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2020/apr/12/coronavirus-boris-johnson-nhs-hospital-video|title=Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says NHS saved his life after leaving hospital – video|work=The Guardian|date=12 April 2020|access-date=12 April 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-52264247/boris-johnson-thanks-nhs-staff-for-coronavirus-treatment|title=Boris Johnson thanks NHS staff for coronavirus treatment|publisher=BBC News|date=13 April 2020|accessdate=13 April 2020}} In this time, the NHS underwent major re-organisation to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic.Rimmer MP, Al Wattar BH, on behalf of the UKARCOG Members. Provision of obstetrics and gynaecology services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey of junior doctors in the UK National Health Service. BJOG 2020; https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16313.

On 5 July 2021, Queen Elizabeth II awarded the NHS the George Cross.{{Cite news|date=5 July 2021|title=Queen gives George Cross to NHS for staff's 'courage and dedication'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57714088|access-date=5 July 2021}} The George Cross, the highest award for gallantry available to civilians and is slightly lower in stature to the Victoria Cross, is bestowed for acts of the greatest heroism or most conspicuous courage. In a handwritten note the Queen said the award was being made to all NHS staff past and present for their "courage, compassion and dedication" throughout the pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Emma.Goodey|date=4 July 2021|title=The Queen awards the George Cross to the UK's National Health Services|url=https://www.royal.uk/queen-awards-george-cross-uks-national-health-services|access-date=5 July 2021|website=The Royal Family|language=en}}

In October 2022, as part of their efforts to tackle mental health challenges made worse by the pandemic, the NHS partnered with Israeli tech company Taliaz, stating that their AI-powered software translates complex genetic, demographic and clinical patient data into timesaving and cost-saving assessment, management and prescribing support tools for healthcare providers.{{Cite web |date=8 October 2022 |title=NHS-Israel collaboration to deliver cutting-edge tech to improve mental health |url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/nhs-israel-collaboration-to-deliver-cutting-edge-tech-to-improve-mental-health/ |website=Jewishnews.co.uk}}{{Cite press release |date=20 March 2019 |title=Psychiatry UK and Digital Health Startup, Taliaz, Launch New Online Service to Deliver Groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence-Genetic Testing to Depression Sufferers |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/psychiatry-uk-and-digital-health-startup-taliaz-launch-new-online-service-to-deliver-groundbreaking-artificial-intelligence-genetic-testing-to-depression-sufferers-300815441.html}}

In 2015, the UK had 2.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people.[https://www.nhsconfed.org/resources/key-statistics-on-the-nhs NHS statistics, facts and figures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607050853/https://www.nhsconfed.org/resources/key-statistics-on-the-nhs |date=7 June 2021 }} 14 July 2017 www.nhsconfed.org, accessed 14 March 2020. In September 2017, the King's Fund documented the number of NHS hospital beds in England as 142,000, describing this as less than 50% of the number 30 years previously.[https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs-hospital-bed-numbers NHS hospital bed numbers: past, present, future] 29 September 2017 www.kingsfund.org.uk, accessed 14 March 2020. In 2019, one tenth of the beds in the UK were occupied by a patient who was alcohol-dependent.{{cite news |title=New report reveals staggering cost to NHS of alcohol abuse |first=Sarah|last= Boseley|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/04/staggering-cost-nhs-alcohol-abuse-report |access-date=11 November 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 July 2019}}

A 2024 report by the public research university Imperial College London said that the NHS spends £14.7bn a year treating patients in England hurt by care mistakes.{{cite news |title=NHS spends £14.7bn a year treating patients in England hurt by care mistakes, says report |first=|last= |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/12/nhs-spends-147bn-a-year-treating-patients-in-england-hurt-by-care-mistakes-says-report |access-date= |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 December 2024}}

{{unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}

The NHS have released various charity singles including:

• 2015: National Health Singers – "Yours"
• 2015: NHS Choir – "A Bridge Over You"
• 2018: NHS Voices – "With a Little Help from My Friends"
• 2018: National Health Singers – "NHS 70: Won't Let Go"
• 2020: NHS and keyworkers – "You'll Never Walk Alone"

• History of the National Health Service (England)
• History of NHS Scotland
• History of NHS Wales
• National Care Service
• Private providers of NHS services
• Special health authority
• Criticism of the National Health Service (England)
• Manx Care

General

• Healthcare in the United Kingdom
• Health in the United Kingdom
• History of public health in the United Kingdom

{{notelist-la}}

{{Reflist}}

{{colbegin}}

• Brady, Robert A. Crisis in Britain. Plans and Achievements of the Labour Government (1950) pp. 352–41 [https://archive.org/details/crisisinbritainp0000brad excerpt]

• Hacker, Jacob S. "The Historical Logic of National Health Insurance: Structure and Sequence in the Development of British, Canadian, and U.S. Medical Policy," Studies in American Political Development, April 1998, Vol. 12 Issue 1, pp. 57–130.
• Hilton, Claire. (26 August 2016). Whistle-blowing in the National Health Service since the 1960s History and Policy. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
• Loudon, Irvine, John Horder and Charles Webster. General Practice under the National Health Service 1948–1997 (1998) [https://www.questia.com/library/3681620/general-practice-under-the-national-health-service online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623061337/https://www.questia.com/library/3681620/general-practice-under-the-national-health-service |date=23 June 2018 }}
• Rintala, Marvin. Creating the National Health Service: Aneurin Bevan and the Medical Lords (2003) [https://www.questia.com/library/108534839/creating-the-national-health-service-aneurin-bevan online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018043353/https://www.questia.com/library/108534839/creating-the-national-health-service-aneurin-bevan |date=18 October 2018 }}.
• Rivett G. C. From Cradle to Grave: The First 50 (65) Years of the NHS. King's Fund, London, 1998 now updated to 2014 and available at www.nhshistory.co.uk
• Stewart, John. "The Political Economy of the British National Health Service, 1945–1975: Opportunities and Constraints", Medical History, October 2008, Vol. 52, Issue 4, pp. 453–70.
• Warren, Michael D. A chronology of state medicine, public health, welfare and related services in Britain 1066–1999 (2000) [https://archive.org/details/chronologyofstat0000warr/page/n2/mode/1up online]
• Webster, Charles. The National Health Service : a political history (2002) [https://archive.org/details/nationalhealthse0000websonline]
• Webster, Charles. Problems of health care : the National Health Service before 1957 (1988) [https://archive.org/details/problemsofhealth0000webs online]

• Gorsky, Martin. "The British National Health Service 1948–2008: A Review of the Historiography," Social History of Medicine, Dec 2008, Vol. 21 Issue 3, pp. 437–60

• Webster, Charles. "Conflict and Consensus: Explaining the British Health Service", Twentieth Century British History, April 1990, Vol. 1 Issue 2, pp. 115–51

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{{Commons category}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• [https://www.nhs.uk/ Official website] of the NHS in England
• [https://www.scot.nhs.uk/ Official website] of NHS Scotland
• [https://www.nhs.wales/ Official website] of NHS Wales
• [http://online.hscni.net/ Official website] of Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland

{{National Health Service}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1948 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Medical and health organisations based in the United Kingdom

Category:Organizations established in 1948

Category:Collective recipients of the George Cross