Advantages of the NHS
The National Health Service offers care to all residents of the United Kingdom. The aim of the health service is to ensure that anyone can receive the medical care they need, regardless of their age, circumstances or financial situation. The NHS offers many advantages to UK residents, especially in terms of the cost, the care available and the continuous quality reviews.
Cost
The NHS provides care free of charge to most UK residents (see Entitlement to Care). This represents a huge advantage compared with the health systems in many other countries which charge for health insurance, quarterly surgery fees, prescriptions, particular tests and treatments. You will pay for the NHS when you pay UK taxes; every taxpayer makes the same contribution, regardless of whether they rarely visit a doctor or need regular hospital care.
The NHS entitles you to diagnostic care and treatment for any illness or health concern. You can receive treatment for everything from minor ailments such as colds and rashes to serious diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, free of charge. You can also receive care during pregnancy and birth without paying extra costs. You may need to make small contributions to your healthcare, for example pay a fee for prescriptions you receive (see NHS Costs), but many people are exempt from paying even these small charges.
Care Available
The NHS offers a range of services to provide the general public with suitable healthcare. Depending on the nature of your problem you may be treated by a doctor, dentist or optician, receive treatment at a hospital or walk-in centre, or receive advice from a pharmacist or the NHS Direct telephone helpline. There are a huge range of healthcare services offered by the NHS, covering every concern from flu to vaccinations, mental illness to ectopic pregnancy care. The NHS is designed to offer you whatever care you need throughout your life, from hearing tests as a baby to hospice care as an elderly person.
When you seek help because you feel unwell, the medical practitioner you visit will be able to inform you of the care options available to you. You will typically be entitled to choose which kind of treatment you have, and are often entitled to pick the medical establishment where you receive further care, for example, you may be able to choose which of three local hospitals you visit. If necessary, you can choose to see a female or male doctor, or see a practitioner able to speak your native language such as Urdu. You can often dictate the way in which your situation is handled, for example, you can request a home or water birth.
Several specialised services are available including alternative therapies such as acupuncture and hypnosis, although you may be required to pay for some specific treatments. For more details of the healthcare options available, see NHS Services.
Quality Reviews
The NHS is under constant observation to ensure that the system runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Organisational boards such as health authorities and trusts aim to monitor the work of NHS medical practitioners, who in turn are issued with regular guidelines and targets to keep good service and clinical progress foreground issues. Reviews monitor the progress of new schemes and existing objectives. For patients, this consistent attention to quality service ensures high calibre medical care at all times.
If you feel that the service you have received from the NHS was below standard, you can complain to the Independent Complaints Advocacy Services (ICAS), which aims to solve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. For more details see Complaints Procedure. ICAS focuses on the service provided by NHS employees, and its independent nature ensures that any complaints are taken seriously: patient care is always top priority.
