Drawbacks of the NHS
The sheer size of the National Health Service in the UK, the vast number of services available and the millions of people that the NHS serves, lead to certain problems with the system. The main problems for the NHS are waiting lists, patient demand and high running costs.
Waiting Lists
The NHS aims to offer free healthcare to all UK residents. Unfortunately, this means that resources are often strained. If you require an operation, an appointment with a specialist, or specialised treatment for a condition, you will often be put on a waiting list. These waiting lists aim to ensure that patients are seen on a first-come-first-served basis, but also that those patients who require more urgent treatment are seen before those whose condition is less serious. Although this means that you will usually be seen promptly if you need urgent care, it can mean that if you are less severely affected you face a long wait.
According to figures from the second quarter of 2008, ending at the end of June*, a quarter of waiting patients are seen within two weeks whilst roughly half of all patients waiting are seen within a month. Nevertheless, waiting lists are considered a problem and a source of patient frustration. Many people choose to pay for private treatment when they are concerned about a medical condition: waiting times are typically much shorter. The NHS is constantly working to reduce waiting lists; it is now possible to have treatment in Europe if you can be treated quicker at a foreign hospital, and reclaim the cost of treatment from the NHS.
Patient Demand
Hundreds of thousands of patients visit their GP each day, each requiring individual attention and treatment. Although the NHS aims to provide assistance to anyone with a health-related problem, the sheer volume of patients does cause difficulties. You may not be able to register at the surgery of your choice if the surgery cannot accept more patients, or if you are not living close enough to the surgery to qualify as a catchment area patient. When you have a health concern you ought to be able to see a doctor within forty-eight hours: exact waiting times will depend on the the nature of your complaint and the size of the practice. Urgent cases can often be seen later the same day.
If you wish to see a particular doctor you may be required to wait longer for an appointment. When you have seen a doctor, you may need to make another appointment for blood tests, or wait for an appointment with a specialist for further investigation. On occasion, non-urgent cases will have to wait for an appointment: you may be placed on a waiting list. The NHS aims to offer free healthcare, but it is not able to provide every treatment free of charge. You may be required to pay certain costs (see NHS Costs), or find that specific 'alternative medicine' treatments such as acupuncture are not paid for by the NHS.
High Running Costs
The NHS costs the British people a huge amount of money. For 2007-2008, the NHS budget is approximately ninety billion pounds, and it is set to rise to approximately one hundred and ten billion pounds by 2010-2011**. This represents a huge amount of taxpayers' money, and people are concerned about the way in which the money is spent. Cost efficiency is a big theme for the NHS, which aims to increase the number of medical practitioners working in the UK to ensure that more patients are seen, waiting times are shorter and the overall service is improved. However, although the NHS is consistently monitored to ensure that it is delivering value for money, it is likely to remain an expensive investment: quality healthcare for all is an expensive ideal.
* published on the Department of Health website, www.dh.gov.uk.
** according to figures published by Her Majesty's Treasury on their website, www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.
