The British National Healthcare System is divided into state and private (independent) sectors. The state sector is represented by the National Health Service (NHS) and financed by the state from taxes. The NHS is one of the best health care systems in the world. The NHSwas set up in 1948 to provide good health care available to all, regardless of wealth.
Except charges for some prescriptions, optical and dental services, the NHS remains free for anyone who is resident in the UK. That is more than 60m people. It covers everything from routine treatments for coughs and colds to open heart surgery, accident and emergency treatment and end-of-life care.
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. The number of patients using the NHS is huge. On average, it deals with 1m patients every 36 hours.
When a person falls ill he first visits his GP. GPs make the first diagnosis in the case of illness, give advice and may prescribe a suitable course of treatment or arrange for the patient to see a specialist. The specialist decides whether the patient needs hospital treatment and if he does whether he should be treated at the local hospital or at a specialized hospital.
District general hospitals offer a broad range of clinical services. Treatment is provided for in-patients and out-patients. There are also special hospitals. These hospitals combine special treatment facilities with the training of medical students. Many of the hospitals in the NHS were built in the 19thcentury. Much has been done to improve and extend existing hospital building and many new hospitals have been opened.
NHS emergence ambulances are available free for cases of sudden illness, for accidents and for doctors urgent calls.
6.Answer the questions
1. What does the NHS cover?
2. Who works in the NHS?
3. What do district general hospitals offer?
4. For whom treatment is provided?
7.Complete the sentences
1. The British National Healthcare System is divided into ____________.
2. _________________ is represented by the NHS.
3. The NHS provides ____________________.
4. The NHS remains free for the British people except ___________________.
5. The NHS employs more than 1.7m people among them are _____________________.
6. When a person falls ill he ______________.
7. GPs makes the first diagnosis of illness, give advice and prescribe treatment or _______________.
8. Patients are treated in ___________________.
9. Hospitals offer _____________________.
10. NHS emergence ambulances are available free for ________________________________.
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