Health Care in England

Basic health care in England is provided by the National Health Service, a government-financed institution that covers all residents. While there are rules and regulations in place that limit the use and abuse of the health-care systems by those not entitled to it, the care itself is free and guaranteed. Private health care exists, but it is less common than in the United States.

Features

• All UK residents are covered under the National Health Service (NHS) system, which is funded through citizens' taxes and is available free of charge to those using it. Basic care is always free, as are certain prescriptions and emergency treatment. Other types of medical attention, including dental, ophthalmology and long-term care, have nominal out-of-pocket charges.

Considerations

• Alternative and complementary therapies are usually not covered by the national public health service, so people who are interested in pursuing other forms of treatment often look into private coverage or pay for medical expenses out of pocket.

Types

• Less than ten percent of the English population uses private health-care providers. This is mainly for those who want specific treatment not provided by the NHS or for people who don't qualify for government-funded care (including temporary residents, foreign students, and so forth). Emergency care (known in England as Accident and Emergency) is only provided by NHS hospitals and never by private ones, and is meant to take care not only of real emergencies, but also of minor injuries during the night or outside the regular working hours of the hospital.

Warning

• NHS hospitals are free, and represent the main place where patients go for initial consultations with their general practitioners, who will recommend the appropriate specialist or test to be done. Outpatient care may be slow at times (depending on the emergency of the situation, it can take up to three weeks to obtain an initial appointment). Inpatient care, where a free bed must be found before treatment can be started, can take up to six weeks.

Benefits

• Palliative care (meant to help both patients and their loved ones during end-of-life care) is also free of charge and provided at all hospitals through organizations such as the Sue Ryder Care and the Marie Curie Cancer care groups.