Structure of the United Kingdom’s Healthcare Sector
The leading medical service (PMS) agreement is the second type of basic care contract arrangement. PMS is a regional agreement involving NHS England and the practice instead of the GMS. The clinic does not necessarily have to be a conventional general practitioner in this situation; it might be a nurse-led practice with a paid GP or other essential care professionals. The NHS has over 778 hospitals that offer medical care (Johnson et al., 2017). There are 116 multiservice hospitals, 221 acute care facilities, 268 community hospitals, and 173 specialty hospitals (Johnson et al., 2017). Only about 150,000 beds, mainly for acute treatment, are housed in these institutions. Over the past 25 years, this number has progressively decreased. Improvements in medical care have resulted in shorter hospital stays and a shift toward more outpatient care, which accounts for a large portion of the drop. The responsibility for providing access to diagnostic technology falls on NHS trusts. CCGs purchase diagnostic radiology and laboratory services (Johnson et al., 2017). According to estimates, there were 6.1 MRI machines for every 1,000,000 persons in 2013. In 2013, there were 7.9 CT scanners for every 100,000 persons.
Development and Control of Healthcare in the United Kingdom
The general practice (GP) office is often the first contact point with the NHS. GPs serve as the entrance to secondary care. In 2013, 7,962 practices housed 40,236 general practitioners. On average, there were 1,500 patients per general practitioner and 7,000 patients per practice (Johnson et al., 2017). Only 1,400 general practices are solo operations, while around half of GPs have five or more surgeons. English citizens who qualify for medical care must register with a general practitioner. Though patients ostensibly have a choice of general practitioners, their choice may be restricted if those doctors hit their patient capacity and stop taking on new patients. Approximately two-thirds of doctors of medicine work as independent contractors, while a comparable number of GPs are covered by the nationally bargained general medical, contractual relationship (Johnson et al., 2017). The general practice (GP) office is often the first contact point with the NHS.
GPs serve as the entrance to secondary care. In 2013, 7,962 practices housed 40,236 general practitioners. On average, there were 1,500 patients per general practitioner and 7,000 patients per practice. Only 1,400 general practices are solo operations, while around half of GPs have five or more surgeons. English citizens who qualify for medical care must register with a general practitioner (Johnson et al., 2017). Creating chances and a desire for medical and care home workers to collaborate is essential to providing the best possible healthcare in nursing homes (Gordon et al., 2018). Though patients ostensibly have a choice of general practitioners, their choice may be restricted if those doctors hit their patient capacity and stop taking on new patients. Approximately two-thirds of doctors of medicine work as independent contractors, while a comparable number of GPs are covered by the nationally bargained general medical, contractual relationship.
Access to Healthcare in the United Kingdom
Funding for the NHS originates from general tax receipts (80%) and National Insurance contributions (19%). Each year, user fees, primarily from pharmaceutical and dental payments, are used to pay the remaining obligation. The overall budget for the NHS in 2015–2016 was £116.4 billion (£101.3 for England) (Johnson et al., 2017). Attempts by the government to address its budget deficit have not stopped the steady rise in the NHS budget. Despite this, spending in the OECD places the United Kingdom only 16th overall. Waiting periods for emergency and elective care have been one of the biggest problems with the NHS.
For several medical conditions, the NHS establishes target waiting times. 94.7% of patients in the UK NHS were seen within two weeks of a GP’s urgent referral for suspected cancer. 93% of women were examined for breast symptoms within two weeks after referral in the final quarter (January to March) of 2015/2016, and 97% of patients had their cancer therapies begin within 31 days of cancer diagnosis (Johnson et al., 2017). When they were ill, about 52% of patients could schedule a same-day appointment with their doctor, and 69% said it was simple or relatively simple to seek care after hours.
Reference
Gordon, A. L., Goodman, C., Davies, S. L., Dening, T., Gage, H., Meyer, J., Schneider, J., Bell, B., Jordan, J., Martin, F. C., Iliffe, S., Bowman, C., Gladman, J. R. F., Victor, C., Mayrhofer, A., Handley, M., & Zubair, M. (2018). Optimal healthcare delivery to care homes in the UK: a realist evaluation of what supports effective working to improve healthcare outcomes. Age and Ageing, 47(4), 595–603. Web.
Johnson, J. A., Stoskopf, C., & Shi, L. (2017). Comparative health systems: a global perspective. Jones & Bartlett Learning.