National Health Services in the UK

National Health Services in the UK

In the United Kingdom, General Practitioner and nurse consultation in the primary level of care are free of charge to all, whether the patient is temporary or is a national health service patient (OGL, 2019). There is a residence r-based healthcare system in the UK for secondary healthcare. This means that having a right to free healthcare is dependent on lawful living in the UK under proper settlement during the present time. Ordinary residence describes the residence measure that is used by the UK to determine the right to free national health service healthcare. This demands for the non-European Economic Area nationals that are prone to immigration control also to possess the immigration status or indefinite leave to remain. Foreigners or individuals who are not ordinary residents of England may have to pay for their care. Some people are, however, exempted from paying for several services.

There are several services in the NHS which are free of charge regardless of the Peron’s initial residence which are: emergency and accident services, diagnosis and treatment  for some communicable diseases such as HIV and Tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections, services provided for family planning exclusive of infertility or pregnancy treatment, treatments of any physical or mental condition that might be a result of violence or torture, services of palliative care and service that are included n the NHS111 telephone advice line.

Various groups of people are not charged for health services under the NHS. These groups of people are: Refugees who have already been granted asylum, humanitarian protection or short term protection under based on the immigration policies together with their dependent, people seeking for shelter, groups being supported from home office under Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 section 95, individuals whose asylum application was rejected, children who are supported by the local authority, victims of human trafficking or suspected victims of modern slavery together with their spouses, immigration detainees ad prisoners, people receiving mandatory treatment under the court order and those who are prone to detention in an NHS hospital and are not given the freedom of movement for instance under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, there are no charges for all the treatment provided during the whole detention period.

The UK also has a chance for a particular humanitarian reason for an exception from charges. The secretary of the state determines which exemption is relevant and justified. The exemption granted to an individual also applies to their companion. People who are under reciprocal healthcare agreements, for instance, European Health Insurance Card or individuals who have applied for immigration health surcharge, may also be exempted from payments.

The NHS system in the UK is funded mainly through general taxation and contributions from National insurance (Patel, 2018). Small charges are collected from patients, for instance, prescriptions and dentistry.

Benefits of NHS care in the UK

Information standards used in the system for data collection, extraction, and storage have well-defined rules for processing information to ensure maximum security and confidentiality within the health and social care. Patients, commissioner, and health professional enjoys some of the benefits of these standard information systems (NHS, 2019).

More security is guaranteed under the NHS system (NHS, 2019). This is through the use of a standardize NHS number all over the health and social care system. A person’s health information is made available to the concerned healthcare provider, which ensures that the best care is given. There is also an advantage of the freedom of choice. This is because accurate information concerning the services in the social healthcare services and how they work is made available to the recipient, and they are, therefore, in a position to make their own health decisions.

The NHS system also provides improved access to information. Health care providers can access essential data concerning a patient’s care, and that way, they will be able to provide the best treatment. An individual is also in a position to access their health records. Another advantage of NHS is integrated care and Interoperability. Standards of information allow a free and secure flow of information throughout the systems of health and social care.

There are better services under the NHS as information plays an essential role in developing tools to support commissioners, health providers, and social care services. The collaboration between technology and information systems allow healthcare providers to access the required information to provide all-round care based on personal needs.

Problems Facing the NHS system in the UK

The majority of people consider NHS as one of society’s most valued resources. Still, the order has been constantly subjected to a lot of pressure, be it social, economic, or political, all of which are connected. Some of the challenges facing the NHS system are: ageing population which means that there must be a drastic increase in the number of hospital beds, nurses, doctors and other staff members and equipment to meet the demand by the year 2022 (Medic portal, 2019), increasing  growing of diversification of healthcare need for instance rose cases of diabetes and obesity or cases of antibiotic resistance.

Rapidly growing population due to immigration disrupts the system, and there is a lack of reliable data on the immigrants (Helen, 2016). Despite saving many lives annually through medical advancements, these advancements push up the costs considerably. Advancement in medical technology the NHS an extra cost of approximately 10 billion Euros per annum. There is also a challenge of the closure of local services due to drives by centralization and increased dependence on privatized services.

Recommendations

Constant economic battles have been present in the NHS as the governments struggle to balance between securing the future of the system and being cost-efficient, for instance, the high cost of the lung and heart diseases (British Lung Foundation, 2019). Some of the ideas being suggested are shifting patient care from hospitals to clinics in the community and in the general practitioner surgeries which requires a lot of hospital income and might even lead them to ore debts and centralizing service to redress funding issues which means closing down some locally provide services lie maternity and A&E units.

The NHS system is excellent since it provides medical care at no cost, especially to people who cannot afford it. There are several challenges, especially on the government’s side. It is imperative to maintain the NHS system after addressing this challenge. To survive, the government should save money by reducing more of the social care budget and mildly increasing the finances directed towards mental health. The government should also try to reduce the waiting periods by providing guaranteed access to a general practitioner all week through and appointments within 48 hours for the aged. Medical professionals should also get more involved in addressing their issues since they know best about their operations.