Nhs

NHS

The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom. Pronounced as /ɛn eɪtʃ ɛs/, the term "National Health Service" is used to refer to the four systems which were established in 1948 as part of major social reforms following the Second World War. The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, apart from dental treatment and optical care. The English NHS is controlled by the UK government through the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), while the other three systems are managed by the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Etymology

The term "National Health Service" has its roots in the Beveridge Report, a report by William Beveridge, a British economist, which formed the basis for the post-World War II welfare state. The report identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease, and proposed widespread reform to the system of social welfare to mitigate these. The NHS was one of the major reforms proposed by the report.

Related Terms

• Public Health: The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.
• Healthcare in the United Kingdom: The publicly funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom is referred to as the National Health Service (NHS).
• Department of Health and Social Care: The UK government department responsible for government policy on health and social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish governments.
• Beveridge Report: The report by William Beveridge that proposed widespread reform to the system of social welfare in the UK, including the establishment of the NHS.

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