National Health Service (England) logo

Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland logo

NHS Scotland

NHS Wales

The National Health Service (NHS) is the name commonly used to refer to the three publicly funded healthcare systems in Great Britain, collectively or individually, although only the health service in England uses the name 'National Health Service' without further qualification. The publicly-funded healthcare organisation in Northern Ireland does not use the term 'National Health Service', though is still sometimes referred to as the 'NHS' as well.^[1] Each system operates independently, and is politically accountable to the relevant devolved government of Scotland (Scottish Government), Wales (Welsh Assembly Government) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Executive), and to the UK government for England.

There is no discrimination when a patient resident in one country of the United Kingdom requires treatment in another, except in the case of NHS abortions where women from Northern Ireland must pay for the service in mainland Britain. The consequent financial matters and paperwork of such inter-working are dealt with between the organisations involved and there is generally no personal involvement by the patient comparable to that which might occur when a resident of one European Union member country receives treatment in another.

For details of each of the four national health services in the United Kingdom, see:

• National Health Service (England),
• NHS Scotland,
• NHS Wales, and
• Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• 'BIRTH OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE | How the state of the nation's health became a political ideal', a BBC Archive collection of programmes and documents.
• Celebrating 60 years of the NHS in Scotland (useful insight into the distinct development of public healthcare in Scotland)
• NHS Choices — The website for England's NHS