According to a White Paper, private companies may be asked to shore up the provision of primary care (GPs) in the NHS. The NHS will be able to ask private companies to provide primary care (general practice) services in local areas. Patricia Hewitt, UK Health Secretary, said the service will remain free for consumers (patients).
In a Channel 4 programme, Patricia Hewitt said the most likely areas to take this up will be where there are not enough GPs or where the services are not currently good enough. She said that in those cases it makes sense to ask private companies to provide primary care. She said these providers could be not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises, GPs, nurse practitioners or other types of private companies.
She added that the most important thing is to provide the best service, free at the point of need.
Since just after the end of WWII, the UK has had a free national health service. People do not pay for operations, hospital stays, GP visits – even prescription drugs are either free (over 65s, under 18s, unemployed, pregnant women, low income families) or heavily subsidised. However, the NHS (National Health Service) has become burdened by a combination of rising costs as people live longer and more patients can be kept alive for longer – and inefficiency. The UK government (and previous administrations) have been trying to find a way of improving the system. Generally, public opinion polls place the UK health services above the USA’s and below most of Western Europe’s.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today