In a previous article in this journal [1], I discussed the origins and philosophy of the British National Health Service (NHS). In essence, the aspiration was for a high-quality, comprehensive, geographically and socially homogeneous health care system The article concluded with a taste of some of the changes that financial pressures and rising expectations were bringing about in the organization, Even since the publication of that article, events have moved quickly, and controversy has increased Health care delivery is a matter of prime importance in all developed countries and is not without controversy in any. The British system, established in 1948, can lay some reasonable claim to having been a unique experiment, and its successes and failures and the changes to which it has been subject should be of wider interest.
展开▼
