The NHS or National Health Service is the name used for the UK’s public health service. It was established in 1948 as one of the major social reforms decided after the Second World War. it was founded upon these main principles. That the services should be comprehensive, universal and free. UK residents are not charged for the treatment they receive. Citizens within the EU containing a European Heath Card can receive emergency treatment at no cost. Along with persons from countries with which the UK has reciprocal arrangements concerning health care.
Funding
The funding of the NHS comes 98.8 percent from general taxation and National Insurance contributions along with donations. The 2008/9 budget roughly equates to a contribution of £1,980 per person in the UK. When Launched the NHS budget was around £437 million however it received more than £100 billion in 2008/2009. 60 percent of the NHS budget is used to pay staff. With a further 20 percent paying for drugs and other supplies.
The UK government is preparing to expand community-based healthcare as part of a new plan to cut NHS waiting times, boost productivity, and modernise the system.
A new immunotherapy for a severe form of blood cancer will soon be available on the NHS, offering new hope to adults whose disease has returned or stopped responding to conventional treatment.
Automation offers the NHS a proven, scalable route to higher productivity, better value and more time for patient care, explain Jo Bowers, Associate Director and James Davies, Head of Digital Productivity at Transformation Partners in Health and Care (TPHC).
David Wyndham Lewis, Health and Life Science Partner at Atos, explores how smart digital health systems can create a sustainable model for future-ready healthcare.
Striking for 236 days, phlebotomists at Gloucestershire Hospitals are now staging a rally in Gloucester. UNISON calls it the longest-running strike in NHS history, over demands for fair pay and re-banding.
The Department of Health and Social Care publishes its accounting officer assessment of the NHS Electronic Staff Record Transformation Programme, evaluating costs, benefits, and implementation risks.
The government announces that over £1 billion a year will be freed from NHS bureaucracy through reform, redirecting funds into patient care and frontline services.
A new survey reveals one in five patients in English Emergency Departments were cared for in corridors or chairs, a “national shame” that highlights risk to patient safety.
The new Strategic Commissioning Framework by NHS England places the pivotal role of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in the spotlight, as they will lead long‑term planning, resource allocation...
A major £1.8 million training initiative across English NHS trusts will equip staff to identify and support veterans, reservists and their families, marking every trust as ‘Veteran Aware’.
A major trial led by the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust is exploring a panel of blood tests to detect dementia faster and more accurately across diverse UK populations.
The British Medical Association warns that the UK government’s proposal to raise doctors’ pay by just 2.5% for 2026 amounts to a real‑terms pay cut, calling it “neglect dressed up as restraint”.
As the NHS approaches its 80th anniversary, what opportunities do digital solutions present for transforming health services, including enhancing staff experiences, streamlining corporate services, and improving patient workflows while also safeguarding digital infrastructures and reducing costs?
The NHS Confederation's latest report shows that integrated care systems support the reform agenda, yet stresses that uncertainty around redundancy funding is a significant barrier to delivering the three key shifts outlined in the ten-year plan.
