The NHS (National Health Service) is the UK system which was introduced in 1948 to make sure that all of the people in Britain had access to health care.

Before this, of course, the poor would get less treatment than the rich. But the government wanted every man, woman and child, regardless of where they lived, or how much money they had, to receive essential medical treatment.

NHS charges

The cost of the NHS was re-charged through national income taxes, in the same way as other important government services such as education. This was not only achieved, but is still true today, although the government is constantly under pressure to improve the quality of the service.

Providing a good service through the NHS is a challenge more now than ever before. Since 1948 much has changed - many illnesses have disappeared, most people are immunised and treatments for serious diseases have been developed.

This plus better diet and fitness means that people in the UK are living longer. The government builds more hospitals and invest more and more money in the NHS, so that they can effectively treat all the patients.

Free Healthcare

But what all this means to you is that most health care in the UK comes for free, from the ambulance that picks you up, to the surgeon who operates on you. There is a general rule that essential medical care will be provided free of charge, but treatment does not come for free if it is purely cosmetic i.e. its main purpose is to make you look better, rather than be healthier.

Essential treatment is free, except for a portion of the dentist fees, and charges forprescriptions as necessary.  To find out where the nearest of any of the following services is to you, use the search facility on the NHS website.

Your doctor / General Practitioner (GP)

Your local doctor will provide general medical advice and treatment. You should visit him/her if you have a condition you need attention for that is not an emergency. S/he can, if necessary, refer you to specialists or to a hospital for treatment, or issue a prescription for medication to help you recover from your illness. You can also go to your GP for immunisation injections.

Dentists

Dental treatment is available on the NHS, however, your charges are only partly funded through by the Government - so you do have to pay something towards them. But this is much cheaper than going to a private dental surgeon. NHS Dentists are very overcrowded at the moment in the UK, which means it may be difficult to sign on with a practice near to your home. This is a topic of discussion and debate in the UK.

For services relating to this topic, see our "Find a..." section.

Pharmacists

Also called chemists, these provide the medication you need, whether it is drugs prescribed by your doctor, or just some pills for a headache. They can also provide advice on health concerns and on choice of medicine. Pharmacists are private and not part of the NHS.

NHS Walk-in centres

If you are having trouble getting an appointment with your doctor the same day but you don't need emergency treatment, you can go to a 'walk-in centre' if you have one nearby. They are open 7 days a week and you don't need to make an appointment.

Accident and Emergency

You should only go to the A&E (Accident and Emergency) department if you are seriously injured. If you are unable to get there yourself, you can call for an ambulance by calling 999.

Health visitors and community nurses

These make home visits to more vulnerable people, usually the very young or the very old.

NHS resources on the internet

There is now a huge resource available to us online. Thanks to the internet, the NHS can now inform us about services, give help and advice about how to treat common ailments and how to stay healthy in our everyday lives - all at the touch of a button.

The NHS Direct website contains an encyclopaedia of information about health problems, answers to almost any health question you can think of, plus a self-help guide which may assist you in treating common health problems at home. And it does all this in various different languages.


By Matt Taylor

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USEFUL WORDS

healthcare - general expression for all of the services offered by hospitals, clinics, dentists, opticians etc.
National Insurance - tax paid by most adults in the UK which covers the cost of healthcare for everyone
National Health Service (NHS) - British name for the service that covers hospitals, clinics, dentists etc.
family doctor (GP) - doctor who looks after people's general health: GP means General Practitioner
surgery - small centre with just 2 or 3 doctors
clinic - large centre with several doctors and different kinds of services
prescription charges - charge for the medication the doctor prescribes, which you pay at the pharmacy
go private - choose private healthcare

Phrasal Verbs and Verb-Preposition Collocations for Health & Illness

I'm fighting off a cold at the moment (trying to get rid of it)
Susan isn't in today; she's gone down with flu (has caught, usually a non-serious illness)
I won't be going today.  I've come down with a dreadful cold (with 'I' we say come down not go down)
I had a virus last week, but I got over it quite quickly (got better/recovered)
My brother's recovering from a major operation (getting better: more serious illnesses)
Tom suffers from hay fever and sneezes a lot if he is near grass or flowers (used for more long-term problems)
He died of/from lung cancer

GRAMMAR SPOT

Phrasal Verbs

Transitive Phrasal Verbs take a noun or an object pronoun:

She took to the doctor immediately (got on well with)

Where the particle is an adverb, the object precedes it:

The doctor told him off for not taking his medication

Where the particle is a preposition, the object follows it:

She came across the information in the doctor's surgery

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs have no object:

They had an argument and fell out

Some Phrasal Verbs have three parts:

verb + adverb + preposition:
She's gone down with a cold
The doctor suggested I try to cut down on cigarettes