The NHS, how does it work?

21st March 2024

‘Horrible’ demands for nationwide NHS cuts
A primary function of Integrated Care Systems is to enable the government to control the overall NHS budget. Now we are seeing this function in action as NHS England demand cuts to individual ICS budget. It will result in forced reductions in an already understaffed NHS workforce.

Sexual assault centres & G4S profits
G4S and Mountain Healthcare Ltd run 26 of the 50 NHS and police-funded centres in England that support victims of sexual assault. In the last financial year, the two companies collected £16 million in payments for running sexual assault referral centres (Sarcs).

'Nye' - a play about the NHS founder
The play explores much of Nye Bevan’s life and with the setting up of the NHS, including battles with the medical profession, Conservative party members and some in Labour’s own ranks. Book tickets for live streaming here.

The key ideas behind the NHS

The idea of the NHS is to give the whole population access to comprehensive treatment whenever they need it, free at the point of use, so that when you are ill you don’t have to worry about paying a bill. When and how you receive treatment depends upon your clinical needs, not your ability to pay, as the cost is shared through the tax system. Many other countries offer a comprehensive range of healthcare but none have such low charges making it amongst the most accessible and fairest in the world. Through the NHS the risk of ill health is shared across the whole community not borne by the individual. Gordon Brown once called it “the best insurance policy in the world”. Standard insurance policies always have conditions for paying out, whereas the NHS provides comprehensive care to us all with very few conditions.