Future of National Health Service: Demographic, Economic Factors

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, examining the mix of state and private healthcare provisions, their similarities and differences, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. It delves into the various approaches to funding the healthcare sector in Britain, including hypothecated taxes, general taxes, client payments, and medical insurances. Furthermore, the essay identifies and evaluates the demographic factors, such as age structure, genetic and cultural background, and migration patterns, that are expected to significantly impact the NHS in the future. Finally, it analyzes the economic and political factors, including political instability, changing legislation, international relations, and economic trends, that are likely to shape the future of the National Health Service in the UK. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments to help students in their academic journey.

Running head: NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
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The essay discusses the background of the National Health Service of UK. It
identifies and analyses the health care provisions within the territory (Grimes 2016). It also
discusses variety of state and private health care provisions conformed by the national
government of the UK. More over the essay points out basic differences and similarities. It
also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these provisions. The essay also describes
the mix of healthcare provisions in the contemporary UK (Glover et al 2014). The analysis
evaluates various approaches for the funning in the healthcare service sectors in Britain. It
identifies the demographic factors which play an important role in effecting the National
Healthcare Services in future and evaluate them in detail. The paper will be explaining the
range of economic as well as political factors that likely effecting the national healthcare
service in distant future.
Mix of heath care provisions in the contemporary Britain:
In recent times, there are various kinds of healthcare provisions found in the
background of the state as well as private health care system in the UK. For case, the national
government of the UK owns, operates, conducts and manages the state healthcare provisions
with in the territory of Britain. On the other hand, the private health care provisions conduct
as well as operate the private sector health care provisions (Grimes 2016). These are owned
by the private organizations therefore has no relation with the national or local governments.
State Healthcare responsibilities:
There are different aspects associated with these provisions which are divided among
the state and private organizations for providing a high quality service to the citizens. The
state government is responsible for conducting the Public health insurance programs. The
applications for affordable healthcare service are accepted by the state government at any
time (Frech et al 2015). The state provides Medicaid as well as different healthcare services

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in low cost or even free. As mentioned before, these provisions usually include both
profitable and non-profitable corporations, various partnerships and charities. It is important
that the healthcare services in the UK has been less expensive in comparison to others. The
state owned sector Include Department of Health, Special Health Authorities, Strategic
Health Authorities, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary care and emergency care.
The private Healthcare responsibilities:
The Healthcare insurance plans are conducted by different private insurance
companies. Unlike the public sector, the private healthcare plans have distinct open
application periods. People needs to pay for the Private health insurance plans through
premium expenses (Dixon-Woods et al 2013). The private healthcare sector includes federal,
state, provincial and municipal governments. The Private healthcare is costlier in the UK.
Unlike the national sector, the private own companies, provide the majority of long-term
health care available in the UK. This sector also provides services of acute care though it has
fewer hospitals for acute care than those of the NHS. This privately owned independent
sector also plays a significant role in empowering the health care services in England by
introducing the patient choice include for profit (Waugh et al. 2016).
Similarities of actions:
Both the national as well as private health care insurance programs maintain the
quality of health care and cover the complete health care of the clients (Greenrod et al. 2014).
The insurance programs in the UK were designed by both the state as well as private health
care organizations in the same way. Both the sectors aim to improve the quality as well as
efficiency in the healthcare services (Blackwell, Lucas and Clarke 2014). Additionally, both
the sectors are totally responsible for providing the long term healthcare services but at lower
cost or free to the patients. The main goal and objective is similar which is to enhance the

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efficiency of the health care system only by improving healthcare services. The chief
advantage of the private healthcare system is that it provides health care services towards the
citizens of UK at a reasonable price. In addition, the health care services provided by state are
totally free to everybody, which is one of the major and best benefits.
Different Approaches to the Funding of Health Services in Britain:
Recently, various types of methods as well as strategies are employed by the state and
the private healthcare organizations so that they can fund the health sector of Britain (Guest
et al. 2015). The main sources of funding in the health sector used by the health care
organizations in Britain are funding from the hypothecated taxes, general taxes, clients’
payments, medical insurances both private and social Insurances. Including all these, the
most revenue to the healthcare system in Britain is delivered by the public sources such as
general taxation, some local taxations and NICs (Crawford, Disney and Emmerson 2015).
Rest of the fund are accumulated through the private sources. These are primarily the PMI,
the user charges of NHS and finally the direct expenses for private care. Therefore, the
sectors use several types of funding methods in order to generate the funds effectively as well
as properly.
Demographic Factors Affecting the NHS in The Future
There are different demographic factors that affect the purposes, functions,
managements, activities and the policies of the National Health Service in future. The
irresistible influence on the healthcare service requirements is the age structure (Hart et al.
2015). NHS resources therefore are allocated on the base of the age-weighted capitation. The
ages which require high level healthcare involvement are:
Neonatal as well as infancy, where improvements in hygiene, care for infectious
illnesses and immunisation to prevent deaths. Pregnant women’s need for medical

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supervision as well as intervention is also need to be covered. Care for elderly people and
attending them for additional illness are important issues (Dixon-Woods et al 2013).
People from different genetic and cultural background is another aspect of population
structure that may affect the usage of health care services.
Another influential aspect can be the health need of the migrants who have limits on
their rights to work as well as to avail themselves of health benefits (Crawford, Disney and
Emmerson 2015). On the other hand, last census has revealed that the people coming to the
UK for travel or work are carriers of different diseases. Therefore, there are some concerns
associated with strains of disease resistant on the part of the government (Morris et al. 2015).
Along with these, the problems associated with alteration in sex, age, education and income
level, marital status, occupation, religion, birth and death rate, size of a family are the factors
in the demographic which may affect the NHS in the future.
Economic and Political factors affecting NHS in future:
The instability in the Political of the UK largely affect the healthcare system of the
country. There are continuous changes in the current legislation which are affecting the
policies including the health care policies (Waterson 2014). There is introduction of new
policies in the national healthcare system that brought drastic changes in the sectors dealing
with staffing, cross border cooperation, regulations for funding as well as finance and
accessibility. The issues can be emerged from aspects like proper and affordable healthcare
for the local as well as foreign people. The relationship between the nations is one of the most
important issue as well as primary political factors which effects the surveillance and warning
of communicable diseases within the UK (Robotham et al. 2016). The collaboration with the
other nations has enabled Britain for furthering its research agenda. The economy is closely
related with politics of the nations. Change in economy can largely affect the edifice as well

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as the system of The National Healthcare Service in the future. On the other hand, the
domestic economy of the UK, the economic trends in the overseas economies also have
impact on the services in future (Waugh et al. 2016). The Gross Domestic Products as well as
the purchasing power of the patients and other customers have far reaching effect on the
economy and revenue of the country. Interest or exchange including the inflation rates are
closely related to international trade. The monetary issues also include investment
opportunities with trade balance which have impact on the country’s economy. These factors
therefore are capable to affect the policies of the government which will eventually move the
principles of the National Health Services in the UK.
Therefore, it can be concluded that, the National Healthcare Service has several
provisions that the aims to provide an affordable healthcare system to the people of the UK.
There is hospital care, local health services, emergency services that can be accessed by the
people in a low expense or free. The NHS commits for innovation, scope for research in order
to provide quality care for current as well as future health service. There are several political,
economic and demographic factors that can affect the future policies of NHA which are run
by both state and private owned companies. Both these carers have responsibilities regarding
proper maintanace and updation of new policies which are formed by the parliament.

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