UK COUNTRY FOCUS W
ith the NHS and the UK’s commercial health sector adept at working in partnership, the UK is well placed to assist governments and other healthcare providers to achieve their own objectives.
The UK has invested heavily in the NHS over the past decade. Faced
with the major healthcare challenges common to many of the world’s countries, such as a growing and ageing population, an increase in chronic disease and greater demand for healthcare services, the NHS has implemented a series of major reforms, and launched myriad initiatives, across the whole healthcare spectrum. These have been highly successful, improving efficiency and cost effectiveness, boosting patient and staff satisfaction rates, and crucially, enhancing health outcomes. The excellence of the NHS is matched by the capability of the
UK’s commercial healthcare sector to provide state-of-the-art facilities, products and services with the two working in partnership in planning and delivering clinical services and deploying new technologies. A new organisation, NHS Global, aims to provide international, commercial and philanthropic services through support and advice to NHS organisations wishing to compete in the global market and hence grow the NHS brand and reputation internationally. NHS Global is working with UKTI – the UK government department that helps UK- based exporters succeed globally – to help connect the UK’s health sector with partners and customers in the Middle East and globally.
THE NHS MODEL – A CONTINUUM OF CARE Central to the philosophy of the NHS is the role of Primary Care and eight clinical pathways, which encompass the continuum of care and include: Staying healthy Maternity and newborn care Children Acute care Planned care Mental health Long-term conditions End-of-life care. The UK has experience of developing outstanding services in these
areas. For over a decade, it has been investing heavily in areas such as the healthcare workforce, public health, primary care systems and infrastructure. This has promoted clinical excellence and ensured that the country has a truly integrated healthcare system, the NHS, that provides the right capacity in the right setting and which offers the best services for its citizens. The integrated nature of the NHS, the way in which its workforce
is structured, the way pathways have been designed and the way that it works alongside commercial organisations to design and develop its services and infrastructure, means that the UK has the experience and understanding to work in partnership. Helping the NHS deliver its sustainable, high-quality, patient-centred
healthcare system have been UK commercial partners contributing their world-class innovation, design, engineering, construction and management expertise. Such companies are global leaders in partnerships, delivering cutting-edge healthcare infrastructure, products and services, that put the experience of patients, visitors and staff at their heart.
THE NHS: CAPABILITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS The NHS is at the heart of the UK’s globally renowned capability in healthcare. For 63 years the NHS has been at the forefront of world-class healthcare delivery, research and training, attracting plaudits and respect across the globe. Each of the four countries of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has small differences, but they all provide a comprehensive national health service.
The NHS offers a complete managed system of healthcare, from
people’s homes through to primary, secondary and tertiary care. The majority of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals work directly within the NHS, while others are contracted to provide services in partnership with it. This system has enabled a higher level of clinical integration amongst NHS healthcare providers, contributing to superior rates of patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes. In a 2008 survey, 93% of all NHS patients rated their care as good, very good or excellent. In November 2010, a Commonwealth Fund survey of 11 leading nations found that people in the UK have the highest levels of confidence in the effectiveness and affordability of their health treatment. The fact that the NHS is run as a system with a strong ‘gate keeping’ function in primary care makes it one of the most efficient health services in its use of staff, buildings, equipment and consumables. It can also offer experience in programme budgeting and management, which helps clinicians and managers see how to improve patient care whilst reducing costs. The NHS has grown substantially over the last six decades and now
employs 1.2 million people, making it the fourth largest organisation in the world. The NHS has 160,000 beds across hospital and community care, and in an average year there are more than 300 million General Practitioner (GP) appointments, over 35 million diagnostics appointments, 18 million visits to the emergency room (A&E) and 18 million hospital consultations. Through the UK’s experience of developing and operating the
NHS, it has the know-how to support the design and development of world-class healthcare systems alongside governments and healthcare providers across the globe.
KEY FACTS – THE NHS IN ENGLAND Population served
Staff Budget
% of GDP spent on healthcare Hospitals
Beds (general and acute hospital,
excluding community) Day-case beds GP consultations
Diagnostic appointments
Visits to emergency room (A&E) Hospital consultations General practices
General Practitioners Hospital and community
services, doctors and dentists Nurses
Allied health professionals
Outcomes Average life expectancy Diabetes prevalence Infant mortality Waiting times
Patient satisfaction
50 million 1.2 million £100 billion 8.4% c.500
120,000 11,000
300 million 35 million 18 million 18 million 8,000
35,000 90,000
380,000 310,000
82.5 (2009) 3.6%
4.6/1,000 live births (2009)
Maximum 18 weeks from referral to treatment
93% approval (2008)
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