Developing Professional Practice in Healthcare

A) Summarise the structure and main accountabilities of

the NHS in the UK.
The structure of the NHS has changed throughout the years, The NHS is the
free supported health care system in the UK it came into existence in July 1948
by Aneurin Bevan , it is mainly funded by the Government from taxes and a
little contribution from the national insurance, it is overseen by the
Department of health and social care. The three core Principles were: That it
meets the need of everyone, it is free at the point of entry and it is based on
clinical need not the ability to pay. In the year 2000 additional principles were
added

The main aims of the additional principles are that the NHS will:

 Provide a comprehensive range of services

 Shape its services around the needs and preferences of individual

patients, their families and their carers

 Respond to the different needs of different populations

 Work continuously to improve the quality of services and to minimise

errors

 Support and value its staff

 Use public funds for healthcare devoted solely to NHS patients

 Work with others to ensure a seamless service for patients

 Help to keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities

 Respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open _

NHS Timeline

1948 - Established, Health secretary Aneurin Bevan formally launched the NHS
it became free for all
1952 – Prescription charges were introduced and was later abolished in 1965,
and remained free until 1968 when charges were re-introduced

1958 – First mass immunisation program for polio and diphtheria were offered
to under 15,s prior to these there were 8,000 cases of polio and 70,000 cases
aof diphtheria each year.

1961 – Pills made available

Contraceptive pills gave women choices over control of how many children
they would like to have, it was accessible to married couples but was loosened
up six years later.

1962 – Plans for modern hospitals, each populace of 125,000 was to get a
hospital

1967 – Abortion Act, presented by liberal MP David Steel and passed by a free
vote of MP,s it made premature birth legitimate as 28 weeks , if a lady’s
psychological or physical well-being was in danger limits decreased to 24
weeks in 1990

1968 – The first heart transplant came out in London. 18 specialists and
medical attendants worked for 7 hrs. The patient later died after 46 days, 10
years after another activity took create 3D pictures revolutionizing
investigations of the body

1978 – The first test tube baby was born in Oldham district General hospital.

1988 – Breast Screening Programme Act starts to reduce breast cancer deaths
in women above 50

1990 – NHS and Community Care Act also known as NHS Inward Market with
well-being specialists give their financial plan to purchase care for local
population for hospitals

1994 – Organ donor was created. NHS register set up to co-ordinated requests.
It was the after effect of a 5yr Crusade by Rosemary Cox whose child Peter died
in 1989. He had requested his organs to be utilized to help others.

2000 – NHS walk-in centres offers access to NHS Services and ae managed by
Primary Care Trust (PCT)
2002 - Primary Care Trusts was launched. They are a local organisation, they
are the best to understand the needs of its community. They make sure the
organisation provides health and social care services are working effectively

2008 – Free choice/ Patient decisions enables patients to choose ant hospitals
or clinics that meets NHS standards