NHS

NHS is short for “National Health Service”. This term is used collectively to describe the four national health services in the United Kingdom: NHS England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland.

The NHS is funded by taxes (around 80 per cent) and National Insurance contributions. There are no statutory health insurance companies as in Germany. With the exception of dental treatment and optical care, NHS medical services are free for ordinary residents of the United Kingdom. However, patients usually have to pay prescription charges.

General practitioners (GPS) ensure the basic medical care of patients. They decide how to proceed and may refer them to specialists if needed.

All medical professionals — doctors, nurses and all support staff — are employed by the NHS, which has roughly 1.5 million employees in the UK, making it one of the biggest employers worldwide.