Private medicine

The contribution made by the Voluntary Sector

Family doctors

NHS staff

The NHS is Europe's largest employers with a workforce of nearly one million people. Nurses and midwives make up nearly half the entire workforce in England. Staff costs account for roughly 70 per cent of spending on hospitals and community health services.

The numbers of GPs in England has risen by nine per cent between 1987-1997, with all of the increase occurring amongst women. The numbers of ancillary and maintenance and works staff directly employed by the NHS has fallen since the introduction of competitive tendering which has led to many of these jobs being carried out by the private sector.

In September 1996 approximately 940,000 non-medical staff were employed in the NHS hospital and community health services:

· 67 per cent of these staff were directly involved in patients care and 33 per cent were management and support staff

· there were 332,660 nurses, midwives and health visitors

· there were 167,430 administration and estates staff

· just under 80 per cent of the non-medical workforce were female and over five per cent were from ethnic minority groups.

There were 28,937 GPs in England in October 1997. By 1996, nearly a third were female, compared with just over a fifth in 1986.

The voluntary sector plays an important role in supporting patients and health services. The Government gives grants to a large number of voluntary organisations working in health and personal social services in recognition of the valuable work they do.

The money - ₤59 million in 1996-1997 goes mainly to national organisations dealing with:

children people from ethnic minorities

older people people with HIV/AIDS

carers people suffering from drug or alcohol misuse.

In Scotland, Government grants for 1996-1997 amounted to ₤9 million. In Northern Ireland the Department of Health and Social Services spent ₤6.4 million in 1996-1997 to support voluntary work in the health service.

About 11 per cent of the population in Britain is covered by private medical insurance and it is estimated that about three quarters of people receiving treatment in private hospitals or NHS pay beds are funded by health insurance schemes.

NHS patients are occasionally treated in the private sector (at public expense) in cases where doctors and managers consider it will be good value for money. The scale of private medicine compared to the NHS, however, is small.

Many overseas patients come to be treated in British private hospitals: Harley Street in London is world famous as a centre for medical consultants.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-05