{UAH} NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE OF THE UK.

The National Health Service of the UK (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system for the UK. It is the largest and the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. With an annual budget of £120 billion, the NHS is the fifth biggest employer in the world, making it bigger than India's railways and China's state-owned energy network. The worlds biggest employer is the US Department of Defense, numbering 3.2 million employees, which includes both administration staff and military personnel. The NHS is the best provider of health care in the world, and the biggest legacy that British socialists have left to mankind..

Principles and values that guide the NHS

The NHS was created out of the ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth. When it was launched by the then minister of health, Aneurin Bevan, on July 5 1948, it was based on three core principles:

•that it meet the needs of everyone
•that it be free at the point of delivery
•that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay
These three principles have guided the development of the NHS over more than 60 years and remain at its core.

In March 2011, the Department of Health published the NHS Constitution. It sets out the guiding principles of the NHS and your rights as an NHS patient.

The seven key principles guide the NHS in all it does. They are underpinned by core NHS values which have been derived from extensive discussions with staff, patients and the public. The NHS principles are listed below, but you can find an in-depth explanation about each principle in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution available on the GOV.UK website.

Principle 1
hideThe NHS provides a comprehensive service available to all
This principle applies irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status. The service is designed to diagnose, treat and improve both physical and mental health. It has a duty to each and every individual that it serves and must respect their human rights. At the same time, it has a wider social duty to promote equality through the services it provides and to pay particular attention to groups or sections of society where improvements in health and life expectancy are not keeping pace with the rest of the population.

..Principle 2
hideAccess to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual's ability to pay
NHS services are free of charge, except in limited circumstances sanctioned by Parliament.

.Principle 3
hideThe NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism
•in the provision of high-quality care that is safe, effective and focused on patient experience
•in the people it employs, and in the support, education, training and development they receive
•in the leadership and management of its organisations
•and through its commitment to innovation and to the promotion, conduct and use of research to improve the current and future health and care of the population
Respect, dignity, compassion and care should be at the core of how patients and staff are treated – not only because that is the right thing to do, but because patient safety, experience and outcomes are all improved when staff are valued, empowered and supported.

..Principle 4
hideThe NHS aspires to put patients at the heart of everything it does
It should support individuals to promote and manage their own health. NHS services must reflect, and should be coordinated around and tailored to, the needs and preferences of patients, their families and their carers. Patients, with their families and carers where appropriate, will be involved in and consulted on all decisions about their care and treatment. The NHS will actively encourage feedback from the public, patients and staff, welcome it and use it to improve its services.

..Principle 5
hideThe NHS works across organisational boundaries and in partnership with other organisations in the interest of patients, local communities and the wider population.
The NHS is an integrated system of organisations and services bound together by the principles and values reflected in the Constitution. The NHS is committed to working jointly with other local authority services, other public sector organisations and a wide range of private and voluntary sector organisations to provide and deliver improvements in health and wellbeing.

..Principle 6
The NHS is committed to providing best value for taxpayers' money and the most effective, fair and sustainable use of finite resources.
Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to the benefit of the people that the NHS serves.

..Principle 7
The NHS is accountable to the public, communities and patients that it serves
The NHS is a national service funded through national taxation. The government sets the framework for the NHS, and it is accountable to Parliament for its operation. However, most decisions in the NHS, especially those about the treatment of individuals and the detailed organisation of services, are rightly taken by the local NHS and by patients with their clinicians. The system of responsibility and accountability for taking decisions in the NHS should be transparent and clear to the public, patients and staff. The government will ensure that there is always a clear and up-to-date statement of NHS accountability for this purpose.

..NHS values
hidePatients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS, and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for cooperation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

Working together for patients
The value of "working together for patients" is a central tenet guiding service provision in the NHS and other organisations providing health services. Patients must come first in everything the NHS does. All parts of the NHS system should act and collaborate in the interests of patients, always putting patient interest before institutional interest, even when that involves admitting mistakes. As well as working with each other, health service organisations and providers should also involve staff, patients, carers and local communities to ensure they are providing services tailored to local needs.

Respect and dignity
Every individual who comes into contact with the NHS and organisations providing health services should always be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of whether they are a patient, carer or member of staff. This value seeks to ensure that organisations value and respect different needs, aspirations and priorities, and take them into account when designing and delivering services. The NHS aims to foster a spirit of candour and a culture of humility, openness and honesty, where staff communicate clearly and openly with patients, relatives and carers.

Commitment to quality of care
The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in the provision of high-quality care that is safe, effective and focused on patient experience. Quality should not be compromised – the relentless pursuit of safe, compassionate care for every person who uses and relies on services is a collective endeavour, requiring collective effort and collaboration at every level of the system. The delivery of high-quality care is dependent on feedback: organisations that welcome feedback from patients and staff are able to identify and drive areas for improvement.

Compassion
Compassionate care ties closely with respect and dignity in that individual patients, carers and relatives must be treated with sensitivity and kindness. The business of the NHS extends beyond providing clinical care and includes alleviating pain, distress, and making people feel valued and that their concerns are important.

Improving lives
The core function of the NHS is emphasised in this value – the NHS seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, communities and its staff through professionalism, innovation and excellence in care. This value also recognises that to really improve lives the NHS needs to be helping people and their communities take responsibility for living healthier lives.

Everyone counts
We have a responsibility to maximise the benefits we obtain from NHS resources, ensuring they are distributed fairly to those most in need. Nobody should be discriminated or disadvantaged, and everyone should be treated with equal respect and importance.

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