The Differences between NHS and Private Health Care Services in Hull and East Yorkshire - Essay Example

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NHS AND PRIVATE HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN UNITED KINGDOM s of Submission Introduction The last few decades have witnessed various differences in action, service delivery, insurance policies and treatment in private and National Health Service centres in the United Kingdom (Johnson 2010, p.2). The National Health Service and private health services in United Kingdom have dedicated themselves in meeting the residents’ health needs. However, there are serious matters that raise dissimilarity between the service delivery and functions in the two systems. Furthermore, the range of service delivery by the two systems in meeting the population health needs, service consumption and terms have also leads to hard to believe differences in the two systems (Johnson 2010, p.1). In most cases, population health requirements are transformed into acceptable demands. There are also other healthcare needs that are ignored due to lack of usage and demands. The main challenge for any healthcare system is the classification of the true health needs of a population, fulfilling the basic demands as well as improving health demand to the general public (Johnson 2010, p.1). The two systems have created various plans for achieving different interests and meeting the accepted public health demands. There are various factors that patients think before selecting the most helpful services between private hospital services and services from National Health Service health centres (Johnson 2010, p.2). Both private and national health services in United Kingdom have various strengths and weakness that influences the quality of services offered to their patients. However, there are national regulations and policies that ensure good health service delivery to get together public health needs. The essay below will address the advantages and disadvantages of National Health Service health centres over private health centres in United Kingdom. Advantages of Private Health Sector in the United Kingdom over National Health Service The first advantage of private medical care in United Kingdom over National Health Service hospitals is its reduced health operation time. Even with serious efforts to decrease the time spent in offering services to its customers, National Health Service hospitals are still not good compared to services offered by private medical care in United Kingdom. As a result, a good number of patients with serious health problems rely on private medical care more than National Health Service. Private medical care also reduces pain and suffering experienced in delayed service delivery (Johnson 2010, p.2). Quick service delivery as well improves the feature of life as well as reducing preventable deaths and mortality rates. On the other hand, the fast service delivery in National Health Service relies on public spending (Wilson, 2008, p. 1). Because of this, if the government reduce its giving on public spending then, the waiting time in National Health Service hospital is most likely going to get worse. Additionally, National Health Service in United Kingdom is under very high pressure because the increasing population especially the increased number of old people in the area resulting from the increased life expectancy (Johnson 2010, p.1). Secondly, private medical care in United Kingdom has more staffs than National Health Service health centres. This is because; heath insurance in private hospitals is given money on private bases. Therefore, more money is taken into employment of more people in private health centres to give quality service. On the other hand, workers in private sectors are blamed for being less qualified and inexperienced compared to professionals in National Health Service. This claim is in some way not proved because; most of the employees employed in private hospitals are educated and passed by National Health Service. There are also those who work in the two sectors, private sector and in National Health Service (Wilson 2008, p. 2). Moreover, private health workers are evaluated using the examination set by National Health Service. Private medical employees also work using the National Health Service rule and system. Moreover, the level of services given by private health workers in United Kingdom are checked and assessed by Care Quality Commission. There should however be no difference between the numbers of people employed in private health sectors United Kingdom and those employed in National Health Service system (Johnson 2010, p.1). In general therefore, the number of workers per patient in private health sector is high compared to the number of workers per patient in National Health Service hospitals. This has as a result advanced the level of service delivery in private health sector (Wilson 2008, p. 1). Thirdly, in the early days, private health sector was the set aside for the advantaged and wealth people in united kingdom. The health services in the private medical care were costly for a common person. Patient from poor society therefore used National Health Service system to meet their health needs. This created congestions and over use of National Health Service equipments which brought about low service delivery (Wilson 2008, p. 1). Although, the expenses in services offered by private sector is still high, the introduction of medical insurance premiums by medical insurance companies have reduces the cost of service offered in private sector (Wilson 2008, p. 1). On the other hand, medical insurance companies have in the last few years come up with plan for reducing medical health premiums therefore making private medical insurances premiums more usable and available than national health services. The most significant premium policy in United Kingdom includes the No Claim Discount and Fitness schemes. In this scheme, patient is got a reduction off the insurance premium for any health development (Johnson 2010, p.1). Health insurance companies in United Kingdom have also come up with an instruction that gives a clear instruction on the qualifications for the reduction. In health insurances scheme, patients are must have a medical insurance before getting for a health need in private sector. On the other hand, the running of health insurance in private medical care in United Kingdom is very different and favour private health sector. In private hospitals, insurance company pays for all services given to the covered patients. In National Health Service hospitals, hospital administrators calculate the money for treatment cost and tell the insurer for payment (Wilson 2008, p. 1). In this case, the price for the equipment used in the treatment, the worker, other after care services and time used in theatre is also included in the adding up (Johnson 2010, p.1). Moreover, apart from taking care of families members who are sick, insurances policies in private health care gives cash plans to make available for other external medical expenses (Wilson 2008, p. 1). Finally, the process and operation in private health sectors in United Kingdom are relative better and well managed than the operation and processes in National Health Service health centres. The managers who work in the operation in private health sectors are selected by owners while the managers in National Health Service system are selected by national health department (Wilson 2008, p. 1). On the other hand, the work of private health managers is higher than the National Health Service leaders. Payment and promotion in private sectors is supported by individual performance while position and payment in National Health Service is based on experiences and merit thus making the services in private sector better than services in National Health Service. Disadvantages of private health sector in United Kingdom over National Health Service To start with, the National Health Service hospitals has an advantage of having very important equipments and technology which is not available in private medical care which incurs high loss in purchasing the necessary equipments in their system(Wilson 2008, p. 1). In United Kingdom, National Health Service has a greater collection of healthcare equipments as opposed to private medical care. This is because, capital equipment required in many treatment procedures is very high-priced for private purchasing (Johnson 2010, p.1). On the other hand, private medical care has tried to buy some of the most important equipment required in the treatment of most common medical complications. As a result of this, too little health equipment in private health sector, most private patients choose to get treatment from National Health Service hospital in so that to receive quality services resulting from equipments ease of access. To respond to the problem, private medical care’s in United Kingdom carry out everyday improvement on their few equipments (Johnson 2010, p.1). However, National Health Service struggles and takes time before fill in their health equipment thus reducing its advantage over private medical care. Secondly, a good number of private medical cares in United Kingdom has very limited capacity to carry out quick and life-saving operations. However, private health centres has the ability of doing semi-urgent procedures. The operational procedures performed by private medical care depend on the amount of time and resources needed in the operation as well as the availability of qualified people (Johnson 2010, p.2). On the other hand, National Health Service in United Kingdom has equipment and people to run and deal with emergency surgical cases in their hospitals (Wilson, 2008, p. 2). Finally, the availability of helpful services in National Health Service institutions in united kingdom as opposed to less valuable services in some private sectors offers a reason for explaining why many people uses National Health Service in getting their medical need as opposed to private health services(Wilson 2008, p. 1). On the other hand, National Health Service facilities have more serious therapy unit compared to a less number of private medical care (Johnson 2010, p.7). National Health Service hospitals also offer free treatment to emergency cases as opposed to private health sectors that not gives free emergency services. In conclusion, the entire health care system in United Kingdom is developed to bring about total public health needs. However, private health sector and National Health Service system have demonstrated remarkable differences in their service delivery, operation, and premium management (Wilson 2008, p. 1). Additionally, environmental factors in United Kingdom health sector have brought big differences of broad differences in the two sectors. Some of the differences created due to environmental factors includes: different in premium requirement and implementation, different in waiting list, pressure to national health service hospital to offer more quality services to a large number of people as opposed to health centres in private sector, as well as management and operation services. It is therefore, the duty of the whole health sector personnel’s in United Kingdom to bring together and improve their services to meet the public health needs (Wilson 2008, p. 1). References Johnson, J., 2010, Difference between NHS and Private Health Services, Journals of private advice, 23, 2, 1-7, retrieved on 17th august 2012, From; www.privatehealthadvice.co.uk › NHS & Private Wilson, V., 2010, “NHS v. Private Healthcare, journals of health cover, 45, 17, 1-2. Retrieved on 17th august 2012, from: ehealthcover.co.uk/private-v-nhs-healthcare.php Read More