Thatcher-Major Government's National Health Service Of U.K.

U.K. established "welfare state" firstly After the Second World War because of many factors. The core of the "welfare state" was the National Health Service, it is abridged NHS.This dissertation regards the Thatcher-Major Government's National Health Service of U.K. as the title. In general, it is divided into three parts.The first part mainly elaborates the National Heath Service. At first this dissertation describes how NHS set up. Secondly it expounds NHS' structure, functions and drawbacks. There were some defects in the NHS. So straits and transform appeared in the NHS. The author expounds the NHS' evolution according to the historical development. This involves the NHS' base of thought and base of theory, in this course the author analyses how the wars and elites impelled the NHS' development. There was not only development but also drawbacks in the NHS. The government carried out a series of reforms. The Thatcher-Major government's reform was the famous one.The second part of this dissertation puts the field of vision on Thatcher-Major government's NHS reform. At first, this dissertation analyses the historical background of reform from different sides. The world economic crisis in 1973-1975 brought about serious consequence for U.K. So the welfare state system was in trouble and NHS was firstly affected by the condition. Political theories rose abruptly when the straits of welfare state was dealt with. The New Right advocated that government introduced market system into economic realm. The New Right established theory base for the NHS reforms. The expenditure crisis of NHS; Nurses and ancillary workers strikes; The failure of 1974 NHS reorganization, these matters made these reforms take place. Secondly, the author expounds the content of reforms were divided into two stages: one is Thatcher government' s NHS reform. This stage includes the extension of the role of private hospital and the development of private health insurance. It was important for this reform to introduce the market system and competence machine-made. The target of this phase reform was to improve the efficiency of NHS. The other was Major government's NHS reform. Major went on Thatcher's way and achieved the policy that "money follows persons". The Major government reformed NHS basically. He tried to cut down finance expenditure and improve the efficiency of health service and use the health service resource efficiently.The third part focuses on the evaluation the Thatcher-Major government's NHS reform. First, the central features of this NHS reform were that purchaser/provider split, the purchaser and the provider were not controlled by the area health authority any longer. GP fund holders as the purchaser was introduced, they buy the health service for their own patients. Quasi market was set up in NHS system. Besides, hospitals formed trusts, these trusts possessed limits of authority so that they were independent from the area health authority. Secondly, the author analyses the faults of these reforms from a few aspects as follow:â… Although internal market system was introduced, this system was different from the real market system because internal market system was often short of market exit system. Most hospitals were public, it was difficult for private sectors to get into the internal market system. There were short of competitors so that inferiors could not be superseded and superiors could not occupy a dominant position in NHS system.â…¡Hospitals often gave rise to equipment competition in order to dominant position in market. Consequently many identical medical apparatuses and instruments were installed in the same district so that medical resource was wasted immensely. Providers of NHS were excessive to pursue profits. So they ignored the quality of NHS.â…¢The provider/purchaser split made management cost rise constantly. Once more, the author analyses the consequence and influence of these reforms. Ignoring reforms defects, after these reforms the quality of NHS and medical technology were improved; Queuing for treatment was decreasing; The patients status was heightened because they were able to choose what they wanted themselves and their benefit was protected.At last, the author expounds the illuminating remarks of reforms to China. Our nation should use the successful experience of Britain for reference in order to improve Chinese health care guarantee system efficiently.