HEALTH SYSTEM OF THE UK:
The National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1948 and is the means by which healthcare is delivered to the UK population free of charge at the point of delivery. It is funded through general taxation.
The NHS is also the single biggest employer in Europe employing or obtaining services from almost one million people including most doctors and nurses as well as many other healthcare professionals such as therapists, scientists and laboratory staff.
The provision of healthcare is divided into two main sections - Primary and Secondary Care.
Primary Care is provided by general practitioners (GPs) in the community. GPs work either singly or in group practices (commonly know as GP surgery) and all UK residents should register with a GP. It is not possible to receive secondary care without initial reference from a GP except for emergency treatment.
Secondary Care is provided in a hospital setting. All referrals are made by a general practitioner and each patient is allocated a particular consultant (specialist) who will retain overall responsibility for the care provided to that patient, whether inpatient or outpatient, until such time as the patient is discharged.
Within hospitals, doctors work in multi-disciplinary teams which will include medical staffing such as Consultants, Specialist Registrars (SpR), Senior House Officers (SHO) and Pre-Registration House Officers (PRHO), nurses, therapists, healthcare workers and a range of other scientific and medical staff.
Please note that Consultant Surgeons in the UK are given the title "Mr" rather than 'Dr'... and they will be offended if you address them as 'Dr'.
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