A Survey of the Healthcare System in the United Kingdom

Assignment Brief

THE ASSIGNMENT TASK:

For this coursework, you need to produce report of a survey of the healthcare system in the country of your residence. As a suggested title for your report, you can use the assignment title and include your surveyed country within it, so for example: ‘A Survey of the Healthcare System in the India’. Although the report should focus on one specific country, you may make comparisons with other countries so as to derive a critical analysis. Statistics or other forms of concrete evidence should be presented to support the statements made in your discussions and analysis. The report should follow the normal academic requirements for ethics, plagiarism, and referencing. The report will need to cover two of the following three subjects of healthcare, according to the principles covered within the units. There is a practical element within each task where you need to devise solutions for certain problems. The details are as follows.

Choose two out of the following three tasks.

Healthcare Service Management

• Describe various types of healthcare services that exist in the chosen country, and explain how service providers work together and allocate resources in order to cater for the growing needs of health and social care services. Elaborate on the various key entities of the healthcare service infrastructure in the country, and discuss how any identified parts of management and leadership play an important role in the healthcare system within the country. As part of this you should make comparisons and critical judgments about the effectiveness (or otherwise) of how particular services or infrastructure are managed and organised.

• Practical Element: Identify and evaluate structural implications, if any, and explain with justification how certain challenges can be addressed. Proposed solutions must be evidence-based, such as based on relevant secondary data, research publications, and other relevant sources. As above, aim to produce comparisons or critical assessments in support of any suggestions or solutions that you propose, giving examples or references where appropriate.

Learning Outcome Assessed:

• Assess critically and understand the developing needs for health and social care services, and critically assess the issues, including that of an ageing population, under limited and defined resources.

• Assess and reflect critically on the evolving needs for healthcare resources, and derive appropriate and effective evidence-based solutions for the requirements and needs of the stakeholders.

Healthcare Finance

• Identify different sources of financing for healthcare recipients within the chosen country, with specific focus on public and private expenditure. As part of this, describe the major health plans that are offered to the public, the community, and individuals, and critically analyse the benefits and the shortfalls of existing systems. Pinpoint milestone periods when major events have impacted the finance of healthcare in the country: this may be achieved by identifying key events, their role, and their impact on particular aspects of financial composition

• Practical Element: Explore the option of using PPP model as the alternative funding source for healthcare management in the country, with the demonstration of a specific case study. Provide justification for the potentially of PPP to be applied using suitable evidence or examples where possible.

Learning Outcome Assessed:

• Assess and appraise critically alternative funding sources for healthcare management.

• Assess critically and understand the developing needs for health and social care services, and critically assess the issues, including that of an ageing population, under limited and defined resources

Healthcare Innovation

• Critically review the main establishments of the healthcare industry in your chosen country. Explain how they contribute to the healthcare service provision and make their respective impact or contribution to the provision of care, and make comparisons of their relative benefits and limitations. Pay special attention to sectors that may promote healthcare innovation via new technologies – give examples to explain what they are used for, how they complement or expand the provision care, and make assessments of their relative contributions to general health provision.

• Practical Element: Provide a brief case study for the chosen country to evaluate how healthcare technology has advanced healthcare provision in certain ways, whether it be in the form of reducing costs, improving efficiency and effectiveness, or enhancing the general quality of life. If the country is currently limited in its use of healthcare technology, explain why this is the case and the opportunities that may exist as a result. Provide suitable evidence where possible to justify your analysis. For the case study, you may choose an organization in which you have direct experience or first-hand knowledge of.

Learning Outcome Assessed:

• Assess and reflect critically on the evolving needs for healthcare resources, and derive appropriate and effective evidence-based solutions for the requirements and needs of the stakeholders.

• Assess and review critically the potential opportunities for improved efficiencies through technological solutions, and reflect on the relationship of technology to healthcare requirements, with particular reference to organisations with which one is concerned. As part of the above, you may present information or data in tables and use any supporting illustrations – these will not contribute to the overall word count.

Formative Assessment: As the formative component of this assessment, you will need to submit an initial research proposal which should cover the following:

• Specify the country of your choice.

• Confirm the two tasks that you have chosen from the list above, and outline the topics that you will investigate for each task.

• Explain your research plan, including expected research methods, sources of information, potential approaches for analysis (such as how data will be compared and analysed), schedule, etc. The research proposal represents a formative assessment. No marks will be allocated to this part of the assessment, but you will receive individual feedback which you can take on board towards the production of the final report. The submission deadline for the research proposal is published on the module page.

MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSED BY THIS ASSIGNMENT:

1. Assess critically and understand the developing needs for health and social care services, and critically assess the issues, including that of an ageing population, under limited and defined resources.

2. Assess and appraise critically alternative funding sources for healthcare management.

3. Assess and reflect critically on the evolving needs for healthcare resources, and derive appropriate and effective evidence-based solutions for the requirements and needs of the stakeholders.

4. Assess and review critically the potential opportunities for improved efficiencies through technological solutions, and reflect on the relationship of technology to healthcare requirements, with particular reference to organisations with which one is concerned.

Sample Answer

A Survey of the Healthcare System in the United Kingdom

Introduction

The United Kingdom (UK) operates one of the world’s largest publicly funded healthcare systems: the National Health Service (NHS). Established in 1948, the NHS was founded on the principle of providing comprehensive healthcare free at the point of use, financed mainly through taxation (Baggott, 2019). Over the decades, the system has evolved to address growing demands, demographic shifts, and financial constraints. This report critically examines two key areas of the UK’s healthcare system: Healthcare Service Management and Healthcare Finance. The report also discusses how these areas interact to ensure the delivery of quality care while maintaining efficiency and sustainability.

Healthcare Service Management in the UK

Structure and Types of Healthcare Services

The UK healthcare system is structured into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care. Primary care, delivered through general practitioners (GPs), community pharmacists, and dentists, acts as the first point of contact for most patients. Secondary care includes specialist and hospital-based services, while tertiary care involves highly specialised treatment, such as neurosurgery or organ transplants (Smith and Dixon, 2019).

The NHS in England is overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care, while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland manage their own NHS systems. This devolved structure enables flexibility to meet regional needs but can also lead to inconsistencies in service delivery (Greer, 2016). NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) coordinate hospitals, community care, and public health initiatives to ensure comprehensive service provision.

Collaboration and Resource Allocation

Service providers in the UK work collaboratively across sectors. For example, hospitals partner with local authorities and community organisations to deliver social care for older adults and people with disabilities. Resource allocation is largely determined by population size, deprivation levels, and local health needs, following the “needs-based” funding principle (Appleby et al., 2021). However, this approach faces ongoing challenges, as healthcare demand continues to outpace available resources.

Collaboration also extends to the private and voluntary sectors. Many NHS hospitals now contract out services such as catering, cleaning, and diagnostic imaging to private providers to increase efficiency. Charities like Macmillan Cancer Support and Age UK complement NHS services by offering patient support and awareness programmes. While outsourcing can improve cost-effectiveness, critics argue that it risks fragmenting care and undermining service quality (Pollock and Roderick, 2018).

Management, Leadership, and Effectiveness

Effective management and leadership are essential to maintaining NHS performance. Leadership roles at national and local levels shape strategic direction and operational outcomes. For example, NHS England’s Long Term Plan (2019) introduced integrated care systems (ICSs) that encourage collaboration between hospitals, GPs, and social care providers. This model aims to improve continuity of care and reduce duplication of services.

However, managerial challenges remain. The NHS faces a severe staffing shortage, with over 100,000 vacancies across the UK (NHS Digital, 2023). Poor workforce planning and burnout have negatively affected morale and patient safety. Comparatively, Germany and France invest more in healthcare staffing and training, leading to higher staff-to-patient ratios and improved satisfaction levels (OECD, 2022).

Continued...