Welfare State of Britain
A welfare state uses a system in which the government uses tax revenue to look after the welfare of its citizens from cradle to grave. Free Social Services such as health and education, old age pensions and financial support for the disabled or unemployed by the government.
Origins: Early 20Th Century: After World WWII, there was a period of high unemployment, poverty. shortage of food, fuel, lack of medical and social services. The government started to act on Beveridge's plans to create a welfare state to look after its citizens for life.
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Aims of British Govt.(Create a welfare state that looked after the welfare of citizens from cradle to grave.)
Measures taken
Nationalised Public Utilities & important industries
- Took after the management of public utilities like electricity and gas, port authorities, railway and bus companies, coal mining and steel making industries
Provision of Social Welfare
- Create a basket of welfare benefits to ease hardship caused by poverty,sickness or unemployment.
- Maternity grants and allowance
- Child Benefits
- Sickness, injury unemployment,supplement benefit
- Retirement,pension
- Death Grant
- Money came from government and taxes collected from workers and employers.
Impact of Provision of Social Welfare
- To ensure that every citizen would have a minumum standard of welfare for a decent life.
Provided health & Medical care
- Created the National Health Service (NHS) to provide free medical,dental and even optical treatment for all citizens.
- Money came from taxes and workers insurance payments.
Impact of provison of Health and Medical Care
- The NHS was set up to provide free healthcare for its people at the point of need.
- The people do not have to pay for the medical treatments that they receive when they are attended by doctors at clinics and hospitals.
- Initally, the NHS was very popular with the people.
- However, the increase in demand went beyond expectations.
- In addition, doctors used treatments without much consideration for cost.
- By 1951, the NHS was unable to meet expectations of a healthcare system that was "free at the point of service"
- Medical treatments were no longer free. NHS had to charge a small fee for medicine given to patients.
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Aims of British government (1980s-Present ) Reform the NHS to meet the needs of the public.
Managing government spending
- Cutting back on government spending on welfare benefits.
- In order to create a system to make the individual more responsible for his own healthcare & Welfare.
Impact of Measures(Managing government spending)
- However.this was difficult as it was impossible to remove free healthcare without losing government support.
- reduction of government spending would also mean the inability to provide free healthcare services.
- The British government has tried to manage government spending while meeting the people's needs at the same time- BUT NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL as increase in government spending would mean increase in contributions to National Insurance to finance the NHS.
Increasing Efficiency
- Privatisation within the NHS-e.g. contracting out non-medical services e.g. laundry , cleaning and catering in hospitals.
- To reduce government subsides, save costs and make the NHS more efficient.
- With privatisation, patients would have more choices and hospitals would have to improve services to meet the people's needs.
Impact of Increasing efficiency
- British citizens were encouraged to take responsibility for their own welfare and health.
- Medical treatments were no longer free except for a few group of people.
Providing Quality Service
- NHS needed to modernise to meet the demands of the public.
- Focus on providing quality service for patients.
- Patients were given more information to help them decide their own treatment and care.
Other Improvements
- NHS Plan 2000 where changes were made based on feedback from staff and patients.
- It also planned to work towards offering patients faster and more convenient services-by letting NHS make use of facilities in private hospitals without having the patient work for it.
- NHS Improvement Plan 2004 where patients have the right to choose from 4 different healthcare providers and NHS would pay for the treatment.
- Every patient has access to their own personal healthspace on the Internet where they can see their own care records.
- NHS Direct-a service to provide medical care over the phone to patients with minor illnesses so that they can save a visit to the doctor.
Impact of Providing Quality Service.
- Changes were aimed to deliver quality service by putting the needs of the patients as top priority.
- This would also not strain the resources of the NHS.
Visit the NHS websites
1.) Official Homepage: http://www.nhs.uk/
2.) NHS Direct http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
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