The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded health system. The NHS provides healthcare to everyone normally resident in the UK, is funded exclusively through income tax, and whilst many services are free of charge to the patient there are significant charges associated with eye tests, prescriptions, and many aspects of personal care. Furthermore there is very little NHS provision of dental care. The NHS provides the majority of healthcare in England, including primary care in-patient care and primary health care, ophthalmology and dentistry. The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948.

Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance, but it is used by less than 8% of the population. The costs of running the NHS are met directly from general taxation.

The UK government department responsible for the NHS is the Department of Health headed by a Headed by a Secretary for Health (Health Secretary), who sits in the British Cabinet. The NHS is the world's largest health service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service (accessed on 23/04/2009).

Validated August 2008