BMJ  2008;336:1278-1281 (7 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.a169

Analysis

NHS at 60

Universality, equity, and quality of care

¹ BMJ, London WC1H 9JR

Analysis, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39582.501192.94

Sixty years on, the NHS is still struggling to ensure equal access to the best care. In the second article in his series, Tony Delamothe examines the difficulties

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

One of the objectives of the National Health Service set out in the 1940s was "To ensure that everybody in the country—irrespective of means, age, sex, or occupation—shall have equal opportunity to benefit from the best and most up to date medical and allied services available."¹ How have these founding principles of universality, equity, and quality fared after 60 years?

Everyone who is "ordinarily resident" in the United Kingdom has the right to free primary and secondary care provided by the NHS. Until earlier this year, failed asylum seekers were deemed not to be ordinarily resident, but a judicial review has successfully challenged the lawfulness of Department of Health guidance on this point.²

Otherwise, this founding principle seems the least contested of all. From time to time it’s argued that certain categories of patients should be excluded from certain treatments—usually based on disapproval of their lifestyles (smoking, obesity, etc)—but these . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Raleigh, V. S (2008). Collection of data on ethnic origin in England. BMJ 337: a1107-a1107 [Full text]  
• Delamothe, T. (2008). How the NHS measures up. BMJ 336: 1469-1471 [Full text]  

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