the National Health Service
noun /ðə ˌnæʃnəl ˈhelθ sɜːvɪs/
/ðə ˌnæʃnəl ˈhelθ sɜːrvɪs/
[singular] (abbreviation NHS)
- the public health service in the UK that provides medical care and is paid for by taxes
- I got my glasses on the National Health (Service).
CultureBritish people have strong feelings about the importance of the NHS, and it is always one of the top political issues in the UK. The National Health Service was introduced in 1946 by the Labour government as part of the welfare state system recommended in the Beveridge Report, and it came into operation in 1948. At first it provided free medical, dental and hospital services for everyone, but in the 1950s charges for medicines and dental services were introduced for most people. Since then the cost of the NHS has continued to rise and governments have been forced to find new ways of paying for it. Conservative governments are often accused of trying to privatize the NHS (= sell it to private owners), for example, by introducing hospital trusts and encouraging the growth of private medical services and private medical insurance. There are now fewer NHS dentists, but treatment by doctors and hospitals is still free of charge to patients and charges for medicines only apply in England.see also private patient