Healthcare Systems & Perspectives In The United Kingdom

        When learning about any new country, it is important to discuss its healthcare systems and the perspectives that come along with it. As a result, this blogpost will explore the United Kingdom’s healthcare context and the perspectives that go along with it.

The United Kingdom certainly has more of a western medicine approach when it comes to healthcare. The physical medical treatment that they provide to patients is very comparable to the medical treatment that we would see in the United States. With that being said, locals are very open to healthcare and will likely go to the doctor if there is a need for it. 

The one major difference from the United Kingdom and the United States in terms of healthcare is payment for treatment. The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies states that “The United Kingdom has a national health service (NHS with access based on clinical need, and not ability to pay.” The same source also outlines that coverage for primary, emergency, and compulsory psychiatric care is available for anyone regardless of citizenship. Although to receive secondary care, you would need to be a resident. 

As strange as it may seem, death is also a large component of healthcare, and as we know, practices surrounding death vary from culture to culture. The United Kingdom is certainly no exception to this. Much like the United States, the United Kingdom has very similar practices surrounding death. For example it is custom to hold a funeral for the deceased within the following few weeks post death, most funerals are held in a church, and the deceased is either buried or cremated. An article by Theos highlights how even though formal funerals are a historical practice in the United Kingdom, other practices like celebrations of life, have become more common in recent years. 

One very distinct difference surrounding death in the United Kingdom and the United States would be the practices surrounding the death of a leader. More specifically, in the United States when a former President passes away it is not too big of a deal, but when a member of the royal family passes away it is an extremely large deal in the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II recently passed away in 2022. She served as queen for over 70 years, and was the longest reigning leader of the entire British monarch. Prior to the Queen's death, there were ten days of mourning planned for when she inevitably passed. This plan was formerly entitled Operation London Bridge. 

The official day of the queen's death was known as “D-Day” and the announcement of her death was placed in a letter that was hung on the gates of Buckingham Palace. On this day flags throughout the United Kingdom were flown at half mast. The day after her death the now King Charles addressed the nation regarding his mothers death. On this day the government also declared a period of national mourning that would last until the end of the queen's funeral. On the third day of mourning King Charles was proclaimed as King. On the fourth day of mourning the beloved Queen's body continued its slow transport from Scotland back to London. 

On the fifth day of mourning the Queen's coffin was “taken in a possession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with the king and royal family members following on foot.” Later that night the royal family also held a vigil. On the sixth day of mourning the Queen's body will be flown to London and be placed in Buckingham Palace. On the seventh day of mourning the Queen’s body took a procession through London and ended in Westminster Hall. The royal family followed behind in silence. Here the public was also invited to pay their respects. On the eighth day of mourning Charles visited Wales for various official ceremonies. That night the Queen's four children, Charles, Andrew, Anne, and Edward, also held a vigil by her coffin. On the ninth day of mourning King Charles received Governor General and became head of state. On the tenth day of mourning the King will hold a Funeral reception with all of the visiting heads of state, prime ministers, and governor generals. The Queen’s grandchildren also held a Vigil at Westminster Hall. 

The Funeral was held on the eleventh, and final, day of mourning. Many shops throughout London closed and the stock market was shut down for the day. There are many official practices held for this very serious day, for more information on those practices, I highly recommend reading this article.   

Circling back to healthcare, if one of my readers were offered a chance to work with an NGO doing healthcare-related work in the United Kingdom, I would advise them to have a much more open mind when it comes to treatment. For example I would advise them to go into that realm with the mindset that any and every individual is deserving of healthcare. I would also advise them to work on educating all immigrants and non citizens that they are deserving of healthcare, and that there are ways for them to excessively receive treatment. I would also encourage the reader to absorb any and all information that they can, and bring that information back to the United States. 

What are your immediate opinions surrounding the healthcare system that the United Kingdom has? Also, do you think we should enact 10 days of mourning in the United States each time a former President passes away? I would love to know, so please leave a comment below.

As always, I’ll catch you next time!

Xoxo,

Lil