Political devolution means there are now four National Health Services in the United Kingdom. The health services of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all funded by the UK taxpayer, but have developed different systems of governance and different methods of providing healthcare. This report examines the impact of this by studying key performance indicators for the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at three time points – 1996/7, 2002/3 and 2006/7. The report also undertakes a completely new comparison of NHS performance in the English regions and the devolved countries. This is the first time such an analysis has been conducted.
(Nuffield Trust - publications)