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dentistry; there are charges for services such as eye tests, dental care and prescriptions. It is one of the largest cohesive organizations in the world, employing over 1.3 million people. The government’s budget portioned the Department of Health £98.6 billion for the fiscal year 2008-09, with the majority of that being spent on the NHS. The private healthcare operates on a parallel level to the NHS and it paid for by private insurance, which currently is used by less than eight percent of the population. To cope with the current strain on public resources, the public sector has been used to increase NHS capacity. The responsibility of healthcare is a devolved matter to the jurisdictions of the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – and with each system implementing different sets of policies and programs they each take a different approach. The UK Government is expanding the role of the private sector within England whereas the Scottish government is aiming to reduce the influence of the private sector within the NHS, and is even drawing up legislation that is aimed to prevent the possibility of private companies running GP practices. Although the NHS has a fairly high level of public support from the country’s citizens, it is often subjected to severe criticism by the national newspapers.
Emergency medical services In order to provide immediate care to those with acute illness or injury across the UK ambulatory services are deployed. Required by law, they must assist when requested. However, this is an area in which private firms are being awarded contracts and money is being diverted away from the trusts. The government measures the performance of every Ambulance Trust.
The NHS employs more than 1.3 million people
Travel focus London is the city’s capital and attracts millions of tourists into its metropolis each year. It is due to be hosting the Summer Olympics in 2012 and the capital is gearing up to accommodate the many more millions of tourists the event is due to bring. With its own mayor and assembly, London is a prominent city and one of the world’s largest financial districts; central London incorporates more than half of the UK’s top 100 grossing UK companies. It also holds Europe’s longest shopping street, Oxford Street, which stretches a mile long. Ruled by a monarch and with Queen Elizabeth’s stately home, Buckingham Palace, situated in Central London, the city is teeming with historical builds. Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster were all built to accommodate the Royal Family.
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