Special Feature Quality Assurance in the United Kingdom

Ireland, Scotland and Wales) has a combined population of 55.7 million (1991) on which public expenditure for healthcare was 5.2 % of the GDP and ranked ninth out of 12 European states in 1990. Healthcare is dominated by the National Health Service (NHS) which is funded by taxa-tion (82%), national insurance (15%) and charges (3%). The latter include pay beds in NHS hospitals, some prescriptions and dental services, but 80 % of all patients given prescrip-tions are exempt from charges; all medical and paramedical care, and hospital accommodation are free at the point of delivery [1]. Allocations for primary health care are chan