Comparative Healthcare Systems

The pressures of globalization, ageing populations, increasing patient demands and the rising costs of research and medical treatments are forcing us to look more critically at how healthcare is delivered to devise changes for the future. This course is an introduction to the healthcare system in the UK and the context within which it operates, starting with an overview of the National Health System (NHS) in 1948 and key changes that have taken place right up to the present day. Drawing on a series of cases studies special attention is given to comparisons between the UK, USA and low and middle-income countries to allow students to directly relate their learning to their own educational and healthcare setting and contrasting health systems worldwide. Classroom activities, lectures and field studies explore key concepts and themes in comparative healthcare from a multidisciplinary perspective, enhance critical appraisal skills and assess the quality of evidence used to support developments in healthcare policy and practice.