The NHS Explained: How the Health System in England Really Works (FutureLearn)

Offered by The King's Fund,
The NHS Explained: How the Health System in England Really Works (FutureLearn)

Get a detailed understanding of the NHS - its inner workings, current and future challenges, and how it all fits together. Learn about the NHS and how it compares with health systems around the world. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS), a unique health care system and a source of British national pride placed above the BBC, the British Olympic team and the Royal Family.

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But how much do you know about where it began, how it works today and how it all fits together?
This course will help you understand what keeps the fifth largest employer in the world running. You’ll explore current and future challenges facing the NHS, and the ways in which we can tackle these challenges to ensure a system fit for the future.

What topics will you cover?

  • How the NHS in England is structured
  • How different services work together to deliver health care in the NHS
  • How funding flows through the system
  • How well the NHS is doing
  • How performance is measured in the NHS
  • Future challenges facing the NHS and how the system is changing in response to this

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Demonstrate a wide understanding of how the constituent parts of the NHS in England work together to deliver health and care services
  • Summarise the various ways in which the NHS measures how well it is performing
  • Discuss the future challenges facing the NHS and the way in which the system is adapting to meet these challenges
  • Explore the resources required needed to keep the nation healthy
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