United Kingdom Launches Major New Healthcare Initiative

The Government of the United Kingdom has launched a strategic initiative that will offer a gateway into healthcare expertise that spans both the public and private sectors.

Healthcare UK is a major drive to give healthcare system providers across the world access to the UK healthcare industry and expertise from the National Health Service (NHS; London, United Kingdom). Under the plan, officials from the UK Department of Health and UK Trade and Investment will come together to act as a “dating agency” between hospitals that wish to expand overseas and foreign governments with a demand for British health services. The launch of Healthcare UK will include a special focus on the development of primary care to address the challenges of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

Some of Britain’s best-known hospitals, such as Great Ormond Street (London, UK), the Royal Marsden, Moorfields Eye Hospital (which has already established a unit in Dubai), and Guy's and St Thomas' (London, UK) are being lined up to export the “NHS brand” around the world and set up profit-making branches overseas to boost their incomes. The initiative calls for all profits made by British NHS hospital trusts abroad to be returned into their coffers in the UK itself, and upfront investment could only come from the revenue they make from private patients. Areas of the world identified as key to the success of the project include the Persian Gulf, where British medical brands already have high recognition, and China, Brazil, Libya, and India.

“The UK is a world leader in healthcare, with unrivalled experience and expertise in meeting the complex health demands of a dynamic population,” said Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health. “We are looking to share insights gained over 60 years delivering one of the world’s most successful and cost effective healthcare systems. Healthcare UK will allow nation’s across the world to take on board UK knowhow and technological advances with the potential to achieve a step change in healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.”

London is already a world-renowned center for medical training and the hope is that British-trained doctors could be recruited to the new project without the risk of taking resources from the front line. Some of the Royal Colleges have been involved in early discussions about training and accreditation and this is expected to be expanded.

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National Health Service
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Guy's and St Thomas'