Healthcare in the United Kingdom

Most healthcare in the United Kingdom comes from the National Health Service. NHS treatment is free. There are charges for prescriptions, dentistry and glasses, but not everybody has to pay. The UK spent about 20% less per person than similar countries from 2010 to 2022.
People can pay for medical treatment. Some people pay because they dont want to wait. The NHS does not do cosmetic treatment. It will not do things the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not consider good value. Dentists and opticians are private businesses which mostly offer private treatment as well as NHS treatment. General practitioners are mostly private businesses but very few do private work. 
NHS hospitals are allowed to do private work. It must not be more than 50% of their income. Only a few specialist hospitals in London do a lot of private work.
There are private hospitals in the United Kingdom:
The number of people waiting a long time for tests or operations has gone up, so more people are paying for them to be done privately.
Long term care in nursing homes in England is almost all private. 
A lot of long term services for people who are mentally ill are private but many are paid for by the NHS. There were 238 independent NHS mental health services in England in 2022. The Care Quality Commission said 64 were not very good. Cygnet Health Care is the biggest. It runs services in 130 places in England. There have been many bad things happen in them. NHS England pays directly for some of them. They are not happy with the services.
See also:.
Pharmacy in the United Kingdom