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NHS
National Health Service
The NHS is the UK's publicly funded health service, free at the point of use.
Summary
- It was launched on 5 July 1948 by the health minister Aneurin Bevan.
- It is paid for mainly from general taxation.
- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own service.
- The NHS Constitution sets out the principles and values of the service in England.
- In March 2025 the government announced that NHS England, the body that runs the service in England, would be abolished and its work moved into the Department of Health and Social Care. The bill to do this is still before Parliament.
Interview questions
- What are the founding principles of the NHS?
- What is the biggest challenge facing the NHS today?
- Should the NHS stay free at the point of use?
Practise answering these with a mentor
Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.
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More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.