Nhs workforce and electronic initiatives

The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world, with a workforce of nearly 1 million people. The NHS is making increasing use of new technology in patient care. The Government has said that every patient in England will be able to access his or her own electronic health record – a summary of key personal and health data about the patient. NHS Net is a range of voice and data services used by the NHS, covering radio, telephone and computer-based communications. Every GP practice in England is connected to NHS Net and is able to receive hospital pathology test results. NHS Net also supports the longer-term goal of introducing electronic health records to replace the paper-based records. This makes it possible to provide secure access by doctors to patients’ records in an emergency when they are away from home.

Post-reading activities

A. True (T), False (F), Not Mentioned (NM)? Read the sentences that follow and mark them T if the information is true, F if it is false, and NM if it is not mentioned in the text.

1.     British NHS is the largest work force in the world.

2.     There are nearly 1 million people employed by NHS.

3.     The number of NHS employees is growing every year.

4.     The NHS is planning to use new technologies for prescription services only.

5.     NHS Net replaces paper-based records.

6.     The population supports the new electronic initiatives.

 

B. Scanning. You can now scan all three parts of the text and choose a, b or c as the correct answer for the following questions.

1.     NHS is based on

a)     the ability to pay

b)     patients’ needs

c)     government statistics

2.     The patients have to pay for

a) all the services

b) no services

c)     some services

3.     There is a Department of Health (DH) in

a) England

b)     every part of the UK

c)     Scotland

4.     The local health care bodies play

a)     no role in NHS plans

b)     a large role in NHS plans

c)     a role in some local plans

5. The Government is planning to use the new technologies for

a)     reducing paperwork

b)     making overviews of Health plans

c)     prescriptions only.

6. NHSNet

a)     was created by the BBC

b)     is designed to help patients communicate

c)     helps doctors access patients’ records.

Reading 2

1. Pre-reading activities

What do you know about Public Health System in Kazakhstan?

2. Reading activities

Read the text about “Public Health System in Kazakhstan” and find the useful expressions on Healthcare

Public Health System in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Public Health Care System is based on the principles of humanity and its availability to those who need medical assistance. There are different kinds of medical institutions in Kazakhstan, such as polyclinics, dispensaries, hospitals, emergency ambulance service, sanitary-epidemiological centers, etc. The main unit in Kazakhstan Public Health Service is a polyclinic. Every polyclinic is in charge of a definite district and provides the inhabitants of this district with different kinds of medical aid.

Different specialists work at the polyclinic such as therapeutists, surgeons, ophthalmologists, otorhinolaryngologists, cardiologists, neurologists and others.

Each doctor has his consulting hours. If а person is unwell he goes to his district therapeutist, calls a doctor in or may get medical aid at the place of his work. When a patient comes to a doctor the doctor asks him about his complaints, feels his pulse, listens to his heart and lungs, examines his throat, palpates his abdomen. The nurse takes the patient's temperature, measures his blood pressure. All the data of physical examination are written down in the patient's card. If the diagnosis is not clear the doctor asks the patient to undergo some analyses. If the symptoms are outside the therapeutist's competence he refers a patient to a certain specialist. When the diagnosis is made the doctor administers a proper treatment. Every day before or after his consulting hours a district doctor makes calls and visits those patients who cannot come to the polyclinic themselves.

If a person falls ill late at night or the disease breaks up acutely and suddenly or there is a risk to patient's life there are special facilities for such cases: emergency ambulance service which operates day and night. Those patients who need in-patient assistance are hospitalized. There are different kinds of hospitals in Russia: general hospitals, infectious disease hospitals, mental disease hospitals, oncologic clinics, maternity homes and others. Each hospital has wards for patients, procedure rooms, dressing rooms, physiotherapy rooms, X-ray rooms, operating theatres and others.

Everything concerning patients' health and doctor's prescriptions are written down in the patient's case history. All doctor's prescriptions are carried out by nurses. They take the patients' temperature and blood pressure, give injections, infusions. apply mustard plasters. When a patient is discharged from the hospital he is given а medical certificate. According to this document he receives his sick leave pay.

One of the main principles of Kazakhstan Public Health System is disease prevention. It is always more easy to prevent a disease than to treat it. That's why regular medical checkups are carried out once a year at schools, universities, institutes and at places of work. They include X-ray check, blood analysis and physical examination. Children undergo an obligatory vaccination.