2.3 Organization
While care has never been delivered the same way across the United Kingdom,
the health care system is now perhaps more divided than ever, as health policy
decisions are made at the level of individual nations. Nevertheless, despite this
diversity in the way the systems are organized, some aspects of the regulatory
framework continue to operate on a United Kingdom-wide basis in line with
European standards.
United Kingdom Government
The United Kingdom Treasury (i.e. ministry of finance) determines the
budget for health and other social services in England, and Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland receive a proportionally similar budget according to the
Barnett formula (discussed in Section 3.3.3), based on the Cabinet’s decisions
for England. The United Kingdom Department of Health (i.e. ministry of health)
is responsible for the health system in England, some United Kingdom-wide
regulatory matters and international collaboration where the Department of
Health represents not just England, but the whole United Kingdom in dealings
with the EU or UN agencies, for example. The Department of Health regularly
meets with counterparts in the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland.