Healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2018

Healthcare spending in the United Kingdom (UK) has gradually increased since 1997 when it amounted to 54.9 billion British pounds. By 2018, healthcare expenditure in the UK stood at to 214 billion British pounds. This was an increase of 16.6 billion British pounds on the previous year's healthcare spending.

Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe

In 2016, the UK spent just under ten percent of its GDP on healthcare. In comparison to other European countries, this ranked the UK tenth in terms of health expenditure in 2016. Top of the list was Switzerland, which spent 12.2 percent of its’ GDP on healthcare in this year. 

Performance of the NHS in the UK

The majority of surveyed individuals in the UK regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.