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The Soviet Union of Syrussia.
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Syrussian National Health Service | SNHS
National Health Service (Syrussia)
The Syrussian National Health Service (SNHS) is the publicly funded national healthcare system for Syrussia. It is one of the largest single-payer healthcare system in The Western Isles. Primarily funded through the general taxation system and overseen by the Department of Social Welfare, SNHS Syrussia provides healthcare to all legal Syrussian residents, with most services free at the point of use. Some services, such as emergency treatment and treatment of infectious diseases are free for everyone, including visitors and permitted refugees.
Free healthcare at the point of use comes from the core principles at the founding of the Syrussian National Health Service by the Syrussian government in 1991. In practice, "free at the point of use" normally means that anyone legitimately fully registered with the system (i.e. in possession of an SNHS Medical Card), available to legal Syrussian residents regardless of nationality (but not non-resident Syrussian citizens), can access the full breadth of critical and non-critical medical care, without payment except for some specific SNHS services, for example eye tests, dental care, prescriptions, and aspects of long-term care. These charges are usually lower than equivalent services provided by a private provider, and many are free to vulnerable or low-income patients.
The SNHS provides the majority of healthcare in Syrussia including primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology, and dentistry. The National Health Service Act 1991 came into effect on 5 July 1991. Private health care services are available also and run parallel to the SNHS, paid for largely by private insurance: it is used by about 8% of the population, generally as an add-on to SNHS services.
The SNHS is largely funded from general taxation with a small amount being contributed by National Insurance payments and from fees levied in accordance with recent changes in the Immigration Act. The Syrussian government department responsible for the SNHS is the Department of Social Welfare, headed by the Secretary of Social Welfare. The Department of Social Welfare had a $25 billion budget in 2016–17, most of this being spent on the SNHS.
Core Values
The SNHS states the following as core principles:
The SNHS was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth. At its launch by the then minister of health, Aneurin Bevan, on May 1991, it had at its heart three core principles:
.That it meet the needs of everyone
.That it be free at the point of delivery
.That it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay
These three principles have guided the development of the SNHS almost three decades and remain. However, in July 2000, a full-scale modernisation programme was launched and new principles added.
The main aims of the additional principles are that the SNHS will:
.Provide a comprehensive range of services
.Shape its services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their families and their carers
.Respond to the different needs of different populations
.Work continuously to improve the quality of services and to minimise errors
.Support and value its staff
.Use public funds for healthcare devoted solely to SNHS patients
.Work with others to ensure a seamless service for patients
.Help to keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities
.Respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open access to information about services, treatment and performance
Structure
The SNHS operates 25 major hospital centres across Syrussia with a further 82 clinics and minor injury facilities. The largest hospital in Syrussia is the St Augustine's University Hospital in Ryssovda. A 618 bed hospital with specialist care in Neurology, Neurosurgery, Dentistry and Trauma. Most clinics and medical facilities will have staffed doctors, nurses, dentists and specialist staff such as dietitians and mental health nurses.
The SNHS also provides ambulances that help many people with serious or life-threatening conditions. They also provide a range of other urgent and planned healthcare and transport services.
Depending on the situation the ambulance service can dispatch the following units:
.An ambulance
.A rapid response vehicle (car, motorbike or bicycle)
.A doctor
.An air ambulance
.A community first responder (CFR) and volunteers
.A patient transport service (PTS)
.A combination of the above
Ambulance crews
Ambulance crews can include a range of medical staff, such as emergency care assistants and paramedics. Crews are highly trained in all aspects of emergency care, from trauma injuries to cardiac arrests. An ambulance is equipped with a variety of emergency care equipment, such as heart defibrillators, oxygen, intravenous drips, spinal and traction splints, and a range of drugs.
Patients will always be taken to hospital when there is a medical need for this. However, paramedics now carry out more diagnostic tests and do basic procedures at the scene. Many crews also refer patients to social care services, and directly admit patients to specialist units such as major trauma centres or stroke units. Paramedics also administer a wide range of drugs to deal with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, allergic reactions, overdoses and heart failure.
A Syrussian Emergency Ambulance.
A Rapid Response Vehicle (car, motorbike or bicycle)
These units are often sent ahead of an ambulance as they are quicker at getting through traffic or large pedestrian areas. This is important in situations where every second counts.
Syrussian Rapid Response Vehicle.
Air Ambulance
Air ambulances deliver emergency care, especially in rural areas and where road access is a problem. They can be an effective way of getting better and faster access to hospitals, are valuable in transferring patients between hospitals and are dispatched by SNHS ambulance services where there is a need. There is currently 4 Air Ambulances operating within Syrussia. Additional helicopters can be provided by the military in times of crisis.
One of four Air Ambulances in Syrussia
Community First Responders (CFRs) and volunteers
Many local ambulance services run volunteer responder schemes. Volunteers receive medical training and are expected to provide emergency care alongside ambulances or until an ambulance can be on site. They are often trained to use defibrillators, provide CPR and are able to give oxygen treatment. The volunteers have to provide their own cars and usually don't have emergency lights or sirens.
Non-emergency patient transport services (PTS)
If you have a hospital appointment you usually need to make your own transport arrangements. However, under certain circumstances a non-emergency patient transport service (PTS) can be arranged. Transport can and should encompass a wide range of vehicle types and levels of care consistent with the patients' medical needs.
