The Current State Of The Uk Health Sector
All vital statistics concerning the health sector in the United Kingdom reveal that the sector is currently in expansion mode; growing at a steady pace. This includes employment and career opportunities.
When discussing healthcare in the UK, it is vital to understand the dynamics involved; one Kingdom does not necessarily mean one system.
A Devolved Matter
Healthcare in the UK is individually managed by each country; England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all have their own independent healthcare systems that are ran by each individual country. Each country creates and administers its own policies. The one thing that is common between all nations that are a part of the United Kingdom is that they each have a public healthcare system that is quite large.
The public health care system provides healthcare at the point of need; without charge. This healthcare is funded through taxation. Each country also has a private subsector, which is significantly smaller than the public system.
Current Trend
At current, the health sector in the United Kingdom constitutes the largest employment entity therein. A report issued by the National Guidance Research Forum revealed that the healthcare sector comprises 7.3 percent of the working age population. This equates to approximately 2.1 million people, which includes:
– More than 1.5 million in the NHS (National Healthcare System)
– More than 500,000 in the Independent sector
– More than 42,000 volunteers
The sector is showing steady growth which is an indicator that it will remain a viable career option for those that wish to enter into the healthcare sector
A Closer Look
The work force in the health sector of the United Kingdom experienced significant growth between 1999 and 2010, with Scotland experiencing the largest growth (40.1 percent) during that time frame. The largest growth was experienced in the public sector, which is to be expected; however, the private sector experienced significant growth as well.
Based on recent projections, the health sector in the UK is expected to reach 2.6 million by 2017. Over the next 4 to 5 years, there will be a need to replace approximately 500,000 jobs.
Employees Perspective
According to a report entitled: Health and Well-being at Work: A Survey of Employees, employees of the United Kingdom health sector have an optimistic perspective of their pay and employment engagement by their employers. Those that participated in the survey, held an optimistic view of not only their pay, but also their future plans within the industry. The employee satisfaction ratio was positive at a little over 60 percent. The satisfaction ratio also exposed a trend to increase as salary increased; revealing that the perception of appropriate pay carries a significant amount of weight.
The report additionally revealed that a significant amount of healthcare workers report to work when sick. More than 4 percent of those surveyed admitted that they had reported to work sick within the last 12 months.
As a general consensus, employees were satisfied with the flexibility in their work hours; although, some admitted that more flexible schedules are needed to allow for family management and other personal issues.
The points addressed in this report reveal that employee satisfaction is positive though it could be higher. The health sector in the United Kingdom remains a significant entity in the work force; offering vast opportunities in every area, including dentistry, surgery, nursing homes, residential care and more. Not only is the healthcare sector expected to expand, but it presents an opportunity to work in a sector of employment in which the employee satisfaction ratio is respectable and consistently improving.