Health Care in a Changing Setting

The symposium on U.K. Health needs in a changing setting was held at the Ciba Foundation, London, on 3 and 4 December 1975. The cent change in the administrative structure of the National Health Service in merging the administration of the three services, hospitals, family practitioners and local authority health services, by comprehensive health authorities working under the general direction of central departments of health was to provide the population with comprehensive integrated health care. Consumers are represented by new community health councils, one for every district. As indicated by the Chairman, the primary purpose of the symposium was to understand the various preconditioning factors and underlying forces affecting health needs in U.K., since there are serious doubts about the efficacy of the recent changes in meeting the health needs of the population.