title: Resource consumption and future organisation of medical work in the National Health Service.
abstract: Medical expenditure within the National Health Service (NHS) is based upon an arrangement whereby doctors share in common resources provided by the Health Authority. This arrangement is unsatisfactory when resources are contracting and leads to social regulation of medical activity. If doctors within the district work-group do not response to the challenge of cost-containment by internal organisation, more and more externally imposed regulations will result to the detriment of patients and doctors. The continual redevelopment of organisation to permit the optimal mix of internal and external regulation should be a subject of long-term enquiry and action for doctors in each district.
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States