Main description:

This book draws on research within a neo-Weberian and neo-institutionalist perspective to critically analyse national health services in Western Europe. Exploring the challenges posed by neo-liberal policies, it also looks at the impact of the role of the state, the medical profession, the public, and the medical industrial complex in their development.

Bringing together a top-line range of expert international contributors, this book includes national studies from three European macro-regions: Britain, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. In the first part, the national health services of each country considered are examined historically and in a contemporary context in face of emerging challenges - from cost containment to governance. The second part looks across the macro-regions at the influence of the main actors involved on their evolution and sustainability. Comparing and contrasting the national health services of Western Europe, the book ends with a discussion of future directions.

This book makes a vital contribution at a time when health services globally have been under great pressure in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic It is written for academics and advanced students of healthcare, management, public policy, social policy and sociology - in addition to health professionals and policy makers.

Contents:

1.Introduction: The national health services of Western Europe: A historical-comparative perspective. 2.England. 3.Wales and Scotland. 4.Sweden. 5.Denmark. 6.Norway. 7.Italy. 8.Spain. 9.Portugal. 10.Greece. 11.The changing role of the state in a neo-liberal healthcare policy arena. 12.The evolution of medical and health professions in the national health services. 13.The participation of patients and the public in the national health services. 14.The role of the medical-industrial complex in the national health services. 15.Conclusion: Challenges, reforms and future perspectives .