ABSTRACT
This Introduction present an overview of key concept discussed in the subsequent chapters in this book. The chapters discuss the key changes associated with Conservative Governments. These Governments were led by four Prime Ministers, and over this time there were 13 Ministers of Health. The Conservative governments were especially concerned about the level of public expenditure and cost-containment would be an important aim. The Labour government elected in 1997 made the National Health Service (NHS) one of the centrepieces of its domestic policy agenda. There was a commitment to increase NHS resources and to build more hospitals. The first White Paper of the new Labour Government reasserted faith in professional self-regulation, but the limitations of these arrangements were soon exposed by a series of cases which prompted the establishment of various committees of enquiry between September 1999 and January 2001, leading the Government to take a more significant role in regulatory matters.
