ABSTRACT
Contrasting with Finland and Sweden, England has a long history of health policy explicitly framed in terms of both markets and patient and public involvement. Further, there is an extensive literature critically analysing English health policy and engaging with both these sets of issues (e.g. Coulter and Magee 2003; Harrison 2004; Pollock 2004; Hogg 2008). Therefore the structure of this chapter is different and seeks to illustrate the ways these two themes have evolved and interacted in health policy over the last 20 years. We begin with a discussion of the context and broader background for policy changes and propose three distinct waves of health reform. We discuss the politics of these measures and go on to touch on the role and relevance of the European Union and globalisation before presenting some concluding reflections.
