Healthcare unit 9

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and allied health.

Most of the time we feel well. We can play sports, go to work and enjoy our lives. But sometimes we don't feel well. What happens then?

We can go to the National Health Service, the NHS. You can get a prescripion from a doctor. Doctors work in sugeries or health centres. The doctor examines you first to find out what's wrong. Then they can write you a prescription for medicine to cure you.

The NHS also provides Walk-in Centres in More than 60 locations in Britain. You can go in and wait until a doctor is available to treat you.
For accidents or emergencies you should go to a hospital which has got a specific Accident an Emergencies department.

But many people prefer alternative medicine. For exemple: Chinese herbs - These are completely natural medicine. Acupuncture - a Chinese technique using needles placed carefully in the body. Osteopathy - where the doctor manipulates bones and muscles.

In conclusion the best way to avoid getting ill is to have a healthy diet, get lots of exercise and take good care of yourself. You shouldn't then need to use the healthcare system at all!