The Welfare State in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Welfare State in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The Labour government implemented a comprehensive welfare system in the United Kingdom. This effort was mainly concentrated in the period 1945 to 1951. In the year 1948, the National Health Service or the NHS Act 1946 was enacted. This act was instrumental in introducing a publicly administered health care system in the UK (Weisser & Kishlansky, 2007). Since 1979, the UK government was remarkably reluctant to allocate funds for welfare measures. This resulted in the poor performance of welfare programmes. However, the voluntary organizations came to the rescue and have enabled these programmes to run effectively. Nevertheless, the projected targets could not be reached, which resulted in the improper distribution of resources. As a result, the people belonging to the middle classes could not receive proper welfare and education (Welfare state , 2006). The New Labour government modified welfare to make it compatible with the market forces. This government has been very successful in m ustering the work force. It has increased the employment opportunities for women employees. At the same time it has managed to drastically bring down the poverty level. Nevertheless, it has faced major problems, with regard to the private welfare providers. The New Labour has found it quite difficult to either control or motivate these welfare providers. It has also met with mixed success in respect of achieving the market goals, ensuring sufficient income for everyone and providing adequate motivation.