Bliss (charity) the charity for the Blue Peter appeal twice, raising £2.7 million and helping to raise awareness about underfunding in neonatal intensive care units. In 2000 Bliss ran a campaign to show that neonatal units in the UK were relying on the charity for equipment, rather than the NHS. The story made the front page of the Daily Express and £6.5 million was then announced for neonatal intensive care. From then on, Bliss decided to spend less money on equipment and started funding medical training and research. Bliss champions the right for every baby born premature or sick to receive the
Private medicine in the UK The Royal Commission on the NHS reported on private medicine in the UK in 1979. Their report included: Expenditure on private health care in the UK in 1976 was estimated at £134 million not including abortions, long-term care, or dentistry. That was about 3% of total expenditure on health care in the UK. At that time about 2% of all acute hospital beds and 6% of all hospital beds in England were in private hospitals and nursing homes. The proportions in the rest of the United Kingdom were lower. As part of a drive to extend the choice of providers