nationalhealthservice
nounUK /ˌnæʃənl ˈhelθ sɜːvɪs/
US /ˌnæʃənl ˈhelθ sɜːrvɪs/
A group of doctors and nurses that the government pays for so everyone can get help when they are sick.
When I broke my arm, the National Health Service took care of me at the hospital.
SYNONYMS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The official name of the public healthcare system in the United Kingdom.
The National Health Service was founded in 1948 to give everyone free medical care.
3. Any country's government-run system for providing medical care to all citizens.
Some countries model their own national health service on the British one.
4. The people and places, like hospitals and clinics, that make up this system.
She has worked for the National Health Service as a nurse for twenty years.