From consumerism to partnership? Britain's National Health Service at the turn of the century

It has been argued that "consumerism" has been one of the main influences o n health policy in many countries over the last decade or so. This article focuses on the role of consumerism in U.K. health policy during this period through the introduction of changes in National Health Service provision s uch as introduction of the quasi-market, creation of the new managerialism, and new organizational structures set up under the recent Labour governmen t. It considers the consequences of these changes for the users of health c are and for citizenship rights, in particular the extent to which the chang es have empowered these users and citizens.