NHS
n. countablen. Stands for National Health Service. The public healthcare system in the United Kingdom that provides medical care to everyone. It is mostly free for people to use because it is paid for by taxes.
n. Abbreviation for National Health Service. The publicly funded healthcare system of the United Kingdom, providing medical services that are free at the point of use for residents. Usually preceded by the definite article.
The NHS provides free healthcare to all UK residents.
After her accident, she spent three weeks in an NHS hospital receiving specialist physical therapy.
Debates regarding the long-term sustainability of the NHS often focus on the tension between rising operational costs and the principle of universal access to care.
Almost always used with the definite article 'the'. While technically a proper noun, it functions as a singular entity in collective reference.
I went to NHS yesterdayI went to the NHS yesterdayLearners often omit the definite article 'the' which is required when referring to the institution.