The National Health Service was founded on similar principles to Canada: universal, free up to a point, equitable, and paid for through central funding (Grosios et al, 2010). Over the years, the NHS has seen numerous organizational and policy changes, but it still remains universal and offers care to people who need it and are unable to pay for it. The National Health Service is financed by social security contributions and taxes. Health policy and healthcare delivery are the responsibility of central government in England, while in Wales, Scotland and the Northern Isles they are the responsibility of local governments. In the UK, the National Health Service is made up of two main sections: one dealing with policy, strategy and management and the other section dealing with medical care; this department is further divided into community assistance, pharmacy, dentistry and general medicine. In Britain there are many barriers to seeking specialist care; you must first see a general practitioner, who is a gatekeeper and decides where and who receives specialist care. It can often take years to get around this gatekeeper because there are very few specialists in the country. Over the past two decades there has been a major shift in funding from central government to local counties. UK health center faces funding cuts and complaints of long waits to see surgeons and specialists common.