Will COVID-19 Mark the End of an Egalitarian National Health Service?

The exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the traditional organisation of healthcare resources allocation in the United Kingdom. Since its inception the NHS has aimed to regulate risks of ill health in the population by providing an equal and universal provision of health care services to residents based on their health status rather than their ability to pay. This paper argues that the current government’s emergency healthcare policy in response to this pandemic has however favoured a utilitarian approach to healthcare rationing and potentially initiated the end of an egalitarian NHS.\ud \ud The paper first unpacks why the allocation of healthcare resources is fundamentally a question of justice in Britain and explains why healthcare law and policy require a philosophical approach in times of crisis. Secondly, the paper provides a critical analysis of the current situation for the allocation of healthcare resources and the provision of services to patients directly or indirectly affected by the virus. It concludes that values of equality in access to care at the heart of the NHS are in jeopardy and are being replaced by a utilitarian approach based on a priority ranking of patients in this time of crisis.