Competition Policy and State Enterprises in the U.K.

1982 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 921-956
Author(s):  
Brian Chiplin ◽  
Mike Wright

The application of competition policy to nationalized industries (state enterprises) has been strengthened recently in the United Kingdom. Section 11(1) of the 1980 Competition Act broadened the Monopolies Commission oversight of state enterprises. In practice, the Commission will conduct an efficiency audit of each major nationalized industry every four years. The Commission will focus its review on the quality of services, manpower utilization and productivity, and pricing, distribution and purchasing methods of the state enterprise. These efficiency audits have been fairly well received. Their cost-effectiveness and the follow-through on the Commission's recommendations remain to be demonstrated.

2003 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 2103-2115 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEVEN B. DUFF ◽  
ELIZABETH A. SCOTT ◽  
MICHAEL S. MAFILIOS ◽  
EWEN C. TODD ◽  
LEONARD R. KRILOV ◽  
...  

Foodborne illnesses impose a substantial economic and quality-of-life burden on society by way of acute morbidity and chronic sequelae. We developed an economic model to evaluate the potential cost-effectiveness of a disinfection program that targets high-risk food preparation activities in household kitchens. For the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, we used published literature and expert opinion to estimate the cost of the program (excluding the educational component); the number of cases of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections prevented; and the economic and quality-of-life outcomes. In our primary analysis, the model estimated that approximately 80,000 infections could be prevented annually in U.S. households, resulting in $138 million in direct medical cost savings (e.g., physician office visits and hospitalizations avoided), 15,845 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained, $788 million in program costs, and a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio of $41,021/QALY gained. Results were similar for households in Canada and the United Kingdom (Can $21,950/QALY gained and £86,341/QALY gained, respectively). When we evaluated implementing the program only in U.S. households with high-risk members (those less than 5 years of age, greater than 65 years of age, or immunocompromised), the cost-effectiveness ratio was more favorable ($10,163/QALY gained). Results were similar for high-risk households in Canada and the United Kingdom (Can$1,915/QALY gained and £28,158/QALY gained, respectively). Implementing a targeted disinfection program in household kitchens in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom appears to be a cost-effective strategy, falling within the range generally considered to warrant adoption and diffusion (<$100,000/QALY gained).


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Majsiak ◽  
Magdalena Choina ◽  
Dominik Golicki ◽  
Alastair M. Gray ◽  
Bożena Cukrowska

Abstract Background Coeliac disease (CD) is characterised by diverse clinical symptoms, which may cause diagnostic problems and reduce the patients’ quality of life. A study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that the mean time between the onset of coeliac symptoms and being diagnosed was above 13 years. This study aimed to analyse the diagnostic process of CD in Poland and evaluate the quality of life of patients before and after CD diagnosis. In addition, results were compared to the results of the original study conducted in the UK. Methods The study included 2500 members of the Polish Coeliac Society. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire containing questions on socio-demographic factors, clinical aspects and quality of life, using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Questionnaires received from 796 respondents were included in the final analysis. Results The most common symptoms reported by respondents were bloating (75%), abdominal pain (72%), chronic fatigue (63%) and anaemia (58%). Anaemia was the most persistent symptom, with mean duration prior to CD diagnosis of 9.2 years, whereas diarrhoea was observed for the shortest period (4.7 years). The mean duration of any symptom before CD diagnosis was 7.3 years, compared to 13.2 years in the UK. CD diagnosis and the introduction of a gluten-free diet substantially improved the quality of life in each of the five EQ-5D-5L health dimensions: pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, usual activities, self-care and mobility (p < 0.001), the EQ-Index by 0.149 (SD 0.23) and the EQ-VAS by 30.4 (SD 28.3) points. Conclusions Duration of symptoms prior to the diagnosis of CD in Poland, although shorter than in the UK, was long with an average of 7.3 years from first CD symptoms. Faster CD diagnosis after the onset of symptoms in Polish respondents may be related to a higher percentage of children in the Polish sample. Introduction of a gluten-free diet improves coeliac patients’ quality of life. These results suggest that doctors should be made more aware of CD and its symptoms across all age groups.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. e0175920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Amdahl ◽  
Jose Diaz ◽  
Arati Sharma ◽  
Jinhee Park ◽  
David Chandiwana ◽  
...  

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