Explaining geographical variations in the contracting out of NHS hospital ancillary services: a contextual approach

A study of the geographical variations in contracting out of hospital ancillary services of National Health Services (NHS), England and Wales during 1985 to 1991 reveals that legislation, public attitudes, financial resources, and people's awareness of their roles play an important role in these contracting processes. Structuration theory provided an effective method for analyzing the contracting processes. Study was conducted on the two urban district health authorities with similar conditions in the Northern England.