Lyn Whitfield, content director at Highland Marketing, takes a look at Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS, immediate reaction, and next steps.
The review calls for a “tilt towards technology” to improve productivity. But, for the moment, the funding and policy required to invest in serious change are not on the table.
Every politician needs a story to tell about the state of the country and how it got to be the way it is, so they can spin a narrative about their actions.
On Thursday, Lord Darzi delivered a novella length account of the state of the NHS and how it ended up in “serious trouble.”
The NHS “is in serious trouble”
Lord Darzi’s headline conclusions are set out in a summary letter to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting, who commissioned his review days after the general election.
The surgeon and former minister in Gordon Brown’s government says he was “shocked” by some of the things he saw during his short inquiry, even though he has worked in the service for 30-years.
“People are struggling to see their GP” and waiting lists “have ballooned.” A&E “is in an awful state.”
Cancer care and cardiovascular care are “lagging behind other countries” or going backwards. And the NHS “is not contributing to national prosperity as it could”, with 2.8 million people inactive due to long-term sickness, up nearly a million on the pre-Covid era.
Why?
The report notes that some of the reasons for the NHS’ plight are beyond its direct control.
The health of the nation has “deteriorated” as poor-quality housing, low-incomes, and insecure employment have escalated, driving demand “from a society in distress.” Social care faces a crisis of its own.
However, it lists some historical causes, starting with the austerity of the Cameron/Osborne era and moving on to the Lansley reforms of 2012, which it describes as “a calamity without international precedent” that dissolved lines of management and accountability.
By the time Covid-19 arrived, the NHS was in a poor state, had to cancel far more elective procedures than comparable systems, and has struggled to recover.
