NHS to enter a brave new world
Yesterday new research surfaced which illustrated the NHS and social care are barely surviving. Experts have claimed the government must act now or the country can kiss goodbye to our national healthcare service.
Image: NHS nurses
The report, which was led by Lord Ara Darzi, cancer surgeon and health minister under Gordon Brown, unearthed some serious challenges within the NHS and social care, including:
- Long wait times are causing 14,000 additional deaths per year.
- Waiting lists in England stand at 7.6 million people.
- The state of social care is ‘dire’ and is placing ‘an increasingly large burden on families and on the NHS’.
- The quality of care in maternity services has majorly declined.
- The number of people forced to wait more than a year for hospital treatment which they should receive within 18 weeks has risen 15-fold since March 2010, from 20,000 to more than 300,000.
The former health minister has estimated that although Labour plans to ‘fix’ the NHS within five years, it could take up to eight.
Since the report has been published, various industry experts have expressed their views, some of which can be seen below.
Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England
‘Ministers must recognise that investing in and reforming social care is not just a separate issue. it is integral to the survival and success of the NHS. Right now, 13% of NHS beds are occupied by patients awaiting social care support. These delays are not just numbers; they represent people who deserve timely care in the right setting. Until we address this backlog in social care, we will continue to see pressure mount on hospitals and the NHS.
‘We are ready to engage with the government and offer solutions. The expertise exists within social care to contribute to reform for both the NHS and social care, and we are ready, able and willing to be part of the solution development and not just participate in a box ticking consultation. Now is a critical moment for change.’
Ali Gunn, Interim Director of Communications at United Response
‘We welcome the understanding from the review of the the inter-related pressures which highlight that you cannot fix the NHS without including social care.
‘The support in the report to invest in community is at the heart of social care and there feels a real momentum for change across the sector to ensure that the warnings in this review are listened and learnt from.’
Ramzi Suleiman, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Carers Trust
‘This scathing report will come as no surprise to millions of unpaid carers who have been left to plug ever larger gaps in our health and social care system by looking after family and friends at home. So we welcome Lord Darzi’s recognition of carers’ vital role within health and social care and call for a different approach to supporting them within the NHS.
‘You cannot talk about the importance of care closer to home without involving unpaid carers. Alongside staff and patients, they must be put at the heart of the Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS. If properly supported, carers can be at the heart of some of these proposed reforms, from care in the community, to reducing waiting times and improving treatment of major conditions. But carers have already been pushed to their limit and any NHS reform must recognise that and work for them too.
‘The report also hammers home the point that the desperate state of our social care system is having a huge impact on the NHS. You simply can’t claim you’re serious about reforming the NHS while continuing to ignore reform of social care – they are two sides of the same coin. The new Government’s silence so far on social care is concerning, especially when there is still no detail about its proposed National Care Service. The crisis in the NHS has no chance of being fixed until the Government breaks its silence on social care.’
David Glover, Caremark’s joint CEO
‘The increase in pressure on A&E and bed space in hospitals is not news to anyone, but serious problems are looming as we’re about to go into an unprecedentedly busy winter. The introduction of health MOTs at A&E acts as a sticking plaster covering up a much bigger problem. Although it’s recognised that prevention is the answer, by the time people are in hospital, they are already taking up valuable NHS time.
‘To truly ease the strain on hospitals, we need earlier intervention through home care. The close customer relationships formed between care assistants and their customers mean that there are countless instances where problems have been identified before they have escalated into urgent medical crises – especially early signs of infection.
‘For vulnerable individuals, especially those living alone with no assistance, home care needs to be the priority for a year-round defence. This will keep people healthier and more independent and reduce emergency admissions by addressing health issues before they require emergency treatment. It will save lives and ease the pressure on hospitals; it’s a no-brainer.’
