NHS in ‘serious trouble’ as Starmer warns health service must ‘reform or die’
The NHS is plagued by record waiting lists and poor survival rates for cancer and heart disease, but Labour has promised to turn this around.
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In brief…
- A new report commissioned by the government has found the NHS is close to breaking point.
- It blames consecutive Conservative governments for underfunding it, leading to record waiting times across the service.
- Labour has pledged to reverse the damage with "the biggest reimagining of the NHS" through a 10-year plan.
What’s the story?
The NHS is in “critical condition” and “serious trouble”, according to a damning report published today.
The nine-month independent investigation was carried out by former Labour minister and surgeon Lord Darzi on the orders of Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
It pinpoints record waiting lists, declining cancer care and misused budgets as major red flags.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has responded to the report by saying the health service must “reform or die”, pledging to unveil a 10-year plan to reverse the damage.
The News Agents take a look at what this means.
The key findings
- Spending is poorly distributed, with the NHS budget “not being spent where it should be”.
- Waiting times targets are being missed across the service, including in cancer care, A&E, surgery and mental health.
- The quality of cancer care has declined, with the UK lagging behind other European countries in terms of death rates.
- Record waiting times are also contributing to poor survival rates of heart disease, and falling rates of satisfaction.
- Austerity was devastating for the NHS, with consecutive conservative governments underfunding the service.
How has Labour responded?
Sir Keir Starmer has promised "the biggest reimagining of the NHS".
Labour’s long-term plan to address the issues will reportedly include a transition to a digital NHS, shifting more care from hospitals to local communities, and bolstered efforts on preventing sickness over treating it.
Starmer said: “What we need is the courage to deliver long-term reform - major surgery not sticking plaster solutions.
“The NHS is at a fork in the road, and we have a choice about how it should meet these rising demands.”Streeting has said primary care and community services will be "the first port of call" for new money rather than hospitals.
He told the BBC: "Rather than a country with an NHS, we're going to have an NHS with a country attached to it if we're not careful, and more likely an NHS that goes bust".
The News Agents take?