This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Long-term sustainability of NHS under threat, MPs warn
The Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS has published a report criticising the 'short sightedness' of successive governments for failing to plan effectively for the long-term future of the health service and adult social care.
Lord Patel, chairman of the committee, warned that the Department of Health was failing to think beyond the next few years at both a political and official level. The report outlined a lack of long-term strategic planning in the NHS and blamed politicians for implementing short-term fixes as opposed to long-term solutions.
Patel recommended: “To solve this we need a new body that is independent of government and is able to identify clearly the healthcare needs of a changing and ageing population and the staffing and funding the NHS will require to meet those needs. This new Office for Health and Care Sustainability should be a trusted, independent voice as the Office for Budget Responsibility has become on economic forecasting and on public finance matters. It will need to look ahead and plan for 15-20 years into the future.
"We also need to recognise the NHS will need more money. NHS spending will need to rise at least as fast as GDP for 10 years after 2020. One area where more spending will be required is on pay for lower paid staff. We are in an increasingly competitive international market for health professionals and a decade of pay constraint in the NHS has damaged morale and made it difficult to train and recruit the staff we need.
"We have heard much about the need to integrate health and social care and we think the best way to do that is make the Department of Health responsible for both health and adult social care budgets. We also think it is time to look at the way care is delivered. This may well involve changing the model where GPs are self-employed small businesses. Delivering health care fit for the 21st century requires improvement in primary care to relieve pressure on hospitals. That change should be delivered by GPs."
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