Leaders call for major NHS rethink

Leading health figures have argued that a shift of provision of care from hospitals to the community is central to a radical new vision for how the NHS should be run.

The Lancet published ‘A manifesto for UK health’, contends that, due to the ‘troubled state’ of the NHS, the current approach to health needs radical rethinking. This includes accelerating the transformation of the system from a ‘hospital-centred and illness-based system to a person-centred and health-based system’.

The report has been compiled by representatives of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, NHS Alliance, and expert advisers to Public Health England and NHS England.

The Manifesto claims: “The EU referendum vote reveals deep social divisions as well as presenting the country with important decisions and negotiations about the future.

“At the same time, health problems are growing; the NHS faces severe financial constraints and appears to lurch from crisis to crisis, with leaving the European Union likely to exacerbate many problems including staffing issues across the whole sector.”

Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief at The Lancet, said: “It’s time to write a new contract between the UK’s NHS and society. The relationship between government and the medical profession is broken. Morale among young doctors is at an all-time low.

“It’s therefore urgent to set out a new, positive vision for health and the health service - a modern NHS that delivers the best care for patients wherever they live, supports world-class scientific research, is supported by all sectors of society working to create a healthier nation, and takes on a global leadership role in advancing the objective of universal health coverage.”