‘Precarious’ outlook for NHS, says regulator

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) new State of Care report has warned that the NHS is facing a ‘precarious’ future.

The regulator’s annual report says that, despite the quality of health and social care having been maintained, the challenges facing the system means that it ‘is at full stretch and struggling to meet the more complex needs of today’s population’. This means that ‘maintaining quality in the future is uncertain’.

The State of Care report claims that increasing numbers of older people who are physically frail, many with dementia and long term complex conditions, is placing unprecedented pressure on the system. On a daily basis, this translates to more patients waiting over four hours at A&E, an increase in cancelled operations and a decrease in the number of beds in nursing homes.

Sir David Behan, chief executive of CQC, said: “The fact that the quality of care has been maintained in the toughest climate that most can remember is testament to the efforts of frontline staff, managers and leaders. Many providers have used our inspection reports to improve, and we have seen improvements in safety in particular, although this area remains a big concern and focus for us. However, as people’s health and care needs change and become more complex, a model of care designed for the 20th century is at full stretch and struggling to cope with 21st century problems.”

Responding to the report, Health Minister Philip Dunne said that with ‘record funding and more doctors and nurses’, the NHS remains the best healthcare system in the world, despite the pressures from increasing demand.