In the wake of the upcoming election, experts are calling on the next government to declare a national health and care emergency in the UK. This call to action comes from the first report of The BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS, titled “The BMJ’s NHS Commission: An Emphatic Recommitment to the Founding Principles,” which has now been published in The BMJ.
The report emphasizes the need for all sectors of society to come together and contribute towards improving healthcare, care services, and overall well-being. The experts argue that the next government should essentially relaunch the National Health Service (NHS) with a renewed long-term vision and plan.
The NHS has never been under such scrutiny, with its core principle of providing free healthcare for all being threatened like never before. Kamran Abbasi, Editor-in-Chief of The BMJ, expressed concerns over whether it is still possible to maintain high-quality care for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, funded through general taxation. However, the Commission firmly believes that it is indeed possible.
The BMJ Commission has brought together leading experts from the medical and healthcare fields to identify the key challenges facing the NHS and make recommendations that will help ensure the NHS can achieve its vision.
The first paper in the series examines the continued relevance of the founding principles of the NHS, as well as their significance for the future. The authors, led by Lord Nigel Crisp, firmly believe that these principles maintain their validity and provide a solid foundation for the future. They urge the new government to reaffirm their commitment to these principles as part of a broader set of actions.
The report also emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking and the implementation of stable, consistent policies. To achieve this, the Commission recommends the establishment of an independent Office for NHS Policy and Budgetary Responsibility. This office would hold the government accountable for delivering on NHS plans and policies.
Among the report’s other recommendations is the creation of a cross-government and cross-sector health, care, and well-being strategy. Such a strategy would help develop better ways to connect patients, the public, and community groups with the NHS, particularly at the local level. Additionally, the report highlights the need to address inequalities in access and outcomes, with special attention to addressing the disadvantages and racism faced by ethnic groups as both patients and NHS staff.
In the coming months, the Commission plans to release additional papers in the series focusing on how to deliver health and equity, how to fund and pay for the health service, and how to develop a motivated, well-trained workforce while prioritizing sustainability and creating a greener NHS.
Kamran Abbasi, along with Commission co-chairs Victor Adebowale, Parveen Kumar, and Liam Smeeth, asserts in an editorial that the national health and care crisis requires an urgent, robust, and values-based response. They emphasize the need for new thinking and a recommitment to the founding principles of the NHS. It is essential that the health and well-being of the population remain the top priority, and that the spirit of Aneurin Bevan and the nation’s united effort to create a better and fairer world is revived.
The report’s recommendations call for a cohesive approach to tackling the current challenges faced by the NHS. By declaring a national health and care emergency and recommitting to the founding principles, the hope is that the UK can address the growing crisis and work towards a better and fairer healthcare system.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it