How can we ensure a sustainable future for the NHS?
19 July 2016
The House of Lords Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS calls for submissions to its inquiry as it tries to identify what the NHS of the future may look like. The Committee invites written evidence to be received by Friday 23 September.
The Committee's inquiry comes as NHS commissioners and providers wrestle with an annual deficient of £1.85bn and imminent demographic changes promise an older population and more patients with increasingly complex long-term health needs.
These challenges come alongside changes in healthcare and medical technology which may lead to more personalised prevention and treatment of diseases.
Chairman's comment
Commenting Lord Patel, who chairs the Committee, said:
"It seems that on an almost daily basis we hear stories of one NHS crisis or another but we have not yet had a robust long-term analysis of the challenges it faces.
"The NHS is one of our most beloved institutions with principles that people value and admire but like any public service it must adapt. We need to find long term solutions.
"Our inquiry will get to the core of the challenges that the NHS will face over the next two decades and beyond. We hope that it will lead to a cross-party consensus on the way forward for a sustainable approach to better healthcare."
Areas of interest
The Committee has divided its inquiry into the following five themes:
- Resourcing issues – including funding, productivity and demand management. Is the current funding model for the NHS realistic in the long-term? Should new models be considered? Is it time to review exactly what is provided free-at-the-point of use?
- Workforce – including supply, retention and skills. How can an adequate supply of appropriately trained healthcare professionals be guaranteed? Are enough being trained and how can they be retained? Do staff in the NHS have the right skills for future health care needs?
- Models of service delivery and integration – How can the move be made to an integrated National Health and Care Service? How can organisations in health and social care be incentivised to work together?
- Prevention and public engagement. How can people be motivated to take greater responsibility for their own health? How can people be kept healthier for longer?
- Digitisation, big data and informatics. How can new technology be used to ensure sustainability of the NHS?
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Further information
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