With the conclusion of Nye, a poignant homage to Aneurin Bevan, at the English National Theatre, the audience is prompted to hark back to the halving of infant mortality rates shortly after the establishment of the heavily-criticised National Health Service (NHS). Once globally revered, the revered British institution is now gasping for life, so reports a stinging study on England’s NHS. It alleges the NHS is critically compromised following ten years of harsh economic measures, underfunding, a disastrous Tory restructuring in 2012, and the knock-on effects of Covid-19.
As the NHS groans under stress, the state of England’s own health is also deteriorating, states a report commissioned by the government from Ara Darzi. Crowded treatment queues are causing 8% of the population to languish on waiting lists. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine speculates that this may have resulted in an additional 14,000 deaths over the year, or 268 per week, in 2023.
The study also revealed England’s health assets and infrastructure lacked investment to the tune of €44 billion compared to overseas counterparts, from the beginning of the 2010s. This has necessitated the NHS dipping into their capital budgets to meet daily expenditures. The ability to offer even basic services is fading, with surgical procedures decreasing despite a growing need. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 68% decline in the number of knee replacements. There has been “no progress” in early cancer detection, while the incidence of cardiovascular disease seems to be rising.
Contrary to a long-overdue shift towards bolstered community care, hospitals have been hoovering up a bigger slice of the budget, while the ranks of community nurses have dropped by 5% from 2009 to 2023. Employee morale is at rock bottom.
Keir Starmer, thrown into the deep end with the daunting task of steering his fresh administration, echoes the now common refrain, cautioning that changes will take time. He pledges a ten-year roadmap for the NHS and ominously forecasts no further funding without an overhaul. The reality is, the service is crying out for both.
In the words of Nye’s spectre, fine words are all well and good, but results are the real proof of commitment.