NHS reform is inevitable. Manifestos might not spell it out to the letter, but this is a truth recognised by every major party. As the biggest public service, with a £110 billion budget and employing 1.3 million people, getting value for money from the NHS is the only sustainable option. Simon Stevens at a Reform conference this week was uncompromising on this point: “Anyone who believes we can spend our way to success needs to get their reading glasses on.”
The next government should therefore be deeply concerned by the news that the NHS is not moving far or fast enough. Take the much needed shift away from a system where all roads lead to the hospital. It is to be praised that the number of hospital beds has fallen by 5% over the Parliament. Yet spending on hospitals continues to rise as a proportion of the total budget. The use of alternatives to hospital A&E departments, such as walk-in centres, has flat-lined after a period of growth. Indeed a third of walk in centres have been closed over the last five years.
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