As much as many of us would like to ignore the fact, our National Health Service is at the most critical juncture in its long history. An ever-ageing population, together with the stark rise in prevalence of those suffering from lifestyle diseases, both place our healthcare system on a financially unsustainable footing. Indeed, long-term conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, will alone bankrupt the NHS within a decade, with a £19bn funding gap expected if these conditions are not managed properly.
Yet from government there seems to be a lack of good ideas on how to ensure that NHS remains viable as an institution free at the point of use. Many of the arguments surrounding health reform suggest that the solution to this financial crisis is a laughably simple one – more liberalisation. The trend towards NHS liberalisation, which started with Margaret Thatcher and continued with the Health and Social Care Bill, has been at the heart of health reform over recent decades. This trend is based upon the proposition that is all that is needed to improve NHS services is to open up the system to private sector providers. Then competitive forces will, as if by magic, improve patient quality whilst making the necessary savings.
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