The NHS has long been perceived as a troubled system in need of reform, with the pandemic only exacerbating existing issues. Even without the current crisis, however, the NHS would still require updates to maintain its aim of delivering high-quality care to all. Since healthcare is constantly advancing, standing still would be a step backwards.
One area in need of attention is general practice, which has not evolved to keep pace with modern medicine. As patients are living longer and with more complex health needs, small GP practices are struggling to provide adequate care. To address this, we need to modernize general practice by creating “hub” facilities with routine diagnostic capabilities located within the community.
Historically, the focus of reform efforts has been within hospitals, with relatively limited attention paid to care outside of them. However, now more than ever, the public demands a “neighbourhood NHS” that provides care closer to home.
Additionally, keeping GPs separate from the rest of the NHS has proven detrimental to their ability to deliver care and has contributed to high levels of burnout, chronic stress, and mental illness amongst GPs. To address this, the IPPR has proposed offering GPs a right to NHS employment, a move that the Labour party has recently backed. This would allow good GPs to have a positive impact on population health, completing the vision of a unified NHS.
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