As we move through yet more amalgamation, consolidation, change – call it what you will – a time for reflection and prediction is always worthwhile. Here, Mark Reed offers a brief history of change.
As NHS Improvement (NHSI) gains momentum for what will undoubtable be the biggest change we have all seen to the delivery of pathology services in the UK, we also celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS, and cannot escape the impending changes we will all see with Brexit. Rather than dwell on the political uncertainty that this is causing and will continue to cause, let’s look back for a short time at where the NHS came from and why.
Creation
The NHS wasn’t formed in anything that we could consider a short period, nothing ever is. Discussions took place for almost a century before something was actually done to meet a long-recognised need of a population that has of course increased over the years. With life expectancy now 10 years longer than it was around 50 years ago the burden on the service is great. Longer stays in hospital are required, longer-term illnesses require management, staff need more continual development training and we need more of them with their increasing skills.
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