The October issue of PiP has been published and is available to read online.
Click here to read - https://content.yudu.com/web/1u0jl/0A1v7oc/PiP-October-2024/html/index.html?origin=reader
Editors Comment:
Vital signs offer hope…
“The NHS is in critical condition, but its vital signs are strong.” This was the headline conclusion from Lord Darzi’s recently delivered report on the state of the National Health Service, commissioned and delivered in the first weeks of the new Labour government. Perhaps the most surprising thing was just how unsurprising the report seemed to be. Lord Darzi’s conclusions have been broadly welcomed; not least by bodies including the IBMS and BIVDA – their responses can be read in this issue.
While not including specific recommendations, the report will form the basis for a forthcoming ten-year plan to solve the issues identified, and among the themes identified by Darzi, it’s no surprise to see that the use of technology and delivering care in a variety of non hospital settings take centre stage. Both will of course be relevant to the readers of this magazine.
With party conference season in full swing at the time of writing, the next stage and the specifics that come with it may well take time to materialise fully. In his speech to the Labour Party Conference, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talked in what was euphemistically described as ‘broad brush strokes’; talking of “national renewal” and of having to make “unpopular decisions”.
In recent days the language used has come under increased scrutiny. Is the NHS really “broken”? Does this framing do more harm than good? In his conference speech, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that not recognising the problems in the NHS would result in “killing it with kindness”.
While Darzi highlighted a shortfall in capital investment as well as low productivity, the turmoil and upheaval of management and regulatory change were singled out as drawing the focus of those working within the NHS away from the patients. The staff working within the NHS are its main asset; but after the last few years it’s not a surprise that morale is low and some are looking elsewhere.
The good work being done by so many needs to be recognised and celebrated. Patients who rely on NHS services on a daily basis also need to be able to feel it will be able to deliver the treatment they need. Let’s hope this review and the changes to come are able to give our NHS the boost it needs.
To give Lord Darzi himself the last word, here’s how he concludes: “The NHS is now an open book. The issues are laid bare for all to see. And from this shared starting point, I look forward to our collective endeavour to turn it around for the people of this country, and to secure its future for generations to come.”
Andy Myall, Editor