What's right with the NHS?

I've recently had a lot of dealings with the NHS. Without exception I've found staff to be efficient, timely, professional, competent and compassionate. In short- wonderful people. Covid gave us a stark wake up call to the vital role and great work done by healthcare professionals in the NHS. I'm concerned we'll start to forget and go back to focussing on what's wrong.

Here's an example- Five years ago I was reviewing the papers on breakfast TV when two broadsheet front pages caught my eye. One said, ‘NHS In Crisis- Out of Hours Doctor Cover Inadequate’. The other: ‘National Office of Statistics States Life Expectancy is Best It’s Ever Been.’

No doubt the cynical among us will think the second headline was to appeal to older readers and sell papers.

The fact remains- people are living longer and medical treatment improves all the time- Highlighting the irony- The NHS is a victim of its own success. As people live longer, they need more treatment and care. According to the National Office of Statistics (NOS) the leading cause of death in the UK is now dementia and Alzheimer’s accounting for nearly 13%.

So, what of Covid? It would appear the NHS have done a great job. Although my thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones as figures will give no comfort. NOS reports:

In the UK the median age at death was 82.3 years for males and 85.8 years for females and the modal (most common) age at death was 86.7 years for males and 89.3 years for females in 2018 to 2020; these show the typical ages at which death occurs and were very similar to the estimates for 2015 to 2017.

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On the eve of the introduction of the health service July 1948 Aneurin Bevan the Health Minister is reported to have said ‘The problem with a good thing is when it becomes available to everyone it stops being a good thing.’ I wonder if he was referring to people to turning up at Casualty for emergency treatment with non-emergency issues blocking the system?

I remember stories from my grandparents about people spending everything they had and borrowing to pay for medical treatment for their loved ones prior to the NHS. It’s easy to focus on what’s wrong, but there is a huge amount that’s right. I’ve lived in places where there isn’t much health care and if you want it you have to pay for it- I think the NHS is a proud indicator of our civilisation and it’s for everyone… Thank you