Experts claim that the NHS will become ‘unsustainable’ if changes don’t happen
Hospital chiefs are urging political party leaders to act, as they claim that the NHS is “unsustainable” in it’s current format. They warn that the service will need to be modernised and funded properly if it is going to cope with steeply increasing pressures over the next few years.
71 NHS leaders signed the letter, sent to The Guardian, directing David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to come up with urgent funding solutions amid fears that the NHS will no longer be free at the point of need.
Addressing NHS issues
In the letter, health officials state “At the 2010 general election not one of the political parties mentioned the financial challenges facing the NHS in its manifesto. In 2015, the parties must address the full range of challenges facing the NHS or take responsibility for it becoming unsustainable in the form people want it.”
The letter also addresses the issues gained by the UK’s ageing population, saying the NHS is not adequately equipped to cope with the growing numbers of frail elderly people and those with at least one long-term condition.
Dr Mark Porter, the leader of the British Medical Association, told The Guardian “Our NHS is under huge strain from intense pressures, including rising patient demand and frozen funding. These challenges are likely to become more intense in the future, especially as an ageing society places a further burden on declining resources. The NHS should be built on continual improvement, with local services based on what we know to be best practice. This is unlikely to come from squeezing resources.”
