BIRTHDAY WISHES

MUCH has been made of the NHS turning 70: a milestone indeed. But amid the celebrations, we need an injection of reality.

There are challenges to be faced: a near epidemic of diabetes and obesity, a pressing need to care for an ageing population and, yes, of course we have the luxury of better treatments, but can we afford to fund them? All this against a backdrop of staff shortages and the strangling burden of too many managers.

The NHS remains a service of which we can be proud. But it’s time to have the difficult conversations about what we are prepared to pay for.