NHS acute hospital model ‘not working’

PLEAS to plough more cash into the “dysfunctional” 75-yearold NHS should be ignored and efforts instead directed at rapid, far-reaching reform, a former Labour health minister has said.

Too many services are being delivered through “overcrowded, expensive and over-protected acute hospitals”, at the expense of “neglected” community provision, social care and public health, Lord Warner told parliament.

In what he described as a “tough love approach”, the peer, who served under Tony Blair, called for cash to be diverted away from hospitals and invested in communitybased services.

The independent crossbencher made his call during a debate in the House of Lords on the long-term future of the NHS and its ability to provide comprehensive and timely health and care for all.

Lord Warner said: “Too many interests are still worshipping at a 75-yearold shrine that only 25% of the population is satisfied with.

“The NHS is trapped, if I may say so, in an overcentralised management and service delivery model that cannot improve efficiency fast enough to cope with the tighter funding it faces.

“Too many services are delivered through what I would describe as overcrowded, expensive and over-protected acute hospitals.

“We have neglected investment in primary care, community health services, social care and public health.

“We should ignore pleas to pour more money into this dysfunctional 75-year-old and focus on fundamental reform.

“We should consider emulating Singapore, which has similar health outcomes to the UK while spending less than 5% of its GDP on health.

“This low figure is accomplished because it delivers so many services outside acute hospitals using up-to-date technology.”