The Prime Minister has pledged the ‘biggest reimagining of our NHS since its birth’ following the publication of the Darzi review.
Sir Keir Starmer outlined three ‘fundamental’ areas of reform, including ‘shifting more care from hospitals to communities’, but said that reform ‘does not mean just putting more money in’.
It follows the publication of a review into the state of the NHS led by Lord Ara Darzi, a cancer surgeon and former Labour minister, which found that the health service is in a ‘critical condition’ but can be saved, with increased general practice funding.
In a speech at The King’s Fund conference today, the Prime Minister said: ‘Reform does not mean just putting more money in.
‘Now, of course, even in difficult financial circumstances, a Labour government will always make the investment in our NHS that is needed, always, but we have to fix the plumbing before turning on the taps.
‘So hear me when I say this: no more money without reform.’
He added: ‘As we build it together, I want to frame this plan around three big shifts – first, moving from an analogue to a digital NHS. A tomorrow service not just a today service.
‘Second, we’ve got to shift more care from hospitals to communities… And third, we’ve got to be much bolder in moving from sickness to prevention.
‘Only fundamental reform and a plan for the long term can turn around the NHS and build a healthy society. It won’t be easy or quick. But I know we can do it.’
The Prime Minister also mentioned the long term impacts of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act which is described in the Darzi report as ‘a calamity without international precedent’ which ‘proved disastrous’, as well as the consequences of underinvestment throughout the 2010s.
He said: ‘Lord Darzi describes [the 2010s] as “the most austere decade since the NHS was founded”. Crumbling buildings, decrepit portacabins, mental health patients accommodated in Victorian-era cells infested with vermin.
‘The 2010s were a lost decade for our NHS… which left the NHS unable to be there for patients today, and totally unprepared for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.’
Responding to the Darzi report, health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘I asked Lord Darzi to tell hard truths about the state of the NHS. He has produced an honest, expert, comprehensive report on the appalling state our health service is in.
‘Today’s findings will inform our 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and get patients treated on time again.
‘The damage done to the NHS has been more than a decade in the making. We clearly have a long road ahead. But while the NHS is broken, it’s not beaten. We will turn the NHS around so it is there for you when you need it, once again.’
NHS England has pledged ‘to work closely with the government’ on its mission to rebuild the NHS.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: ‘As this report sets out, staff are the beating heart of the NHS with a shared passion and determination for making the NHS better for patients – but it is also clear they are facing unprecedented challenges.
‘Our staff are treating record numbers of patients every day despite ageing equipment and crumbling buildings, a surge in multiple long-term illnesses, and managing the long-lasting effects of the pandemic.
‘While teams are working hard to get services back on track, it is clear waiting times across many services are unacceptable and we need to address the underlying issues outlined in Lord Darzi’s report so we can deliver the care we all want for patients.’
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
