Happy Birthday NHS

You may have heard that it was the 60th Anniversary of the NHS on July 5th. This event has set the think tanks into overdrive. For example, the Fabian Society, a leading Labour think tank, has suggested turning this day into another public holiday to celebrate Britishness. Now I have to say that sounds like a great idea to me, see here for more detail

Another think tank, Reform, polled 201 GPs on their thoughts about NHS funding and regulation (see here for full report). The poll showed that there is little enthusiasm among GPs for the US style of health care, where patients choose whether or not to have health insurance. However, the majority of GPs polled thought that patients should be allowed to pay for additional treatment, without needing to pay for all their treatment.

GPs appear to be disillusioned with the profession. 60% of GPs said that their overall level of satisfaction working in the NHS was either low or very low, and more than 70% said that their satisfaction level had decreased since qualification. Only 5% of GPs think that the current structure of regulation helps them in making decisions in the best interests of patients.

So, as always with the NHS, even at the age of 60, there is still clearly more that needs to be done. But we will wait eagerly to see what happens following Lord Darzi’s review.