NHS future ‘precarious’, warns health watchdog
CQC report says service is ‘straining at the seams’ as number of people not getting adequate social care hits 1.2 million
The NHS faces a “precarious” future and is “straining at the seams”, according to the latest annual report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The report, published this morning, raises concerns about staff shortages across the service, and rising demand from patients. The authors warn that the increasing number of “older people who are physically frail, many with dementia”, and of “people with long-term complex conditions”, is placing the system under “unprecedented pressure”.
Although the quality of NHS care had so far been maintained to acceptable standards, these standards are likely to drop in the future, says the health watchdog, adding that “many providers could and should do more”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to the report, staff vacancy rates in the NHS had risen by 16% over the last two years, despite an increase in staff of 4%, and hospitals have been running with “occupancy levels being consistently above recommended levels since April 2012”.
Furthermore, the report says, the number of people not getting support for their social care needs has risen to 1.2 million in the past year - an 18% increase.
However, Health Minister Philip Dunne insisted that the extra money already promised for social care, mental health and A&E services was “enough”, reports the BBC. “With record funding and more doctors and nurses, the NHS was recently judged the best healthcare system in the world, despite the pressures from increasing demand,” Dunne said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
People of the year 2024
In the Spotlight Remember the people who hit the headlines this year?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Christmas quiz 2024
From the magazine Test your grasp of current affairs and general knowledge with our quiz
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 25, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Should blood donors be paid?
The Explainer Financial rewards would help fill NHS shortfall but bring risk of contamination and exploitation, WHO warns
By The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A 'transformative' gene therapy for haemophilia B
The Explainer Costly treatment that could be 'truly life-changing' for patients with rare blood disorder gets funding boost
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Infected blood scandal: will justice be served?
Today's Big Question Government apologises for 'decades-long moral failure' and promises £10bn compensation but true accountability may take far longer
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Immunotherapy and hay fever
The Explainer Research shows that the treatment could provide significant relief from symptoms for many hay fever sufferers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The pros and cons of universal health care
Pros and Cons A medical system that serves everyone comes with its own costs, and they're not only financial
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Last updated
-
Martha's Rule: patients given right to urgent second opinion
The Explainer Hospitals in England will launch new scheme that will allow access to a rapid treatment review
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The contaminated blood scandal
The Explainer Widely regarded as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, the public inquiry is due to publish its report in May
By The Week UK Published