Today Professor Lord Ara Darzi published the report of his independent investigation of the NHS in England. The BGS welcomes this report and looks forward to working with the Government and other stakeholders as the NHS Ten Year Plan is developed over the coming months.
Professor Adam Gordon MBE, President of the British Geriatrics Society, said:
Lord Darzi's report on the NHS outlines many of the issues that our members tell us about every day. We particularly welcome the acknowledgment of the skills and commitment of the NHS workforce and the immense pressures that NHS staff face on a daily basis. We also appreciate Lord Darzi’s appraisal of strengths and the pride we take in our NHS.
Lord Darzi’s report rightly describes insufficient long-term investment in buildings, community services and digital infrastructure, all of which have hindered efficient and joined-up care. Systems and services are not configured in ways that work for patients or healthcare professionals supporting our communities.
As Lord Darzi rightly points out, the ageing population and the rise in multimorbidity pose particular challenges that were not envisaged when the NHS was established. However, the report fails to recognise the impact of frailty and cognitive impairment on many older people and on the health and social care system. Whilst Lord Darzi states that 1 in 8 hospital beds are occupied by patients waiting for social care services, it is disappointing that social care was considered out of scope for this review. We look forward to the Government delivering on their manifesto commitment of social care reform.
There is nothing in Lord Darzi's report that will come as a surprise to our members - the problems in the NHS have been known for some time. However, the solutions are also known, as outlined in the report published from our recent roundtable on older people's care. We urge those developing the upcoming NHS Ten Year Plan to move forward from outlining problems and potential solutions and towards implementation. At BGS we stand ready to support with the expertise of our 5,000 members in improving healthcare for older people, the biggest user group of health and care services. If the system works for older people, it will work for everyone."
