Much of this frustration is focused on the lack of access to timely treatment. There is also a clear recognition that the NHS and its staff are under pressure in ways never experienced before and that the NHS does not have the workforce it needs to deliver the care that people expect. There is real frustration and anger out there at the state of NHS right now. The problem with this narrative is that is does not reflect what the public are actually telling us. These worsening NHS performance statistics combined with the large drops in public satisfaction with the NHS and its services have led some commentators to conclude that the public has fallen out of love with the NHS and that now is the time to consider what an alternative might look like. …NHS services are facing a range of really serious challenges that impact on patients and the quality and timeliness of care they receive – including crumbling buildings and outdated equipment, long waiting lists for care, high levels of Covid-19 and growing staff shortages. As The King’s Fund said recently in response to the latest set of depressing NHS statistics There are people suffering, and getting worse, because they cannot get the treatment they need.
Sometimes the blizzard of data can numb us to the stories behind the numbers. In September 2022 nearly 33,000 people waited over 12 hours in A&E for a hospital bed, a figure which is nearly 7 times higher than this time last year and the challenges around access to primary care have been well-documented. There are now more than 7 million people (or roughly 1 in 10 of the population) England on a hospital waiting list for treatment. The picture for many users of NHS services right now is dire.
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