Prime Minister Keir Starmer will today issue a stark warning that the NHS must “reform or die” after 14 years of Conservative rule, as a new report reveals the health service is in a “critical condition.”
The report, authored by independent peer and surgeon Lord Darzi, highlights the impact of austerity and a “disastrous” reorganisation introduced by the Tory-led coalition in 2012. The Health and Social Care Act, according to the report, contributed to worsening conditions in the NHS, leading to ballooning waiting lists and subpar treatment for diseases like cancer and heart disease compared to other wealthy nations.
Darzi’s investigation also finds that the overall health of the UK population has deteriorated over the last 15 years, with a growing number of people living with multiple long-term conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The report calls for more localised treatment options to ease the burden on hospitals.
In his speech, coinciding with the report’s publication, Starmer will argue that the NHS is now at a “fork in the road.” He will state that “only the biggest reimagining of our NHS since its birth” can preserve the health service for the future.
“Take the waiting times in A&E – that’s not just a source of fear and anxiety, it’s leading to avoidable deaths,” Starmer is expected to say. “Doctors and nurses, whose whole vocation is to save lives, are being hampered. It’s devastating.”
He will stress the need for long-term reform, dismissing short-term fixes. “We need major surgery, not sticking plaster solutions,” he will declare, adding that the NHS faces a choice: either raise taxes to meet the growing costs of an aging population, or reform to ensure its future. “We know working people can’t afford to pay more, so it’s reform or die.”
Lord Darzi echoed the need for urgent change, stating: “In the last 15 years, the NHS was hit by three major shocks – austerity, a top-down reorganisation, and the pandemic. Two out of those three shocks were political choices. It will take time to fix, but I’m confident we can turn it around.”
The Prime Minister’s call for reform comes as pressure mounts on the government to address the growing NHS crisis, with Labour positioning itself to deliver sweeping changes if it wins the next general election.
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