Doctors for Reform Mission Statement
We all work in the NHS. We are committed to its values. But we believe the time has come to consider a new way to deliver healthcare in Britain.
The NHS was conceived more than half a century ago, at a time of rationing and considerable poverty. Yet, as the Prime Minister himself has said, it has produced a "deeply unequal" system, where the most affluent in society opt out, while the poorest too often receive the worst healthcare. We once believed that the NHS was the finest healthcare system in the world. Today few healthcare professionals would make such a claim.
We welcome the substantial increase in resources for the NHS committed by the current Government. But it is becoming clear that simply bringing up our level of health spending to the European average or beyond will not be sufficient to achieve the necessary standards of care. Around one million people remain on inpatient lists. The number of managers is increasing at three times the rate of medical staff.
Doctors are beset with political targets and central direction, distorting clinical priorities. The nationalised monolithic structure of the NHS simply does not allow the effective transmission of resources to frontline services.
No healthcare system is perfect. But we have much to learn from other countries which have both a diverse range of healthcare suppliers and mixed funding systems, such as social insurance, which empower patients and offer real choice to all, including the most disadvantaged in society. The creation of foundation hospitals and the limited extension of choice in the NHS are steps in the right direction, but such changes fall far short of the necessary degree of reform.
The NHS cannot meet public expectations today. It is highly unlikely that it will meet them tomorrow. Future generations will seek rapid access to care, greater choice and more information about their treatment. We need a healthcare system which is equal to rapidly rising costs and demand, and which enables professionals to retain the essential bond of trust with their patients.
The time has come to look at new ways to supply and fund healthcare. We believe that these core principles should underpin reform:
- The fundamental NHS principle of care being universally and equitably available must remain.
- The primacy of the doctor-patient relationship, which politicians have undermined, must be restored.
- Management and administration must be more effective.
- Politicians must be removed from the day-to-day running of the health service.
- Patients must be able to exercise real informed choice about where, how and by whom they are treated.
There needs to be a proper and informed national debate on the choices ahead of us. The issues are beyond party politics and we believe that, as professionals, we will make a profound mistake if we leave this debate to politicians.
We have therefore set up the group, Doctors for Reform, to make the case for change. We are independent and non-party. We invite colleagues to support us.