The Future of Healthcare –
Ann Rossiter (May 2007)
We will shortly be publishing papers looking at the evidence on the changing demand for healthcare and the impact of supply side reform of the NHS.
The SMF Health Project is a major two year study looking at the future of the UK’s health system. The past few years have seen unprecedented investment in healthcare that has brought the UK into line with the rest of Europe. While waiting times have come down, over the same period health costs have risen and public health has not significantly improved. With an ageing population, expensive new medical treatments, ever more demanding patients and an end to large funding increases for the NHS, the time is now right to look ahead at the health system of the future.
The SMF will examine the successes and failures of government reform of health services and ask what needs to change to guarantee equitable access to healthcare in the future. What new policies could government introduce to improve the NHS? Is there a funding gap and, if so, how should it be filled? Should we ration healthcare by waiting list, by price or by treatment? Could our healthcare system provide incentives for people to live healthy lives? How can we have a real national debate about the choices we face?
Central to the project is a major piece of research with patients and consumers; asking how we should respond to the challenges we face in providing healthcare for all. A series of papers and seminars will culminate in a major report to be published just after the 60th anniversary of the NHS that the SMF hopes will play a major role in shaping health services in the decades to come.
We’re investigating different aspects of the health service to identify the changes that we will need to make to cope with changing circumstances. We’re conducting extensive desk research looking at the evidence for changing patterns of demand, and studying the impact of government reform on the NHS.
We will be building on this work to produce a series of reports that will recommend ways in which the NHS should change to meet the future challenges of supplying healthcare to all.
One of the key aims of the SMF Health Project is to work with patients, professionals and other stakeholders to encourage a real public debate about the future of the health service. We have issued an open invitation to get in touch with us with ideas, insights and information for our work.
If you would like to contribute to the SMF Health Project then please email health.project@smf.co.uk or call 0207 227 4410. We look forward to hearing from you.