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The National Health Service
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Is anyone else fed up with the amount of time and energy being spent telling us just how bad the NHS is, and the paucity of ideas for improving it? Do we really think that this is just a funding issue as many of the debates would suggest? Or is it more to do with how the funding is used? Or is it all about how we, as consumers, see it and the expectations we have of it. With an ageing population, the one thing we can be sure of is that the problem will only get worse. Who'd like to join me in developing practical ideas for improving this service? Anyone fancy killing a sacred cow?
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I think it would be good to see some concentration on ways to improve it. I think the continuously escalating costs as a result of improved longevity, increasing population, and additional treatments as a result of improvements in medical science are one of the Big Issues of our time. I also think we need to include Care as part of the debate.
It does seem to me that at least in the longer term there ought to be ways of reducing costs as a result of technology application in every aspect, in particular robotics and artificial intelligence, alternative 'reduced cost' treatments and emphasis on prevention. So I think there are two slightly different debates to be had (1) how we could tackle it in the long term (2) what can be done while we get to that long term.
I believe I heard someone from NHS England say that there were plans to get control of costs but have seen no refernce to what these plans might be. Are you or anyone else aware of them?