The NHS is costing the taxpayer 2.5 times more than it did 50 years ago. Now accounting for 8.2 per cent of the UK’s GDP, this trend is set to continue, but funding is not in place to support it. The Government faces a struggle between what is needed and what is affordable, pointing to a complete re-think of the way care is delivered. So says Steve Peak, business development director for Vanguard Healthcare, As the 2015 General Election brings the issue into sharper focus, he examines how estates managers are responding to the pressures and the practicalities of delivering the infrastructure to support a new model of care.
The increase in NHS spending is not surprising given the rise in demand for healthcare, and, largely due to the cost of care, an ageing population, more patients with chronic health problems, and higher rates of surgical intervention, this trend is set to continue. However, although patient needs have changed, the current model of delivery has not evolved accordingly. The biggest issue that the NHS is facing is a lack of flexible capacity – leading to a mismatch between demand and the capability to deliver timely patient treatment and care.
The NHS estate comprises some of the world’s newest and most sophisticated healthcare facilities, but also those that are old, run-down, and inefficient. NHS England estimates there is £7.5 bn worth of redundant or underused NHS estate. With the Five Year Forward View highlighting that a new model of care is needed, the organisation’s chief executive, Simon Stevens, is calling for a major investment to transform ‘dead wood’ facilities into ones able to accommodate a new approach.
What happens when capacity is reached?
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