Commenting on today’s (Friday 31 March 2017) publication of NHS England’s ‘Next steps on the Five Year Forward View’, Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:
“We welcome the publication of Next steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View and hope that it will renew focus on the short to medium term objectives required to improve sustainability in the NHS in England.
“Any new measures must be informed by data and evidence. Part of the underlying problem is that the NHS has a very complex management system and is plagued by costly initiatives which are not properly evaluated.
“As a College with members working in hospitals across the UK, we recognise that the provision of free healthcare to meet an ever-expanding range of expectations and demands is difficult to achieve. Real term spending increases are insufficient to meet increasing demand, rising costs and the needs of an ageing population with multiple co-morbidities.
“While we must look to make savings, we must also ensure that any investment in services is targeted at the areas for which it was intended, otherwise we risk being unable to achieve the aims set out in the Five Year Forward View.
“Reviewing medicines for prescription on the NHS may achieve modest savings, and it is important that this work involves the public, patients and carers in determining the services and activities which should be core and essential, and which areas of healthcare are to take a lower priority.
“While there must be a commitment to invest in and improve health and social care integration, it is unlikely the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) will improve the situation in the short term and further work is required to make these plans a success and address immediate concerns.
“We again call for a working group involving healthcare practitioners, patients, the public, and politicians to find solutions to alleviate the pressures faced across the NHS, as positive patient and staff experiences are dependent on all services in hospital and in the community working together”.
Prof David Webb, Clinical Pharmacologist and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, commented:
“We must ensure that reviews of prescribing and any changes to current guidelines do not adversely affect the health of those who are already disadvantaged and may find it hard to pay for some products.
“While there is merit in reviewing products for which there is little evidence base, the NHS must continue to treat patients according to clinical need and not by ability to pay. Patients should not be deterred from seeking treatment because of the potential cost.
“A broader debate is required to assess services and treatments which may or may not be provided in the future.”
ENDS
Contact s.collier@rcpe.ac.uk 0131 2473658
Notes to Editors:
