Health leaders in London have called for radical and urgent change in the NHS given the capital’s growing and ageing population, higher than ever patient expectations and zero financial growth.
The new report, London: a Call to Action (published by NHS England), notes that life expectancy in London has risen by 5.2 years since 1990 – a year longer than the national average – but there are stark variations in life expectancy between boroughs.
Health inequalities and the capital’s growing demand for healthcare from an ageing population mean that the existing model of NHS health and care is unsustainable. A changing population and old ways of providing care are creating a £4bn funding gap. The report concludes that keeping things as they are is simply not an option if Londoners’ health care needs are to be met in the most effective way in the future.
There needs to be:
- A greater focus than ever before on preventing ill health;
- Greater emphasis on self-care, supporting people o take responsibility for their own health and manage their conditions;
- Transformation of primary care so that services are more accessible and responsive and have the capacity to provide more care in community settings;
- Transformation of hospital services so that they are able to consistently meet agreed quality standards;
- Integration across hospital, community and social care boundaries to improve the coordination of care and ensure a seamless experience for patients;
- Significant improvement in the patient experience wherever care is provided.
The consultation runs until 14 Dec 2013 – for more details click here.