In December 2022, ambulance and A&E services posted their worst figures in recorded history. Here we take a look at what is causing the crisis in the NHS and if there is a way back.
People who had heart attacks or strokes waited more than an hour and a half for an ambulance to arrive, on average - the longest ever by more than half an hour. People in life-threatening conditions also waited longer than any time on record.
And how much of it is part of the general decline in the health service over the past decade and its inability to keep up with the demands of an ageing population? Tim Gardner, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said the recent data showed that"the NHS is facing an emergency, but the roots of it lie in political choices made over the last decade, not the cold weather or seasonal flu".
An ageing population is a victory for public health in general, but comes with the responsibility to service an increased demand. "We see junior members of staff coming through who are leaving us earlier than ever before, to go and work elsewhere. "The whole system could be functioning less effectively because of insufficient or ineffective management. To simplify enormously, managers can improve productivity by taking on operational tasks, leaving clinical staff to focus on treating patients: their comparative advantage," the IFS says.
"This is far below the long-run average of 2.6%, and comes against the backdrop of the health service trying to recover from a pandemic."
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