Lord Darzi has published his independent rapid review of the NHS. The report is an important first step in identifying the problems facing the NHS, shedding light on its increasingly precarious state, revealing significant deterioration over the past 15 years.
The review highlights critical issues including long waits for children’s mental health services, underperformance in cancer and cardiovascular care, and the strain on accident & emergency departments. It tells us these issues are linked to thousands of avoidable deaths annually. Lord Darzi stresses that the NHS is at a crossroads, and urgent reform is essential to ensure its survival.
Lord Darzi has taken evidence for his review from a wide range of sources. At Stand we’re particularly pleased to see that a critical piece of evidence was the submission from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) which reflected many of these concerns and showed that the role of major service change in the NHS is being considered meaningfully when reviewing overall NHS performance.
After all, reconfiguring services at a large scale to improve performance, workforce efficiency, estate utilisation and clinical outcomes is why the process of major service change is often intense and thorough.
In their letter, the IRP draws the conclusion that the balance between reconfigurations for the purpose of improving clinical outcomes and patient care is heavily outweighed by the need for organisations to improve financial, estate and workforce sustainability.
It emphasises the tension between financial constraints, workforce shortages, and ageing infrastructure, all of which are driving service reconfigurations. These factors often overshadow the primary goal of improving clinical outcomes.
Darzi’s findings resonate with the IRP’s long-held belief that patient care must remain central, even when reconfigurations are driven by economic pressures. And as part of his recipe for reform, Lord Darzi says the government must “re-engage staff and re-empower patients” and make care “closer to home”.
As NHS leaders consider their next steps, engaging staff, patients and the public will be vital in ensuring that reforms deliver the quality of care that is expected. The power for staff, patient and public involvement to steer and shape these large-scale changes towards better patient outcomes is undeniable.
Involving people and transforming services is what we do. And we love talking to colleagues about the challenges they’re facing. Drop us a line at hello@wearestand.co.uk or give us a call.
Blog by: Jonny Williams
