Responding to The Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 International Health Policy Survey1, which compares patient experiences of health systems in 10 high-income countries, Professor Philip Banfield, BMA council chair, said:
“This report once again shows that, despite the heroic efforts of staff, UK health systems are languishing behind our comparable global neighbours when it comes to delivering for patients.
“We know waits for hospital care are at near-record levels in the UK, but the dire situation is underlined when we see ourselves alongside other countries we should be performing well against.
“As the Health Foundation itself points out, while all nations have struggled with recovering after the pandemic, below-average spending on health in the UK has made pressures here even worse, and we mustn’t forget that waiting lists were already at record highs before Covid arrived.
“It’s not all negative, with patients in the UK able to get quick appointments at their GP practice – a testament to the dedication of family doctors and their teams against the odds, and in stark contrast to some of the negative narrative promoted in the media.
“But we still have a huge workforce crisis, which is not only a driver of long hospital waits, but also means patients are struggling to get care out of hours. This study therefore raises the question of how the Government plans to deliver more appointments at evenings and weekends to cut waiting lists, when there are not enough staff to provide round-the-clock care as it is.
“Continued progress on reversing cuts in the value of doctors’ pay, removing absurd pension rules and improving working and training conditions, all remain absolutely pivotal in recruiting and keeping doctors, much-needed to bring down waiting lists.
“Meanwhile, poor IT and bureaucracy means that patients’ experience navigating between different parts of the NHS can be incredibly difficult and confusing, while causing frustration for doctors as valuable time is taken away from providing care.
“Undertaken under the last Government, this study reveals the uphill climb the new Government has to reverse years of demise in UK healthcare and to restore the NHS’s standing on the global stage.”
Responding to findings around primary care, Dr Andrew Buist and Dr Alan Stout, co-chairs of the BMA’s UK GP committee, said:
“This report confirms what many patients’ experience of general practice is across the UK – and why we need urgent Government intervention to help us rebuild our profession.
“While it’s promising to see that the UK performs well for patients getting access to same or next-day appointments, it’s clear that the level of care being given is not what doctors or their patients want.
“That the UK is ranked as one of the lowest countries for the amount of time GPs spent with patients, for example, is a symptom of decades of underfunding and what happens when GPs are expected to do more with less. It’s unacceptable, and things have to change.
“The Government should be under no illusion that results like this will only get worse if general practice isn’t given the resource it needs. Only then can GPs and their teams give the level of care our patients need and deserve.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.
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