The Emerging Challenges and Strengths of the National Health Services: A Physician Perspective

Abstract

The National Health Services (NHS) is a British national treasure and has been highly valued by the British public since its establishment in 1948. Like other healthcare organizations worldwide, the NHS has faced challenges over the last few decades and has survived most of these challenges. The main challenges faced by NHS historically have been staffing retention, bureaucracy, lack of digital technology, and obstacles to sharing data for patient healthcare. These have changed significantly as the major challenges faced by NHS currently are the aging population, the need for digitalization of services, lack of resources or funding, increasing number of patients with complicated health needs, staff retention, and primary healthcare issues, issues with staff morale, communication break down, backlog in-clinic appointments and procedures worsened by COVID 19 pandemic. A key concept of NHS is equal and free healthcare at the point of need to everyone and anyone who needs it during an emergency. The NHS has looked after its patients with long-term illnesses better than most other healthcare organizations worldwide and has a very diversified workforce. COVID-19 also allowed NHS to adopt newer technology, resulting in adapting telecommunication and remote clinic. On the other hand, COVID-19 has pushed the NHS into a serious staffing crisis, backlog, and delay in patient care. This has been made worse by serious underfunding the coronavirus disease-19coronavirus disease-19 over the past decade or more. This is made worse by the current inflation and stagnation of salaries resulting in the migration of a lot of junior and senior staff overseas, and all this has badly hammered staff morale. The NHS has survived various challenges in the past; however, it remains to be seen if it can overcome the current challenges.

Keywords: challenges in healthcare; covid – 19; diversity and inclusion; global healthcare systems; healthcare inequality; healthcare transition; medical staff; national health services; nhs approved medications; strengths of healthcare.

Figure 1. The NHS spending summary

National Health Services (NHS) [3] Permission obtained from the authors

Figure 2. The Health and Social care department report on the participation of private companies in NHS

The National Health Services (NHS) [3]. Permission obtained from the authors

Figure 3. The percentage of gross domestic product comparison between the UK and other European countries.

United Kingdom (UK) [3] Permission obtained from the authors