Bold thinking for the NHS

The dedication of many hard-working doctors and nurses is not in question. But the uncomfortable truth remains that the system as it stands, while admirable in principle, simply isn't working to the full benefit of patients or staff.

This is why the health service is firmly back on the political agenda - and is likely to remain there until the next general election and beyond. And this is why the Government is right in its wish to reform the delivery of the health service.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn today announced that some NHS patients who have waited for more than six months for operations will soon be able to obtain treatment in a hospital of their choice - either public or private, in Britain or possibly even abroad.

This fresh move comes after the Government's announcement of a deal with the private provider Bupa. Under this arrangement, a private hospital in Surrey will be dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment for NHS patients.

Such innovations will not be welcome by everyone. A health service that is free at the point of delivery and open to all remains a cornerstone of civilised life in this country. And it is right that this service should be cherished.

However, the system is not working properly and the 1948 model of health as a nationalised industry needs to be reformed into a more user-friendly service. While the public-private solutions being examined by the Government might not be the whole answer, such routes are worth exploring. More public investment is needed - but money alone will not solve all the problems.

A cultural rethink is required, so that hospitals chime more easily with the consumer-driven society in which we now live. Why, for example, could hospitals not run evening clinics to fit in better with people's working lives?

Investment and bold thinking are necessary. Not all new ideas would be valid or would work. But at least we are at last seeing the stirrings of a new approach.

Updated: 11:51 Thursday, December 06, 2001