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UK healthcare 'not world class'

04/12/2007

While the British healthcare system has improved substantially it remains a great deal short of providing world-class care, it is to be argued today.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Healthcare Commission, will make this claim today as the commission's independent report to parliament on the state of healthcare in England and Wales is launched.

The report reveals that though life expectancy has risen significantly there exists a huge disparity between areas of differing wealth.

And despite an improvement in the performance of NHS Trusts, many primary care trusts (PCTs) are failing to understand the needs of their communities.

Sir Ian acknowledges that "cuts in waiting times have been genuinely dramatic and millions more people are seeing their doctors sooner".

"People are living longer because of improvements in health and in the quality of care," he adds. "We should acknowledge and celebrate these successes.

"But we should also be clear that there is still some way to go before everyone gets world-class care. People are getting healthier, but there is serious disparity in both general health and in the care available to the haves and have-nots.

"Most organisations offer patients a good overall experience, but some lag behind. We need more attention on ensuring that patients get personalised care and fair access to services. Purchasing and providing primary care affects millions of patients and all our work shows that it is not as good as it should be."

The report shows there are 18 per cent fewer GPs in the poorer areas of England and Wales and shows a lack of attention to the UK's growing obesity crisis, with 2.3 million people not having their body mass index (BMI) recorded last year in spite of government recommendations.

And though cases of MRSA have fallen from 7,096 in 2005/2006 to 6,381 in 2006/2007 only 58 per cent of NHS Trusts were found to comply with government safety standards, with infection control an especially pertinent concern.

Sir Ian added: "We are close to being able to offer all patients a minimum guarantee on standards - in the NHS and the private sector - but we're not there yet. Safety is being taken more seriously but we need leadership from trusts' boards to drive this through, particularly in relation to falls and healthcare-associated infection."

The commission is to make six recommendations to the government and healthcare providers: improve the planning and commissioning of services; improve access outside the waiting-time targets; improve healthcare for children and young people; demonstrate more sensitivity to the needs of the individual; promote a culture of safety more effectively; and use information better.