The statistics surrounding our urgent care system are well known to us, but are nonetheless shocking. Emergency hospital admissions have increased by 37 per cent in the last 10 years. Nearly two thirds of people admitted to hospital are over 65 years old, and those over 85 account for one quarter of bed days. There … Continue reading
Last year, when the NHS Confederation asked you, its members, what major changes were required to meet future challenges, the vast majority of you (77 per cent) cited the integration of care – more than any other change. With rapidly decreasing budgets, local authorities and health and wellbeing boards too are acutely aware of the … Continue reading
The 21st century NHS faces the biggest challenges of a generation. So why are we still using 20th century approaches to healthcare that ignore patients’ assets and 21st century technology? Many reasons – financial flows; disjointed IT; and professional hierarchies. But perhaps the biggest barrier is in our culture – one that we must overcome, … Continue reading