What would it take to reform the NHS – and is it even possible?

As focus falls on the health secretary’s lack of a plan to rescue the health service, Sean O’Grady asks why a succession of governments have failed to get to grips with modernising the NHS

Both main parties talk about ‘reforming’ the NHS, but never about moving away from the present model (PA)

Even after recent marginal improvements, NHS waiting lists remain high and government performance targets are being missed. Public satisfaction levels are at their lowest since Labour left office in 2010, and cancer survival rates are poor. Ambulances take about twice as long to turn up as they are supposed to.

There are around 100,000 staff vacancies within the health service, and the pay and conditions offered to its current staff are prompting skilled medics to leave. Industrial relations are notoriously poor. Yet the NHS is also the sixth-largest employer on the planet, only outnumbered by the Indian Ministry of Defence, the US Department of Defense, the People’s Liberation Army of China, Walmart, and Amazon.

The NHS spends around £230bn per annum. That sum should put into perspective the £2bn package promised by Rachel Reeves, and the £2.5bn funding boost plus £3.4bn in capital funding over five years announced by Jeremy Hunt in the last Budget. Both main parties talk about “reform”, but never about moving away from the present model...