Episode #35: A Follow-up Conversation with David Hunter, Emeritus Professor, Newcastle University on the UK’s Still Troubled NHS.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service was founded in 1948 and is considered the mother of all government run health care systems - with Sweden’s slightly later plan for universal coverage just behind. We’ve profiled both systems on this podcast series. But we’re going back to take another look at the NHS --almost exactly one year after labor won a huge parliamentary victory. And the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his new Secretary for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting declared the NHS was “broken” and promised to fix it.

All health systems are having trouble adjusting to rising costs and demographic changes but perhaps the faltering NHS has gotten the most notoriety. Health care waiting lists as long as 2 years, doctor shortages and strikes, no hospital beds available for emergency patients – it’s a very long list. Under the government’s recent “Spending Review” – somewhat like the annual US budget outline – the NHS got the lion’s share of the available money – along with the military. And a 10 year plan emphasizes moving to neighborhood health centers for most healthcare instead of it being hospital-based. But what about immediate help for people?  Are there any improvements in this first year?

For the answers – I went back to the UK’s David Hunter - who explained how the UK system works in Episode11. He’s Emeritus Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University and also Emeritus Professor at Durham University. His long list of endeavors also includes the recent addition of board member at “Ways to Wellness”.  Which tries to reduce health inequalities. As you watch or listen - you’ll notice a lot of similarities to the US right now. Think Elon Musk’s DOGE and its abrupt firing of so many health policy related government workers. And of course our unending debate about taxation.

This episode was shot, recorded and edited in Prague, Czech Republic before Labor released its 10 year plan to “fundamentally rewire” the NHS.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/l00578wn

https://www.waystowellness.org.uk/

Episode 11: David Hunter on the NHS: https://youtu.be/jqrNfpxSayA

Episode 18 – Catharina Barkman – Sweden #1:  https://youtu.be/Y4pTu_XcSqA

Episode 19 – Catharina Barkman – Sweden #2:  https://youtu.be/2vdA41ckoVA