NHS ‘is not adapting fast enough to new treatments’

The NHS is not adapting quickly enough to new treatment methods, according to Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England who last week wrote a report on the state of care in the NHS.

He told BBC News 24 that some operations, like hysterectomies or tonsillectomies, have fallen in number since the introduction of new treatments, but he said that they had not fallen “fast enough”.

Sir Liam remarked that there was an opportunity to provide better healthcare while saving money at the same time.

Furthermore, the chief medical officer told the news channel that the NHS also needs to improve its safety record. He stated: “In healthcare around the world and in this country as well we haven’t really taken safety seriously.

“Something like one in ten hospital admissions in this country and in America result in some form of medical error. It may not be serious … but sometimes, sadly it will result in death.”

He concluded: “We have to continue to invest in health for the long term because otherwise we won’t be able to prevent the illnesses and the chronic diseases that will cause such a burden on our public health service in the future.”

Responding to the chief medical officer’s report, the Liberal Democrats said that health inequalities “still run deeply” through society.

Sir Liam stated in his report: “Inappropriate [treatment] variation runs contrary to the moral contract agreed in 1948 between the NHS and the public – to provide care equitably.”

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