The final report of the Lord Darzi Review of Health and Care
Earlier this year we published the interim report of this review. This took the 70th anniversary of the NHS – and the 10th anniversary of High Quality Care for All – as a moment to stand back and reflect on the progress and challenges of the last decade. In many ways, it revealed a story of success: despite a decade of austerity, the quality of care provided by the health and social care system has been maintained or improved. Yet it is also clear that the health and care system is under serious strain.
Patients left on trolleys in hospital corridors, operations cancelled, staff under pressure, and deficits on the rise. Moreover, despite improvements in care we are some way off achieving high quality care for all. Unless we address these issues now we will be unable to meet the challenges – and seize the opportunities – of the decade ahead. It is for this reason that the interim report concluded that a bold and long-term funding and reform plan is now needed to secure the NHS and social care for the future.
This final report of the Lord Darzi Review puts forward a 10-point plan to achieve this, as well as a 10-point offer to the public which sets out what the health and care system will be able to offer if this plan for investment and reform is adopted.
Together, these chart a path towards a healthier, more prosperous decade ahead and will ensure that we will be celebrating the NHS’s century of service to the British people in 30 years' time.