The NHS is being constantly reorganised but none of these changes tackle the long-term design problems.
Author: Malcolm J Prowle
At various times in the past, the UK National Health Service (NHS) was often referred to as being the 'envy of the world.' This is true no longer and the NHS is now seen as being in severe crisis with a number of serious problems including lack of access, long waiting times, staff shortages and service inequalities.
In the 78 years the NHS has existed there have been numerous attempts at reform in order to alleviate these problems. One source suggests there have been 65 attempts at reform since 1948 and the current government has recently published the fourth “long term” plan for the NHS, in recent memory.
However, all these attempts at reform seem, merely, to have “papered over” fundamental problems. This paper argues that the problems of the NHS derive from errors and compromises made at the time of its inception in 1948 which have never been resolved. These are seen as concerning.
The paper argues that it is only by addressing these legacy issues will the ongoing problems of the NHS be resolved. However, the dysfunctional nature of UK governments is such that it makes it extremely difficult to implement such reforms which require radical changes to be made.
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The publisher is Malcolm Prowle. The Crisis of the UK National Health Service (NHS) © Malcolm Prowle 2026.
Community Health, health & healthcare, Neighbourhood Care, politics, regulation, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Paper
