13 Oct 2013

NHS in London at ‘breaking point’

London’s hospitals are at breaking point and will be unable to cope with the needs of the population by 2020, according to top healthcare professionals.

NHS hospital (Getty)

A growing and ageing population, higher patient expectations and no financial growth means the NHS needs radical reform if it is to avoid a £4bn funding gap seven years from now, Dr Anne Rainsberry, regional director of NHS England has warned.

A new report into health services in the capital says the number of Londoners aged 65 and over is set to increase by 19 per cent by 2020, and one in five children in London are at risk of obesity, many of them in the poorest communities.

Around 80 per cent of premature deaths in London are attributable to lifestyle factors, such as alcohol, smoking, poor diet and a lack of exercise.

Life expectancy in the capital is a year longer than the national average but there are stark variations exist between boroughs, and every two stops of the Jubilee line represents a year of life lost between residents of the most and least deprived areas.

The report, due to be published on Monday, also says London has poor rates of early diagnosis for diseases like cancer and the hightest rate of acute sexually transmitted diseases in the UK.

The NHS has to change so that routine services are more available in the evenings and at weekends, NHS England said.

Dr Rainsberry said: “We need to look more at how we can help people to stay well, rather than focusing on treating them once they are ill.

“Particularly for the increasing number of people living with long term conditions we need a step change in the way care is planned with patients and the way we use technology to support people.

“We have to do more with our existing budgets to keep the NHS free at the point of care. Based on our expectations of patient demands and that we expect a period of flat financial growth we are likely to have an affordability gap of £4 billion in London by 2020.”

Dr Andy Mitchell, Medical Director for NHS England in London, said: “London’s hospitals are at breaking point and the demand for healthcare will outstrip the funding available in just seven years unless we fundamentally change the way services are delivered.

“It is time to start listening to leading doctors and nurses about how we can adapt and change if the NHS is to survive.

“This will mean some difficult decisions need to be made.”

Topics

,,