The healthcare system that nobody ever talks about

If healthcare resources are insufficient – as even the regions now acknowledge – the first battle to be fought is undoubtedly that to secure more funding. But it would be a mistake to stop there. In the meantime, we could start by asking ourselves: how much could we improve the National Health Service simply by making what already exists work better? It does not necessarily take major investment to realise that some of the inefficiencies stem from an organisation that is still far too analogue, fragmented and bureaucratic.

Let’s take the health card and the medical record. These already exist and should serve precisely to facilitate the flow of information, not people. A test carried out at a healthcare facility should be accessible to anyone who needs to take it into account as part of the patient’s care pathway. The test results should be sent directly to the doctor who ordered the test, without forcing the patient to act as a courier. Following discharge, it should be the hospital’s responsibility to send the necessary documentation and treatment instructions to the GP, without placing the burden on the patient to piece together the various parts of the healthcare system. The issue of waiting lists could also be addressed by improving booking systems, cancelling unused appointments and making it easier to reallocate cancelled slots. The first resource to be recovered is therefore precisely the time lost at every avoidable bureaucratic stage. It is lost by those waiting for a consultation whilst a cancelled appointment remains empty. It is lost by the doctor who has to enter the same data twice, the nurse who interrupts patient care to deal with paperwork, and the patient who, after discharge, has to chase up their treatment plan. These are not miracle cures, nor do they make up for the lack of funding. Perhaps, however, they could help to improve the quality of healthcare professionals’ work and patients’ lives.