A recent report from the Health Foundation reveals that the UK’s hospital-based care ranks consistently low in comparison to other high-income countries. The 2023 Commonwealth Fund survey, which included over 21,000 participants across 10 developed nations, highlighted several areas where the UK healthcare system struggles, particularly regarding long waiting times for specialist care, limited access to out-of-hours services, and the affordability of treatments like dental care.
In the survey, over 3,000 UK participants shared their experiences with healthcare services, focusing on hospital care, general practice, affordability, and care coordination. The results were concerning, especially regarding waiting times. The UK had some of the longest waiting periods for specialist appointments and non-emergency surgeries, with 11% of people waiting a year or more for a specialist and 19% for non-emergency surgery. This trend has worsened over the past decade, with the proportion of people waiting more than four weeks for a specialist appointment increasing from 14% in 2013 to 61% in 2023.
While the UK performs relatively well in offering same or next-day general practice appointments, other areas of general practice show room for improvement. Only 16% of respondents found it easy to access medical care outside of regular hours without visiting A&E. Furthermore, the UK ranked poorly in patients’ experiences with GPs, including understanding explanations and spending sufficient time during consultations. Care coordination between healthcare professionals, such as GPs and specialists, also lagged behind other countries.
Affordability has become a growing concern in the UK, particularly in dental care. The survey showed a significant rise in the number of people skipping dental visits due to cost, increasing from 6% in 2013 to 26% in 2023. Despite the NHS being largely free at the point of use, the number of people avoiding doctor consultations for cost reasons has also tripled over the past decade.
Ruth Thorlby, the Health Foundation’s Assistant Director of Policy, commented on the findings, stating that the UK’s healthcare system faces significant challenges, exacerbated by the pandemic and below-average spending growth. She emphasised the importance of government action to reduce waiting lists and improve primary care, alongside better coordination between hospitals and GPs. Thorlby also warned of the dangers of rising healthcare costs, particularly in dental care, which could lead to more people delaying essential treatment, potentially worsening public health outcomes.
Thorlby believes that while there are no quick solutions, the NHS can recover with the right combination of policy changes, innovation, and investment.
One Health Group PLC (AQSE:OHGR) are a team of Consultant Surgeons and Healthcare managers working with the NHS to provide faster, local and expert care in Orthopaedics, Spinal, General Surgery and Gynaecology.
