Chris Hudson, director of access and innovation, Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland, analyses proposals from the Labour Party for the NHS, and the role technology should have in the future of the health service.
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Sir Keir Starmer’s speech this week set out what a future Labour Government’s vision for healthcare might look like. Regardless of who wins the next election, it presents a timely opportunity to consider what the next Government should be prioritising.
First, there must be a greater focus on earlier diagnosis, which is critical to future proofing our NHS as we look to overcome the combined challenge of an ageing population and financial pressures. We need to ensure the NHS is truly a National Health Service and not a National Illness Service, with earlier intervention to provide fast and accurate diagnosis and ultimately, improved outcomes and a better quality of life for patients.
But to do this we need to remove the current barriers to adoption, incentivise innovation and create an environment which supports and nurtures the life sciences sector. For instance, we know many diagnostic tests can take years to be deployed across the NHS, even after NICE approval – as was the case with PlGF testing for women with suspected pre-eclampsia. Innovation is only beneficial if it gets to the patients who need it.
It’s also vital that patients can access, and therefore benefit from, this innovation when it is adopted. Sir Keir pledges to speed up patient access to diagnostic testing in his new plans and says that he wants to enable people to book directly for routine checks and ensure that 99% of patients wait no more than six weeks for a diagnostic test from referral. This should be an aim for whoever is in Government and would be welcomed by industry.
This brings me to my next point. Any future Government needs to focus on tackling health inequalities and ensure access to vital tests and care should be equitable for everyone. There are examples of patients in the UK being offered simple blood tests for heart failure by their GP, while their neighbours in the next postcode are referred straight for a more costly echocardiogram in secondary care, potentially taking up additional time and expense. It’s interesting that Sir Keir specifically mentioned cardiovascular disease as a major priority, stating his aim of cutting instances by 25% in a decade. Earlier, more effective diagnosis can help with this.
When we hear politicians talk about the future of healthcare, there is always a fear that they will talk in extremes and mention the ‘R’ word – reform. I'm not sure what the NHS needs right now is wide scale reform. I think what it needs is a series of pragmatic interventions to help it get back on its feet - and an improved, more systematic approach to diagnostics should be one of those interventions.
So, let’s continue developing a holistic approach to care that aligns to the whole patient pathway. We hear time and again that organisational and budgetary constraints mean patients are missing out on chances to access diagnostics that could prevent ill-health or improve outcomes through earlier intervention. The ongoing development of Integrated Care Systems offer a real opportunity to take a more holistic approach to health and care, and we would urge whoever wins the next election to continue work in this area. There is nothing more frustrating than hearing that innovation is not being utilised because the cost savings and improved patient outcomes are achieved in a different part of the health service.
Finally, underpinning all of this must be a fully funded, long-term workforce strategy for our health service. Without adequate numbers of doctors, nurses, pathologists and radiologists, the NHS cannot function, and we cannot address these wider challenges. Encouraging new recruits – and upskilling the ones we have so that they are better equipped to work in new ways – will be key. Sir Keir highlights the importance of embracing digital, and the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence (AI), citing the example of lung cancer, which can be diagnosed quicker by AI and with a reduced chance of misdiagnosis by as much as 60%. This is promising, but we need to bear in mind that for this type of innovation to yield real results, the NHS workforce needs the right skills to deliver it.
The NHS is up against some huge challenges right now and demand for services is only going to continue growing as people live longer with a multitude of complex conditions. A greater focus on early detection now can help to build resilience into the healthcare system for the future, enable patients to better manage their symptoms and, in many cases, delay invasive and costly treatment. During the pandemic we saw what can be achieved when we put egos aside, play to our strengths and pull in the same direction. So why wouldn’t we continue in that vein and work together to support the recovery of the NHS for those who need it now and secure its future for the generations to come?
