• House of Lords Select Committee publishes report on long-term sustainability of the NHS
• NHS Providers contributed evidence to wide ranging report looking at how the NHS responds to the challenges of the future
• We welcome call for Office for Health and Care Sustainability and endorse the concerns set out by the committee about staff shortages

The House of Lords Select Committee has published its report on the long-term sustainability of the NHS (5 April 2017).

The report covers issues including strategic planning in health provision, responding to the challenges of an ageing population, reducing the volatility in funding allocations for health and social care, the changes needed in primary care to alleviate pressure on hospitals, challenges in effectively planning the appropriate make-up of the NHS workforce for the next 20 years and how health and social care can be better integrated.

NHS Providers was one of over 100 witnesses who contributed evidence to the inquiry and subsequent report.

Responding to the report, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

“This report makes important and timely recommendations which reflect the scale and gravity of the challenges confronting health and social care. The pressures are growing year on year and we must act now to help these services adapt to serve future generations. The uncertainties surrounding Brexit have raised further questions about the ability of the system to cope with these pressures.

“We particularly welcome the call for an Office for Health and Care Sustainability with the independence and authority to say what needs to be said in order to help the government plan objectively for future needs. It is right that politicians decide on priorities but they should do so on the basis of the best evidence and advice available. This is something we have been calling for, for some time.

The pressures are growing year on year and we must act now to help these services adapt to serve future generations.

“We endorse the concerns set out in the report on the threat posed by staff shortages over the next 10 – 15 years, and the need to strengthen planning, supported by a protected budget. This issue is fast becoming the number one concern for NHS trusts. We agree with the emphasis on protecting staff morale to ensure high quality care for patients. Demands on the NHS over the winter have placed staff under intolerable pressure. This is unsustainable. We need a workforce strategy that will support delivery of safe and timely care for patients, in which staff feel valued and respected.

“The report is also right to emphasise the importance of a long term commitment to increase health funding, at least in line with growth in GDP. We still lag behind countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands, and NHS real terms spending per person (adjusting for age) will actually decrease in 2018/19 – a very rare occurrence. As growing numbers of baby boomers move into their eighth decade we need to ensure health and social care services are equipped to support more older people, many of them with complex conditions. Funding pressures on social care have had a big impact on demand for NHS services. We welcome the call for additional spending on social care for the next three years, and beyond that, for a long-term settlement that ensures future funding reflects changing needs.”