The Society of Radiographers has welcomed the Darzi report’s findings on the scale of the problems facing the NHS – but has emphasised the need to be "honest and brave” to reform the health service.
Published on Thursday (12 September), the Darzi report, entitled "Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England", found the NHS is in “critical condition” amidst surging waiting lists, with serious and widespread problems for those seeking access.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged a “reimagining” of the NHS following the independent investigation – but the SoR has warned any rebuilding project must be “firmly anchored” in the service’s founding principles.
Mr Starmer set out his new vision for the NHS in three pillars: "First, moving from an analogue to a digital NHS. A tomorrow service not just a today service. Second, we’ve got to shift more care from hospitals to communities. And third, we’ve got to be much bolder in moving from sickness to prevention."
‘Lasting, sustainable change’
Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy for the Society of Radiographers, said: “Lord Darzi’s findings won’t come as much of a shock to anyone who has been listening to this discussion – and it certainly won’t be a surprise to anyone who works in the NHS.
“However, the three pillars outlined by the prime minister are only aspirations at this stage. We need a plan showing us how to get there.
“We want to ensure that the voice of radiographers is heard during the process of developing that plan. We want to see lasting, sustainable change, and an end to short-term political meddling in the NHS.”
Key findings
In carrying out the review, Lord Ara Darzi brought more than 70 organisations together in an Expert Reference Group and sought input from NHS staff and patients through focus groups and frontline visits.
His key findings include:
- The health of the nation has deteriorated over the past 15 years, with a substantial increase in the number of people living with multiple long-term conditions.
- Too great a share of the NHS budget is being spent in hospitals, too little in the community and productivity is too low.
- Waiting lists have swelled and waiting times have surged, with A&E queues more than doubling from an average of just under 40 people on a typical evening in April 2009 to over 100 in April 2024. One in 10 patients are now waiting for 12 hours or more.
- The UK has appreciably higher cancer mortality rates than other countries, with no progress whatsoever made in diagnosing cancer at stage one and two between 2013 and 2021.
- The Health and Social Care Act of 2012 did lasting damage to the management capacity and capability of the NHS. It took 10 years to return to a sensible structure, and the effects continue to be felt to this day.
- Too many resources have been being poured into hospitals where productivity has substantially fallen, while too little has been spent in the community.
‘Extraordinary dedication and selfless energy’
Richard Evans, CEO of the SoR, said: “News reporting following the launch of this important report has largely missed one of the key themes in the report, that the people that work in the NHS are its chief asset. The fact that the NHS is functioning at all is down to the extraordinary dedication and selfless energy of the people that work in it. People like our members. Lord Darzi also sees that the future re-building of the system must involve NHS staff.”
Lord Darzi’s report found that “NHS staff are profoundly passionate and motivated to raise the quality of care for patients. Their talents must be harnessed to make positive change”.
Mr Evans added: “The SoR agrees wholeheartedly with this and looks forward to contributing to the work that will be outlined in the governments forthcoming plan.”
‘No sacred cows’
In order to support the government in its plan to reimagine the NHS, Mr Rogers said that everyone will need to be actively engaged in saving it.
“We can direct politicians to our islands of excellence and help them understand why these exist in some places and not others,” he explained. “This has to be a positive partnership effort.
“We also need to be honest and brave. No sacred cows should remain unchallenged. This will be uncomfortable. We can only achieve it by making sure that this rebuilding project remains firmly anchored in the NHS’s founding principles. These remain secure, and should be what we build out from and measure ourselves against.
“There is nothing wrong with the NHS’s founding values – and we know that it is the dedication and professionalism of its staff that have kept the NHS alive, and will continue to be crucial in the future.”