When the secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, asked me to investigate the state of the NHS, I thought I knew what we would find. All of us who have worked in the NHS in recent years have known it was under pressure. But, as a surgeon, I am used to seeing just one piece of the puzzle. Hearing the experiences of millions of patients and staff across the country brought together left me shocked and angry.
If effective access and high-quality care are at the heart of the NHS’s social contract with the people, then it is routinely breaking its promise to the public. Too many people are waiting in A&E corridors or struggling to see a GP. Quality care should be the organising principle of the NHS. But my investigation has shown that patient care is stagnating or even declining. It is unsurprising that public trust in the NHS is at an all-time low.
