A leading cancer consultant has warned that the NHS is on the brink of implosion as millions of poun...
A leading cancer consultant has warned that the NHS is on the brink of implosion as millions of pounds of increased public spending is pumped into a bureaucratic system that cannot withstand the strain.
In his paper, 'Resuscitating the NHS: A Consultant's View,' Dr Maurice Slevin said the problems of the NHS are systematic and cannot be addressed through increased funding.
Dr Slevin said the NHS has insufficient nurses and ancillary staff and stressed concern that too much of the additional funding is being wasted on a proliferating bureaucracy.
'The problems are clear to anyone who works in both the NHS and the private sector. In the NHS, the vast numbers of managers are there to stop things happening. In the private sector, the small numbers of managers are there to make things happen,' he said.
Slevin claimed there are eight managers for every 10 nurses in the NHS, compared with just under two managers for every 10 nurses in the private sector.
He called for a dramatic reduction in 'the numbers of managers and administrators in the NHS, using the funds generated to substantially increase the number and pay of nurses and allied professions.'
To replace the failing system, Slevin proposed a voucher scheme that would allow patients to claim 100% of the cost of treatment on the NHS or 70% in the private sector. Any additional cost would then be backed up by insurance, or would be self-funded by the patient.
Stephen Walker, chief executive of Medical Insurance Services, agreed the NHS needs reform, but was unsure whether the voucher system is the solution.
'A voucher system is a good idea as those who cannot afford to provide top-up funding could still use it, but it could be argued that it would create a two-tier system ' which we already have. Money definitely is not the answer. The system needs radical reform, it is patently failing,' he said.
