NHS survival rates for avoidable deaths 'second-worst' in developed world, 'sobering' report reveals | LBC

An analysis of 22 countries found that the NHS was the second worst performer when it comes to deaths from conditions where swift care should avoid a fatal outcome.

Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google

The UK has some of the worst survival rates for avoidable deaths in the developed world despite record levels of funding pouring into the NHS, a “sobering” report has found.

An analysis of 22 countries in the developed world found that the NHS was the second worst performer, ahead only of the US when it comes to deaths from conditions where medical care should avoid a fatal outcome.

The report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank also revealed that the health service has fewer hospital beds and less diagnostic equipment per head than many other developed countries.

The IPPR said funding for the NHS, which has risen to £242 billion, has been “poorly targeted” and prioritised staff and pay rather than infrastructure which has suffered years of “chronic” underinvestment.

The UK has 19 MRI, CT and PET scanners per million people compared with about 50 in other taxpayer-funded health services such as Sweden, Australia and Spain.

Britain was one of the poorest performers behind Finland and Canada.

Read more: NHS urges patients to come forward as normal amid ‘difficult’ six-day strike

Read more: Caller Christine sets the record straight about her NHS pension

Countries with social health insurance systems such as France and Switzerland have an average of 68, the report found.

But the tax-funded systems came at a cheaper cost to patients, with those in the UK spending 2.6 per cent of household income on out-of-pocket health costs compared to 3.5 per cent for people in countries with insurance-based systems.

Their administrative costs were also lower at 2.2 per cent, compared with 3.5 per cent for those in insurance-based systems.

The research also revealed that greater levels of patients are reporting that their medical needs are not being met in state-funded systems.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This is a timely report, as the arguments against the NHS grow louder.

“It dispels the myth that insurance-based healthcare systems are more efficient. While this Government is cutting the back office to reinvest in the front line, those who would rather move to an insurance system would do precisely the opposite.

“The NHS model is also the fairest way to provide care, rather than allowing your wealth to decide your health.

“The founding promise of the NHS is just as relevant today as in 1948: that healthcare should be made available to all, so whenever you fall ill, you never have to worry about the bill.”

Sebastian Rees, head of health at IPPR, said: “There is no structural silver bullet for the NHS.“The idea that simply switching to a European-style insurance model would fix its problems is a pointless distraction and not supported by the evidence.

“The NHS’s challenges are real – but they are the result of a decade of chronic underinvestment and choices on how money is spent, not the funding model itself.“Policymakers should focus on what actually works: investing in infrastructure, strengthening primary care, and tackling the drivers of poor health.”

It comes as the Government has confirmed the locations of 40 new and expanded urgent care sites, backed by £215.5 million, as it battles to slash NHS waiting lists

The 10 new sites will be located across the Midlands, along with sites in Salisbury; at the Royal Free in London; and at Southampton General Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital in the South East of England.

Centres in Stockport, Nottingham, Margate and Dorchester will be expanded.Meanwhile, five new same day emergency care services will open in Liverpool, Barnsley, Southampton, Margate and Guildford, alongside 21 expanded sites across England.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the same-day emergency care and urgent care centres will allow patients to be treated faster and ease pressure on A&Es.

It comes amid a crisis in corridor care - which NHS England says is when patients spend 45 minutes or more in clinically inappropriate areas of emergency departments or wards.