The room was packed for OVID Health’s recent breakfast event, Navigating the Future of the NHS, and no wonder – policy and government affairs professionals are navigating a constantly-changing, complex landscape. But will NHS reforms deliver better outcomes for patients, or just another layer of distraction? Here are four reflections in honour of our brilliant four speakers:
1. Have a grown-up national debate on trade-offs:
There’s been a flurry of structural changes but, as the panel pointed out, real impact for patients remains limited. Staff morale is low. Satisfaction is at a record low of 21% (down from 70% in 2010), and the national conversation still seems stuck in the abstract. Without a grown-up and honest national conversation about what trade-offs the public is willing to make when it comes to their health services, we’re pushing hard choices down to regions and risking postcode lotteries.
2. Focus on outcomes rather than process:
Nearly 45% of 18–25-year-olds now see a private GP, proof that patients vote with their feet when service lags. The panel warned that high-profile reorganisations – like the integration of NHS England – risk being a distraction unless they translate into shorter waits and better frontline care.
3. Culture and innovation beat new acronyms every time:
The audience heard that “We need more thinking doers.” Rather than reshuffling governance, we should empower frontline teams to adopt new technologies, streamline patient pathways, and iterate rapidly. As one panellist put it, “Be disruptive or be disrupted.”
4. Politics and public perception are inextricable:
Finally, the audience was reminded that health remains a top three concern for voters and each party’s supporters believe theirs is best placed to fix it. Yet, trust in government’s handling of the NHS is at a low ebb. Cross-party consensus and communicating honestly about the NHS’s future will be crucial if reform is to stick. Public perception is shaped more by the mood than personal experience. Support for NHS founding principles, though still high, is lowest among Reform UK voters, which gives us insight about what’s coming down the track politically.
Huge thanks to Dr Charlotte Refsum , Joe Twyman, Niall Dickson CBE, and Sarah Woolnough for a thought-provoking session. And thank you to everyone who took the time to join us on a Wednesday morning in Victoria!
Article originally published on LinkedIn on 14th May
