Independent Healthcare Breakfast with Professor Mark Britnell

Earlier this week the Odgers Berndtson Group hosted its 10th Independent Healthcare Breakfast in London. This year we were delighted to be joined by Professor Mark Britnell who led an insightful and very important discussion on the global workforce crisis.

After the event, Mark wrote a small summary of this thoughts:

Five things seem clear to me:-

Firstly, it’s doubtful any new Government will re-organise. After the painful experience of past reforms, time will be lost tinkering, and better spent, delivering. This means ICBs will need to commission and performance manage in equal measure. For population health, the best socialised integrated system I have seen is Clalit in Israel. It’s intelligent and data driven.

Second, the need for productivity and innovation will increase as fiscal rules are applied by the next Government. The NHS is under-capitalised (to drive productivity) so a new solution to capital will be needed. Could the new National Wealth Fund help? Germany provides some good examples of capital investment targeted on productivity.

Third, waiting times. Big statements were made last weekend. ICBs and providers will need to enable choice, pool waiting lists and change models of care to separate elective and emergency flows at scale. The independent sector will need to adjust its business model too. There are plenty of examples of specialist and standalone elective centres at scale from South Korea to Australia across to North America. New public & private partnerships will form.

Fourthly, a new healing process will take place between Government and the health service, including the Department of Health and NHS England. Expect a new 10 year NHS plan to emerge which will seek to heal, improve trust and look to the future. This process will take time, partly because the Government will hope the economy picks up so public spending improves towards the latter part of the next parliamentary term. The Singapore ten year plan for health is the most intelligent I have seen.

Finally, it’s obvious health inequalities, worklessness and sickness have worsened so expect new, modern, joined-up public health action across all Government departments. We could learn from Scandinavia who mesh local and central government with citizen responsibility and employer activism.

We can expect more vigour and professionalism in managing health services as waiting lists cannot continue like this for another five years. The social contract between what we pay for as taxpayers and what we get as patients, is eroding.

Dangerous territory for trust for any Government.

Please note, these are the views of Professor Mark Britnell, and not those of Berwick Partners

For further information about this event or the work we do with Private Healthcare, please do contact Aemilia Lovatt who will be able to assist you.