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Keir Starmer says UK's NHS needs to 'reform or die'

September 12, 2024

The British prime minister's warning comes in the wake of an independent investigation showing the National Health Service to be "in serious trouble."

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting meet patients and staff at Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire
Starmer vowed not to increase taxes in the wake of the damning report on the state of the National Health ServiceImage: Stefan Rousseau/empics/picture alliance

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Thursday that the state-run National Health Service (NHS) must "reform or die" after an independent report said the venerated institution was in a "critical condition."

A damning report from Lord Darzi found the NHS to be "in serious trouble." The surgeon, who sits in the
House of Lords, said that he was "shocked" at what he uncovered, prompting Starmer's response.

What Starmer said about the state of the NHS

Starmer's Labour Party won a landslide victory in a July election and the PM said the NHS needed "major surgery not sticking plaster solutions" to cope with the rising costs of taking care of an ageing population.

"Working people can't afford to pay more, so it's reform or die," Starmer said in a speech in central London following the publication of a 142-page report which found that the health of Britons had deteriorated over the past 15 years.

"Only fundamental reform and a plan for the long term can turn around the NHS and build a healthy society. That won't be easy, it won't be quick. It will take a 10-year plan."

Starmer also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: "You have every right to be angry about the state of our NHS. We need courage to achieve long-term reform — major surgery not sticking plaster solutions. My government will work with NHS staff, experts and patients to deliver the biggest reimagining of the NHS since its birth."

England's ailing NHS healthcare system

Britons' deteriorating health

Darzi's report showed Britain has witnessed a surge in patients suffering multiple long-term illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

The report highlighted that Britain is lagging in its treatment of major conditions and diseases, such as cancer. It also notes that waiting lists have ballooned to 7.6 million and that a tenth of patients at accident and emergency wards now wait 12 hours or more before being seen.

Just over a year ago, Starmer's predecessor, outgoing Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak, announced a 15-year drive to recruit more than 300,000 staff to deal with a shortage of doctors and nurses.

The opposition Conservatives accuse Starmer of exaggerating the country's problems as a way of persuading the nation to accept tax increases.

Starmer intends to restore voters’ trust: UK commentator

jsi/rt (AFP, dpa)