Demands Placed On the NHS
1
Changes to Demands
Most of the changes were geared towards meeting the costs and increasing demands. Even though these alterations are taking place at a time when the budget is tight, the NHS has to respond positively to the changes to be effective and relevant to its functions. After the NHS was set up, the life expectancy skyrocketed for both males and females and this pattern may continue in the next decades (Pascoe, 2017). However, an aging population implies that the NHS will have to deal with a more severe condition such as dementia. Hence, at the end of the day, its functionality will be hindered due to less support and care. For example, medical reports claim that more than 65% of hospital beds are occupied by the elderly. In response to the rising population, NHS has resulted in providing home medication so that its case ease off hospital space. Where it meets more expenses, the medication is designed to meet the immediate needs of the patients. Increasing the number of medical consults outside medical institutions has catered to more people and reduced pressure in most hospitals. For example, setting up minor surgery clinics. Nurses have also taken up more roles in an attempt to decrease pressure and ease the burden placed on primary health care.
2
Changes in Funding and Its Impact on NHS
During the Austerity period in the 2008 economic meltdown, the NHS budget persistently increased at a gradual rate. Also, the budget rose due to inflation elements. The government had to announce a five years funding plan which would cater to most of the primary NHS functions (Singfield, 2020). Also, NHS is as effective as the budget allocated to it. NHS can only perform operations within its financial needs (Pascoe, 2017). Recurrent expenditure and emergencies limit NHS from doing more than it could have done. Consequently, patients have to dig deeper into their pockets before getting quality medical care.
In terms of the immediate impact of funding on NHS, finances are strained. In 2010, the economic constraints inhibited development and the ever-increasing demand resulted in challenging tasks and the inability to live within their capable means. In the recent past, some medical institutions got more financial support than others. However, current NHS organization mechanisms are geared toward changing the approach insisting on a balanced budget. Health care systems internationally must make decisions based on services and medical treatment rendered so that they can provide more openings for catering to the needs of the vast population of patients streaming into medical institutions. Therefore, all the medical bodies should be involved in the decisions which in the process changed the functionalities of the entire formulating body (Singfield, 2020). Medical officials, service providers, and specialists tie their decisions to national policies, medical directives, records, local preferences, and other supplementary needs emerging from the day to day operations. Due to these numerous ranking factors, it is challenging to look at each factor as being separate from another.
The chance of coming to terms with the changes has placed intense pressure on NHS. The pressures range from the holding capacity and the ability to comfortably adapt to the changes in the long run (Singfield, 2020). For example, the increasing demand for community increase led to increased substantiality costs because lack of substantial facilities might lead to unmet medical demands.
References
Pascoe, P. (2017). To improve change management, the NHS needs to discard outdated models. LSE Business Review.
Singfield, A. K. (2020). Transformational change in the NHS: using action research to improve the way change leadership skills are developed (Doctoral dissertation, Middlesex University).
