NHS in critical condition and risks being doomed to failure, health experts warn

ITV News Health and Science Correspondent Martin Stew reports on the NHS's 75th birthday at a time when it is stretched thin

The NHS is in a "critical condition" and risks being doomed "to failure" without effective long term planning, health think tanks have warned as the service celebrates its 75th birthday.

The King's Fund, the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust said public support for the health service is "rock solid", but warned it won't reach 100 years without major investment.

It comes as the NHS marks its 75th anniversary with various events across the country to celebrate what the think tanks have called the "jewel in the country's crown".

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both appeared in a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the occasion, on the same day think tanks warned the NHS faces "huge challenges" beyond a record waiting list for treatment.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay told ITV News the NHS is a "safety net" and is "very confident" it will continue to exist without privatisation over the next 25 years.

• The principle of the NHS is that it's 'free at the point of access', Health Secretary Steve Barclay tells ITV News on its 75th anniversary

In a letter to the prime minister and the leaders of the opposition Parties, the organisations said the NHS has "endured a decade of underinvestment" and criticised politicians for an "addiction to short-termism and eye-catching initiatives" which will not secure the long term future of the service.

Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Ed Davey heard that "unachievable and unrealistic" fast improvements without any long term planning will "doom the service to failure", while it will face a "managed decline" that "gradually erodes the guarantee of safety" it was "designed to create" if action isn't taken quickly.

The think tanks also called for major investment in the service, social care reform and action to address the "fraying health of the UK population".

Their letter reads: "Seventy-five years after its creation, the National Health Service is in critical condition.

"Pressures on services are extreme and public satisfaction is at its lowest since it first began to be tracked 40 years ago.

"Despite this, public support for the NHS as an institution is rock solid - it still tops surveys about what makes people most proud to be British, and the public are unwavering in their support for its founding principles: free at the point of use, comprehensive and available to all."

It adds: "We urge you to make the next election a decisive break point by ending years of short-termism in NHS policy-making... promising unachievable, unrealistically fast improvements without a long-term plan to address the underlying causes of the current crisis is a strategy doomed to failure."

Health Minister Maria Caulfield says 'there are no plans' to introduce NHS charges, as critics warn the service cannot continue to exist in its current form

The warnings come less than a week after Mr Sunak announced his long term plan for the NHS, hailing his aims to "train, retain and reform" as the biggest shake-up in the health service's history.

While Mr Sunak's plans were mostly welcomed, the NHS has a growing waiting list for treatment and Ministers are still grappling with the challenge of ongoing strikes.

His critics are doubtful the NHS will see enough of an improvement in time for the next general election, paving the way for the Labour Party to claim they are the ones who can fix the struggling health service.

Speaking on the morning of the 75th anniversary, shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS "saved my life", but claimed it is suffering "the worst crisis in its history".

He added: "After 13 years of Tory failure it will fall to us, the Labour Party, to make sure we have an NHS that's fit for the future."

Meanwhile, Conservative Health Minister Maria Caulfield dismissed the warnings on its 75th anniversary and said the NHS will be "thriving" in 25 years' time.

Ms Caulfield hit back against warnings the service needs to radically transform in order to survive, also saying the Conservatives have "no plans" to introduce charges.

However, she suggested the overall waiting list for treatment is going in the wrong direction and could even get higher.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed said: "I am fiercely proud that it remains one of the most iconic services we have in the UK free to everyone.

"The best birthday gift of all would be to put the NHS back on a stable footing, by increasing the number of available GP appointments, ending the long waits for ambulances, and closing the growing divide between those that can access dental care and those who can't."

The NHS 'saved my life' but is 'in crisis', says Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting

The letter's authors, Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, and Richard Murray, chief executive of The King's Fund, added: "For the public, the NHS remains the jewel in the country's crown, even if it is losing its shine.

"The next government will face a choice between providing the investment and reform needed to preserve the NHS for future generations or continuing with short-termism and managed decline that gradually erodes the guarantee of safety in place of fear it was designed to create.

"Persisting with the current addiction to short-termism and eye-catching initiatives will risk the health service being unable to adapt to the huge challenges ahead and reach its centenary.

"It is time to move away from quick fixes and over-promising what the NHS can deliver and give it the tools it needs to succeed."

Their warnings were echoed by NHS leaders who said the NHS faces "intense" pressures as it enters its 75th year.

With a waiting list of more than 7.4 million people, which is set to grow further, its chief executive Sir Julian Hartley told Sky News the health service is the "most pressurised" it has been in at least three decades.

Both Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay appeared during a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the anniversary while the prime minister's deputy, Oliver Dowden, stepped in at Prime Minister's Questions.

The NHS was praised as a "cornerstone of national life" during the special anniversary ceremony, which was also attended by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir delivered lessons from the Bible, while Education Secretary Steve Barclay thanked those who had supported and contributed to the service.

Reports suggested Sir Keir walked into the Abbey to loud cheers from guests, which was a stark contrast to Mr Sunak's reception.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said in her address: "Since the day it was founded, the NHS has continually innovated and adapted to meet the changing needs of our patients and communities.

"Recent years have brought a once-in-a-century global health emergency and unprecedented challenges. But throughout, our staff, volunteers and partners up and down the country have continued to do what they do best - looking after patients and their loved ones.

"In doing so they provided a beacon of hope for a nation during dark and uncertain times. It is therefore little wonder that the NHS remains the institution that makes our nation most proud to be British - a cornerstone of national life and our shared identity."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.