الأسئلة الكبرى للمملكة المتحدة: الخدمة الصحية الوطنية والرعاية الاجتماعية والصحة العامة

Expanded use of independent sector providers, paid at NHS tariff rates, can meaningfully reduce waiting times without compromising NHS principles.

NHS digital records should be expanded so patients have full access to their own data and can share it seamlessly across different providers.

NHS staff pay has declined significantly in real terms since 2010 and requires urgent restoration to recruit and retain the workforce needed.

NHS waiting lists, which exceeded seven million in 2024, cannot be cleared without a significant and sustained real-terms funding increase.

The NHS must remain free at the point of use for all, funded through general taxation — user charges would deter those who need care most.

Prevention — addressing obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption — would reduce future NHS demand more effectively than efficiency measures alone.

Social care for older and disabled people should be fully state-funded, ending the system under which individuals must deplete assets to pay for care.