Is the NHS broken and decades overdue reform?

IEA Conversations

In this week’s podcast, the IEA’s Digital Manager Darren Grimes is joined by the IEA’s Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz and Economics Fellow Julian Jessop.

The discussion is centred around the recent decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's £1.8bn granted funding for the NHS. Whilst cash injections may help in the short term, Dr Kristian Niemietz argues they will prove to be a waste of taxpayers’ money if structural changes are not made alongside investment. Far from celebrating the NHS and this cash injection by the Prime Minister, should policymakers should be considering wholesale reform of the centralised system to improve patient care and save lives?

Additionally, as the UK leaves the EU there are some that argue that the NHS might well be on the table in negotiations over a future US-UK trade deal, but Julian Jessop begs for a more evidence-based look at this perceived 'threat' to the UK's healthcare system.