With the NHS under pressure to do more for less, it’s time to reap the full potential of medical technology for patients, the economy, and society, argues Barbara Harpham, chair of the Medical Technology Group.
The NHS is enduring its toughest winter yet. Non-urgent operations have been postponed as the service faces intense pressure to meet growing demand while coping with the additional burden of seasonal illness. On a broader front, the NHS Five Year Forward View predicts a gap of £30 billion by 2020 between the anticipated demand and what the service can deliver.1 In order to bridge this enormous gulf, the NHS has been tasked with finding savings of £22 billion, a target that the service is currently struggling to reach.
The economic impact of ill-health
The impact of ill-health extends far beyond the NHS. Sickness, absence and worklessness associated with working age illness cost the UK economy over £100 bn a year.2 Meanwhile individuals collectively miss out on £4 bn a year of lost earnings and more than 300,000 people take up health related benefits.3 What’s more, one in eight adults is now a carer, with a further 6000 people taking on the role every day and the total expected to reach 9 million by 2037.4
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