The New Statesman’s Future of Healthcare conference takes place tomorrow, an annual event that addresses the country’s most pressing policy issues in health and social care. 2024’s edition will see experts, politicians and industry leaders come together to examine issues across health and social care, including life sciences, health inequalities and the UK’s increasing age population.
Two of our healthcare specialists, share their views ahead of the conference.
Rob Scott-Collins, Senior Account Director
While the Future of Healthcare 2024 agenda is packed with sessions addressing all sorts of critical healthcare issues, I’m particularly looking forward to the last discussion of the morning session: ‘How can health and protection providers help to boost UK productivity and create a more resilient health and care system?’.
In my view, of all the challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare sector in 2024 and beyond, the role that policymakers and the public alike expect healthcare to play in helping to solve the plethora of issues facing the public realm is the most fundamental and difficult to navigate.
It is no secret that the relative ill health of the UK population is having a profound impact on productivity and represent one of the biggest challenges facing government and businesses alike. According to the Health Foundation, more than 8 million people aged 16-64 have reported a long-term health condition that either limits the type or amount of work they are able to do (3.9m) or takes them out of the workforce altogether (4m).
Obesity is a good example of a condition that has been top of the media and political agenda for much of the last few months for its impact on economic activity and is at the top of the government’s preventative health agenda. But the Health Secretary’s proposal to deploy weight loss injections to get those living with obesity back into the workforce has already attracted controversy. The precise role that healthcare providers are expected to play in solving the productivity puzzle is not yet clear, but we can expect to hear much more on this topic in the months and years ahead.
Building resilience in the healthcare system is perhaps an even greater challenge. Given the public reverence for the NHS and the space it occupies in our national consciousness, it’s no surprise that the parlous state of the health service, and the role private providers should play is a source of intense debate. The public can see that the broader health ecosystem is not meeting the ever-growing demands expected of it. Consequently, public dissatisfaction with the NHS, and the appetite from patients to explore private options, are growing.
How the sector navigates this landscape is a critical issue that begs a number of questions. Can the healthcare sector in its current form provide all the answers to these issues and should it be expected to? What reforms to public policy are necessary? What role could or should the private sector play? These are intractable issues involving a wide variety of stakeholders and I look forward to what promises to be an illuminating discussion at the Future of Healthcare conference.
Sophie Bassil, Account Director
From my perspective, the spotlight on health inequalities and an ageing population are certainly interesting topics and I’m looking forward to attending these talks. However, the session that catches my eye the most, bringing in the above themes, is ‘Progression through prevention: How can we build a healthcare system that is fit for the future’. This addresses what many consider the holy grail of healthcare reform: shifting from a treatment-focused system to one centered on prevention.
Preventable health conditions cost the NHS £18 billion, the Health Foundation predicts the number of working-age people living with major illness is projected to increase from 3 million to 3.7 million between 2019 and 2040, and we’re living a greater number of years in poor health. Treating illness as it occurs is becoming increasingly unsustainable, both financially and operationally.
The conversation around preventative healthcare has occurred many times before, but a new government presents an opportunity to readdress a preventative-led approach, which is so critical to developing healthy people, an economy and society.
The hurdles to preventative healthcare are not just due to our financial environment, nor to the fact that issues like housing and pollution – though intrinsically linked to our health – are not always seen as public health issues. There’s also deeply ingrained public behaviours and perceptions. Many still view healthcare as something you access when ill, and even then, may delay seeking help, brushing off symptoms.
How do we fundamentally shift the public’s relationship with healthcare from a reactive to a proactive mindset, and who should be responsible for this shift? These questions sit at the heart of the prevention agenda. Rob mentioned obesity above, with other comments made by the Health Secretary particularly pertinent here too; we’re hearing ‘The NHS can’t be expected to always pick up the tab for unhealthy lifestyles.’
The challenge extends beyond simple awareness; we must consider how to make prevention relatable and actionable in people’s daily lives. What motivates someone to prioritise their health before problems arise? How do we communicate the long-term value of prevention in a world focused on immediate results? And crucially, how do we ensure these messages resonate across diverse communities, each with their own cultural perspectives on health and healthcare?
It will be interesting to attend the discussion tomorrow during such a key political week. It’s clear that building a prevention-focused healthcare system requires not just technological innovation and partnerships, but a shift in how we think about, communicate, and take responsibility for our nation’s health.
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