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Sept 2024
Harrogate hospital CEO: Damning NHS report 'a point from which we can improve'
Harrogate District Hospital’s chief executive has described a damning report into the state of the NHS as “eloquent and relatable”.
Earlier this month, Lord Darzi published an inquiry into the health service which found that delays for hospital, GP and mental health services were leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths and impacted on “the social contract between the NHS and the people”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, whose government commissioned the report, said the health service would not get any further funding without reform in light of the report’s findings.
Now, Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, has described the inquiry as “a point from which we can now improve”.
In a report due before the trust’s next board meeting on September 25, Mr Coulter said:
From my discussions with colleagues internally and across the wider NHS, the report is an eloquent and relatable statement of the current state of the NHS, and is viewed positively as a point from which we can now improve and take the NHS forward.
In his findings, Lord Darzi recommended that the NHS should include engagement with patients, improving productivity and reducing waiting lists in its future plans.
However, he warned the government that it will take longer than the five years it promised before the election to get treatment waiting times down.
Meanwhile, Mr Coulter said in his report that much of Lord Darzi’s recommendations were “consistent” with those at the Harrogate trust.
He said:
It is important to note that our strategy and approach is consistent with the suggested ways in which the NHS can recover and improve. We know that there are areas we absolutely want to improve, but we also need to recognise the care and support delivered every day to thousands of people in many communities, by our hard-working colleagues.
Mr Coutler’s comments come as he previously disputed claims by the new health secretary that the NHS is “broken".
Speaking after Labour swept to power, Wes Streeting criticised the precarious state of the country’s health service and said what was being provided to patients was “not good enough”.
Mr Coulter said he disagreed with his assessment — although he admitted there were areas to improve.
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