NHS must increase ‘healthy lifespans’ to cope, Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust boss says

Widespread health problems mean pressure on the NHS will only get worse over time, leaders of a Nottinghamshire hospitals trust have warned.

An independent report by Lord Darzi recently warned the NHS is in ‘serious trouble’ as the country gets older and unhealthier.

Social problems like poor housing, low income and unhealthier lifestyles were putting a greater demand on health services, it found.

Graham Ward, the chairman of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, says healthcare needs to focus on “prevention, not just treatment”.

The trust runs Newark Hospital, King’s Mill Hospital, and Mansfield Community Hospital.

Mr Ward told the trust’s board meeting on Thursday, October 3: “We are seeing so much evidence that as the population ages, the pressures will be even greater.

“We need to increase the people’s length of healthy life, not just life in general.

“We’re at a point where financially the NHS is unsustainable, and it’s going to be even more so.

“The payback from prevention is difficult to measure over a long period when we’re asked to justify expenditure. But it’s not a choice — we need to incur [the cost].”

The trust, which covers the Newark and Sherwood, Mansfield, and Ashfield districts, has met other NHS organisations across the Midlands to discuss how to prioritise prevention.

David Selwyn, the trust’s acting chief executive, said: “[Health secretary] Wes Streeting was clear we’ve got to cure our sick society. That means behavioural changes that make that difference.

“I’m not an economist but demand for health services is increasing much faster than supply.

“Wes Streeting says responsibility must be across different departments. For example, the Department of Education needs to tackle healthy eating in schools in meaningful ways.

“Prevention is a long-term game, but unfortunately the current financial climate is still very short-term.”

Barbara Brady, a non-executive director on the board, added: “Unless the whole government comes together on this, it’s going to be a struggle to change.

“Prevention requires a shift in the way the country does things.”

She highlighted the trust’s work on helping pregnant mothers to stop smoking as an example of how intervention could eliminate health problems further down the line.

Lord Darzi said life expectancy in the UK increased during the 2000s, plateaued during the 2010s and decreased during the covid pandemic.

He found the amount of time people spend living in poor health has increased, with a surge in long-term conditions.

The report also noted people have difficulty seeing a GP, are facing long waiting times for hospital procedures and had to put up with an ‘awful state’ in A&E departments nationwide.