 |
 | about Bupa | press releases
Bupa health debate results
2 September 2003
At the end of today's Bupa health debate, more than half of the audience replied 'No' to the central question: "Can healthcare afford the informed consumer?" The result reflected reservations about the ability of the current healthcare system to provide patients with the information they need to make choices about their treatment, as well as concerns over inequities in access to treatment and an increase in workload for GPs.
To be 'an informed consumer' people need access to thorough and trustworthy data on which to base decisions. The consensus, among 200 of the country's top medical professionals, health economists, patient groups and policy makers, was that while information on clinicians and the outcomes of procedures exists it is difficult to obtain or understand. Concern was also expressed that too much emphasis was put on elective, acute care rather than the needs of the large numbers of people who suffer from chronic conditions. MORI research, commissioned by Bupa prior to the debate, had already shown that GPs are concerned about an increase in their workload, this sentiment was reiterated during the debate by consultant surgeons: the better ones will be more in demand.
Alan Maynard, professor of health economics at York University, who spoke at the debate, suggested that one of the drivers of any choice initiative was to see an improvement in the performance of the healthcare system including reducing inequalities in health, particularly between social classes. This could only come about if there was sufficient data on the 'success rates' of clinicians. But, he warned, if choice did not improve healthcare or reduce these inequalities in access then choice should be abandoned.
Harry Cayton, the newly appointed director for patients and the public at the Department of Health who also addressed the debate explained that in the modern NHS, equity meant treating people according to their need and did not mean treating them all the same, especially if that meant 'poorly'. But he did add a note of caution, suggesting that so called consumerist choice was only a first step to improving patients' experience. A much wider range of actions was needed to "enable patient autonomy and move choice and responsiveness to the centre of the NHS behaviour".
While there were concerns among attendees that changes of this nature could not be pursued 'costlessly', nine out of 10 thought that the informed consumer and increased patient choice was an agenda that should be actively pursued.
|
|
|
