Is the NHS getting better or worse?

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7426.1239

BMJ 2003;327:1239-1241 (29 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7426.1239

Editorial

Is the NHS getting better or worse?

We need better data to answer the question

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The NHS is a shambles, and you are too much of a coward to sayso. This was the gist of an email I received from an NHS consultanta few weeks ago. I answered—weakly in his eyes—thatI couldn't be sure that the NHS was collapsing. I met many peoplewho agreed with him but also many who thought otherwise. I didn'tsee clear evidence. Yet whether the NHS is improving may bethe most important political question in Britain. The government,which has increased NHS expenditure by billions and launchedinto a 10 year modernisation plan, insists that it is improving.The opposition alleges that the money is being wasted. The peoplewant a better health service, and a billion pound investmentthat came to nothing would be a national tragedy. So what isthe answer? The main conclusion of an extensive, independentreview funded by the Nuffield . . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

BMJ, (rsmith@bmj.com)

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