Critical state of NHS could worsen, leading economist warns

Politicians should be wary of using the term “crisis” to describe the current state of the NHS in England because of the potential for the service to deteriorate further, a leading health economist has warned.

John Appleby, chief economist at the healthcare think tank the King’s Fund, told BBC Radio 4’s Today news programme that although the NHS was in a “critical state” because of a shortage of funding and growing demand from an ageing population, the vast majority of people were still receiving good, timely care.1 But he warned …