The real problem with the NHS Netflix plan

Another day, another ridiculous Boris Johnson statement. This morning, the cabinet discussed whether the NHS was to become like Netflix, and predictably everyone has got very excited. It’s worth having a look at what actually happened at the meeting, though. The official readout is that Sajid Javid — not Johnson ― updated ministers on ‘the scale of the challenge post-pandemic — saying we had a Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix’. He then elaborated on this: ‘He said it was no longer simply an option to stick with the status quo. He said large-scale changes were needed in areas such as the use of technology and data to help frontline workers deliver the high-quality service the public expects.’

What is he on about? Is he really planning to turn the health service into a monthly subscription service that ends up in a fair bit of debt while not really giving you what you were looking for anyway? It’s quite clear that what Javid is talking about here is technology and the problems that the NHS is having in adjusting to the digital age.