'How do we fix the NHS for the future when the crisis is so big?'

Plans for how to make Greater Manchester’s NHS fit for the future came under scrutiny as health bosses asked how they prepare for an onslaught of population health woes when the NHS is under such strain right now.

People living longer with more health complications, the long-term effects of diet and poverty, and even the fallout of waiting for procedures for long periods amid the delays caused by the pandemic and strike action – have been posed as incoming problems that could overwhelm the NHS on a national scale in the coming years. But the NHS is in crisis now, as those waiting lists for operations are forecast to continue to rise well into 2024 and vulnerable patients wait hours for hospital beds.

“How do you fix prevention when demand is still bad?” has been named the ultimate NHS 'exam question' by the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. “Things are getting worse and things we’ve done haven’t had the impact we hoped for," said one member about the increasingly pressing dilemma.

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The board of health leaders gathered on January 17 to admit the challenges that face the NHS right now – and how they could derail plans to get the NHS in a better position for the future. The board brings different health and care organisations across the region together to discuss the big issues affecting the health of people in the region, and work together on improvements.

“We are currently a system that overspends on its allocation by some distance,” said Warren Heppolette, Greater Manchester NHS’ chief officer for strategy, referencing the region’s NHS being in a more than £180m deficit.

In certain areas of NHS services, the board pointed out difficulties on the