During interviews, the interviewers want to see that you’ve done your background reading, so it is essential to have a good understanding of the issues the NHS faces. It is not simply enough to list the challenges; you need to explain why this challenge is a significant problem. To elevate your answer, it is important to discuss potential solutions to the issues you mention.
This guide will help you do just that.
Written by Sharon Daniel
NHS Issues
If you’ve watched the news recently, you’ll know that there are a slew of issues facing the NHS. Issues such as resource shortages, doctors’ strikes, waiting lists and numerous failings (both present and past) are on show to the public, many of whom are losing trust in the organisation. You can read all about medicine in the news here.
Very few of these are black-and-white issues though, so let’s try and make of some of the most prominent issues currently facing the NHS:
The ageing population
PROBLEM
Life expectancy in the UK is increasing (79 years for males and 83 years for females). Older people are more likely to have chronic illnesses and comorbidities that require ongoing management. Moreover, they need more access to social care because, due to the complex nature of their conditions, they are often not able to look after themselves at home.
SOLUTIONS
- Investment into specific services that specialise in elderly care as the elderly population has particular needs.
- Public health schemes promote campaigns such as smoking and alcohol cessation to promote healthy ageing.
- Use a holistic approach to integrate medical care with social care services to make sure older adults have the support they need.
NHS Staff Shortages
PROBLEM
There are staff shortages in many medical professions, such as doctors, nurses, and other allied professions. This means that the remaining healthcare staff have increased workloads, which leads to burnout. Certain medical specialities, such as psychiatry, are also seeing a larger shortage than other specialities. Much of this is down to NHS deficits.
SOLUTIONS
- Improve the working conditions—There should be a drive to reduce staff workload and allow staff to have more flexible working hours.
- Increase recruitment by increasing spaces for medical-related degrees and offering incentives to healthcare professionals, such as discounted accommodation.
Increased waiting lists
PROBLEM
There are large waiting lists for appointments and procedures in the NHS, possibly due to the need for more staff. This situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic when many appointments and procedures were cancelled. This can negatively impact patients’ health outcomes, especially as some non-urgent appointments and procedures were cancelled during the pandemic, which resulted in delayed diagnosis and treatment for some patients.
SOLUTIONS
- Invest more money into services to increase capacity so patients can access appointments and procedures.
- Outsourcing some services to private companies would help relieve the burden of the current services and ensure there are enough resources to meet the demand.
A&E waiting times and lack of beds
PROBLEM
There are increased waiting times for emergency services, and patients need access to beds within the hospitals, so they may end up being placed in beds in other departments. If they cannot access emergency services promptly, this is dangerous for patients.
SOLUTIONS
- More money should be invested in primary care services, such as GPs, to treat patients without emergency problems and reduce the burden on A&E.
- More money will be invested in social care to help elderly patients access services such as residential care, which will clear up bed spaces in the hospital for other patients.
Mental health crises
PROBLEM
There are increased diagnoses of mental health conditions; however, there are extensive waiting lists for these services. Some patients are not able to access the services they need, and as such, this is putting them at risk.
SOLUTIONS
- More money is being invested into the services so people can access prompt diagnosis and treatment.
- More education programmes to help people identify mental health conditions so they can access services before they are in crisis.
This is nowhere near all of the problems facing the NHS, but it gives a good snapshot into some of the wide-reaching and impactful issues. While we’ve offered solutions, these are far from easy to implement, so be sure to never assume a problem on this scale can be easily fixed.
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Medicine Interview Question - NHS Issues
Next, let’s look at an example question you could be asked along with a model answer to help you see how you can answer questions relating to issues facing the NHS if the interviewer asks you. We have various articles that cover how to answer NHS medicine interview questions.
Example Interview Question & Model Answer
Question: What do you think is the biggest issue the NHS faces?
Model Answer
“The NHS faces many challenges, including an ageing population, a lack of staff, and increased waiting times for appointments and procedures, just to name a few.
The ageing population is an issue as they have complex medical needs and comorbidities which require extra support and treatment. They also have complex social needs and may require additional services that are not readily available.
Moreover, the lack of staff is an issue as it means that there is increased pressure on other staff members, leading to burnout. As a result of the lack of staff to run the services, there are also increased waiting times for some services.
Increased waiting time for procedures has become more prevalent following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, appointments and procedures were cancelled, negatively impacting patients’ health due to delayed diagnoses and treatment.
I’d say that the NHS’s biggest issue is the ageing population, as patients’ life expectancy is increasing. This means more complex health problems need to be treated than in a younger population. I feel this issue only exacerbates the other issues currently plaguing the NHS, such as the lack of staff and resources, hence why it is potentially the biggest.
If I were to recommend some solutions to help with this, I’d say we should be increasing public health awareness campaigns to reduce risk factors for certain diseases and increasing money invested in Geriatric services to produce specialist care for elderly people.”
This answer mentions different challenges to show that you are aware of the many issues the NHS faces. This is important as you should show you have a wider understanding of the NHS than just the most recent news story or more general problems.
The conclusion then shows that you have chosen a clear issue as the main issue, offered a clear explanation as to why you believe it’s the biggest issue and given potential solutions to deal with it.
In your answer, you may not want to mention any of these issues and focus on something else. That’s fine, as long as you’re able to justify your stance and show a good level of knowledge about the topic.
One important thing is to be realities about these issues, but don’t be overly harsh or pass the blame onto one specific person or group. As we’ve said, these issues are rarely black and white, and searching for who to blame isn’t anywhere near as useful as actually suggesting solutions (even if some of these suggestions may not be fully realistic).
That concludes our guide on the problems facing the NHS. As mentioned, this is only a selection of major problems and we’d encourage you to do your research and find topics that you may not have known about. You can start by checking out our other Medicine Interview guides, including our selection of ethical guides which cover a wide range of topics and scenarios.
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