NHS in crisis… again

When the Leave campaign claimed the £350 million the UK pays the EU every week would be spent on the NHS if we left, it caused controversy with critics. As A&Es struggled once more to cope with demand this winter there was more controversy as the Red Cross declared a ‘humanitarian crisis’. But why is the NHS seemingly in constant crisis – whether its patients on trolleys, overworked GPs or striking junior doctors? Can the NHS be reformed or is major surgery required if it’s to make a full recovery? Does its officially ‘cherished’ status, underlined by the significance attached to it during the EU Referendum, make it more difficult to have a rational debate about what should be done?

Listen to the introductory comments: