In celebration of LSE Health's 30th anniversary in 2025, this timely public panel-session brings together LSE academics with clinical and policy experts to reflect on the status of the NHS at a critical juncture in its history.
The NHS turns 77 this year. Until recently, it has been widely regarded as the “crown jewel” of the British welfare state. Throughout its history, the NHS has achieved significant successes, including providing financial protection against the costs of ill health, incorporating formal assessments of new medical technologies, and delivering generally well-received care once accessed. Moreover, the NHS has been a driving force in medical research and innovation, pioneering advancements in treatments, healthcare delivery, and disease prevention. However, over a decade of austerity funding, compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has exposed its vulnerabilities. The NHS has shown limited resilience to external shocks and appears increasingly unsustainable in the face of growing demand.
Waiting lists are at an all-time high, population health outcomes in the UK are worsening, staff shortages and dissatisfaction remain persistent, and public confidence in the institution is wavering. In short, the NHS is in crisis.
The Labour government has increased NHS funding, but not to a level that several experts—including the LSE-Lancet Commission—deem sufficient to meet rising demands. The government has also announced a new 10-year plan. But will these measures be enough?
This event will explore the current state of the NHS, assess whether the government's responses are adequate, and discuss whether more radical reforms are necessary. The discussion will provide both critical reflection and potential solutions to address the crisis.
Meet our speakers and chair
Dr Michael Anderson is a Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE Health and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded Clinical Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He is a general practitioner and continues to practice two days a week in North Yorkshire.
Dame Jennifer Dixon joined the Health Foundation as Chief Executive in October 2013. Jennifer was Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, she was Director of Policy at The King’s Fund and was the policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the National Health Service between 1998 and 2000. Jennifer has undertaken research and published widely on health care reform both in the UK and internationally.
Dr Catherine Henderson is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the Centre at LSE's CPEC. Her research interests include psychosocial interventions for people with dementia, the cost-effectiveness of assistive technologies in managing long-term health and social care needs, intermediate care, residential care provision, and resource allocation within residential and nursing homes. Prior to taking her Master's degree, she worked as an occupational therapist in both NHS and social-services settings in the UK and Canada.
Professor Sir Julian Le Grand has been a professor in several departments at the London School of Economics since 1993. He is currently a member of the LSE’s Marshall Institute. Julian was awarded a knighthood in the 2015 New Year's Honour's list for services to social sciences and public service. He is an economist by training, with a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author, co-author or editor of twenty books, and more than one hundred refereed journal articles and book chapters on economics, philosophy and public policy He has taught at the Universities of Sussex, Bristol and California, as well as at the LSE.
Professor Alistair McGuire is Chair of LSE Health and Chair of Health Economics at the Department of Health Policy. Prior to this he was Professor of Economics at City University, London after being a tutor in Economics at the University of Oxford. Professor McGuire has also been a Visiting Professor at Harvard University, the University of Sydney, the University of York, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.
Professor Andrew Street is the Head of the Department of Health Policy at LSE. Prior to September 2017 he was at the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, which he joined in 1999, and where he was Director of the Health Policy team and Director of the Economics of Social and Health Care Research Unit (ESHCRU), a joint collaboration with the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the LSE and the University of Kent.
Professor Elizabeth Stokoe PhD CPsychol HonFBPsS is a professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at The London School of Economics and Political Science. She conducts conversation analytic research to understand how talk works - from first dates to medical communication and from sales encounters to crisis negotiation. She has been Academic Director of Impact at LSE since January 2024.