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We all know that the NHS has finite resources, time, and staff, and therefore must ration services — never more so than during the pandemic. Stories of delayed cancer treatment, sidelined operations, and instances of preventable diseases being missed have only increased as the NHS shifted to fight Covid-19 and patients shied away from GP surgeries and A&E.

Rationing is not unique to the NHS — every healthcare service must determine who to treat, how and when. However, there are interesting and unique methods of lessening strain on healthcare systems around the world, including a mix of public and private provision, innovative technologies which bring healthcare right to your iPhone, and social insurance systems which provide better outcomes for patients and doctors. 

Joining us to discuss how and why healthcare is rationed in the UK and abroad, ways to overcome strains on a public health service, and the impact of Covid-19 on our regular healthcare provision, are three leading healthcare and policy professionals:

Dr Paul Bate is Vice President, Commercial at Babylon Health. Prior to Babylon, he was on the Board of the Care Quality Commission, with responsibility for strategy, analytics, programmes and communications. Paul has served two UK Prime Ministers - he was David Cameron’s senior health advisor and led on health targets and finances in Tony Blair’s Delivery Unit.

Dr Laurence Gerlis has over 25 years experience in the NHS, as a private GP, and working in the pharmaceutical industry. With ten years’ experience at the helm of samedaydoctor, a series of private clinics in London and Manchester, Dr Gerlis has a deep knowledge of the demand from the UK population for private primary medical care and how best to serve this demand across different regions and demographics. Still practicing as a doctor within samedaydoctor, Dr Gerlis is also a GP specialist in diabetes.

Dr Kristian Niemietz is the Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs. He previously served as the Head of Health and Welfare at the IEA where he conducted in-depth research into comparative healthcare systems. His book, Universal Healthcare without the NHS delves into these issues. He is also a regular commentator across the UK media. 

Morgan Schondelmeier (host) is the Head of External Affairs at the Adam Smith Institute.