The Commonwealth Fund’s latest Mirror, Mirror report – which analyses how healthcare in the US compares with services in other rich countries – has downgraded the NHS from top spot to fourth position in its global rankings, citing increased patient delays post-covid and lack of investment as the main reasons for the change.
The NHS achieved top place in the Washington-based thinktank’s two previous reports, but now ranks behind Norway, the Netherlands and Australia.
The Commonwealth Fund report looked at the performance of healthcare systems in 11 countries. It found that the UK scored lower on three main criteria – access to care, care processes and the ability to obtain healthcare regardless of income – than in previous years, and most crucially ranked just ninth this year for health outcomes such as infant mortality and cancer survivability. For access to specialist mental health services, the NHS was the second-worst performer.
Full story in The Lowdown, 10 August 2021