NHS 'in serious trouble' - consultation launched

The four week survey is called We Need to Talk

Local NHS bosses are asking the public about the future of the region's medical services.

Launching the We Need to Talk project, Dr Nigel Wells from NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said the NHS was "in serious trouble".

"Without action, we know many of the issues we're facing will only get worse, which isn't fair on patients or our staff," he added.

A four-week consultation is under way to gather ideas on improving patient care and preventing illness.

The ICB said it would "lay bare some of the difficulties faced by the NHS, while giving people an opportunity to signal how they might want the NHS to change to meet the challenges of today and the demands of the future".

The board said it wanted to create better specialist hospital and community services close to people's homes as well as using technology and focusing on prevention.

Dr Wells said there needed to be "some big shifts in the way we deliver health and care".

"If you've struggled to get an appointment with your GP, can't see a dentist, spent hours waiting to be seen in an A&E, or months waiting for an operation, you will have experienced first-hand an NHS that's struggling to deal with a population that's generally in poorer health since Covid and buckling under the weight of demand," he said.

There is a short survey on the NHS website.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.