The vaccine rollout shows the power of a united NHS – let’s not forget how important that is

During the past year, faultlines within the NHS have been exposed. Despite an ongoing effort from the workforce which has been nothing short of heroic, we have never been more aware of the immensity of the challenges facing our embattled health service.

From the ever-lengthening waiting times crisis to the deteriorating mental health of staff, we are facing a perilously steep uphill climb to recover from the effects of the last 11 months - and the years of strain that preceded them. And yet the last few weeks have also shown the unshakeable, underlying strength of the system. The rollout of the Covid-19  vaccine has shown the NHS at its best.

The vaccine itself won’t solve the entrenched problems facing the NHS - the pandemic heaped a burden on an already buckling structure - but it does remind us of what the NHS is good at. It’s a thriving example of the principles of care and collaboration on which the health service was built.

In the first true really good news story of the pandemic, the speed at which these miraculous vaccines have been rolled out to the most vulnerable is a sight to behold. Some postcode patchiness remains, but the careful planning and hard work of all NHS stakeholders means things are moving at the critical pace we desperately need.

Trusts, GPs, pharmacists and their secondary care colleagues at "hospital hubs" have pulled together to undertake a task that - at the end of 2020 - seemed impossible. Even members of the public have volunteered to help. It’s evidence of what the NHS can achieve when the machine is empowered to do what it does best: get care to those who need it.

What’s crucial now is that Trusts and policymakers use this experience to transform how our world-leading NHS handles the post-pandemic reality. When we begin to see the benefits of the vaccination programme - and the COVID curve slopes down as a result of the national lockdown - we cannot leave the NHS to flounder when it comes to its own recovery. The vaccine response must be used as a blueprint for how we support the health service going forward.

It’s no secret that the system is in need of reform. A recent report revealed that nearly half of NHS staff in intensive care units (ICUs) are likely to meet the threshold for PTSD, anxiety or depression over the coming months. Meanwhile, a record 200,000 patients are waiting a year or more for routine operations, whilst critical care wards are at capacity in NHS hospitals across England. Clinicians need support and protection; and the speed at which non-COVID care is delivered needs to improve.

Reforming the NHS so it can emerge stronger will be an expensive, complex task, but it’s far from impossible. In fact, it’s necessary if we’re ever going to witness change. Trusts must take forward the lessons of collaboration and silo-busting that the pandemic made necessary, leaving behind the fragmented organisational approach that has dogged it for too long.

Burned out clinicians will also need more flexibility, empowerment over their careers, and beefed-up mental health support if we are to prevent a mass exodus of staff later this year. And it’ll require funding and, crucially, trust from the Government to allow those on the frontline to drive forward the changes they know are needed.

We know that this can be done. The vaccination programme is a prime example of how successful a well-coordinated and heavily resourced project - one which draws from the best of central organisation and the power of local implementation - can be. The same manpower, funding, logic and urgency must now be applied to the other pressing issues facing the NHS.

A collaborative approach must be applied to tackle the waiting list crisis first. Technology must be embraced to connect primary and secondary care. Patients must be given new routes to care to remove pressure points in the system. And smarter staffing tools are needed to ensure the service can be resourced sustainably.

The NHS has a long way to go until it’s truly out of the woods. But the vaccine operation has shown us - more than any other public health undertaking in history - what our NHS can achieve when working united. It has never been clearer that communication, collaboration, and empowerment are key if the NHS is to tackle issues that might currently appear insurmountable.

The crucial task is turning these lessons into long-term reform, defined by a common goal: delivering the best possible care to patients, and protecting the future of the NHS.

Dr Owain Rhys Hughes is a former NHS ear, nose and throat surgeon.He is the founder of Cinapsis, aimed at helping GPs and NHS Trusts reduce unnecessary hospital visits