The NHS rose to the challenge of Covid, but its next test may be even harder | Bruce Keogh

The health service needs modernising if it is to maintain its position at the forefront of patient care and medical research

• Bruce Keogh is a former national medical director of NHS England

Over the past year, our NHS has risen to the challenges of the pandemic. But it's been a very close-run thing. There have been well-publicised difficulties such as the shortage of ventilators, ICU beds and PPE, and the physical and staffing capacity of the health service has been strained to breaking point. GPs have managed the risks to patients who have been unable to receive specialist care. We now face a growing backlog of postponed treatments and emerging mental health issues. So if we were to imagine a post-Covid NHS, toughened by the challenges of the pandemic but better prepared for the future, what would it look like?

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