Comorbidities
“a recurring theme is that the recommendations of previous reviews have not been universally adopted.” Darzi review
This is in the context of reviews of maternity care. But the same is true of many reviews of the NHS.
So can we do better this time? The eternal optimist in me hopes that we can. Here is one small part of the report and how we could help.
The Darzi review is strong on comorbidities. It states that “between 2017 and 2022, the number of people with two or more long- term conditions increased at an annual rate of 6.1 per cent. This matters because multiple conditions can interact with each other, which increases complexity and makes their management more challenging.” I am a geriatrician by background and I know that comorbidities are more common in older people. But we will never have enough geriatricians in the NHS to cope with a 6% increase every year.
So how can we help? We need all healthcare professionals to think a bit more about holistic care. And to think about caring for the patient rather than just a disease. To think about managing complexity. We are trying to do our bit through the BMJ Best Practice Comorbidities Manager. This is free in the NHS in England. Its purpose is to help healthcare professionals to better manage patients with multiple conditions. It covers many of the conditions mentioned in the review - from diabetes to depression. Most importantly it now covers frailty.
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