Exporting our expertise

A year ago, the world’s attention was focused on an amazing event in north-east London – the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. One of the most memorable scenes saw the blue NHS logo emblazoned onto the central concourse of the stadium, surrounded by children jumping up and down on beds, watched over by the nurses of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Global interest in the NHS was piqued, and encouraged the government to proceed with the creation of Healthcare UK, an initiative to promote NHS expertise across the world. The potential for UK plc is enormous, and as yet untapped. Over the next five to 10 years, our aim is to make a substantial return on the investment British taxpayers make in funding the NHS.

In every country I have visited in the six months since Healthcare UK was launched in January 2013, people still recall that image from the Olympic opening ceremony. However we may regard the NHS here in Britain, many other countries see that blue logo as a symbol of quality, open access and equitable treatment for all. The Commonwealth Fund in New York consistently rates the NHS as one of the best systems in the world, comparing favourably with Canada, Switzerland and Germany, and providing the best value for money in a sector where demand and costs are rising yearly...

Read on at Ethos Journal

Ethosis aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.