The UK has one of the worst healthcare systems in developed world, but it needn't be if we allowed clinicians to implement their own solutions

Even on a tight budget the NHS might stack up to other countries a bit better

NHS staff are encouraged to look upwards for guidance all the time (Getty Images)

As the OECD launched their annual global bible of health care statistics in London, the word of the day for the NHS was ‘mediocre’.

Our easy, equal access to care should be a source of pride. But our overall health status and standards of care are not so good.

Perhaps where health care is concerned, you get what you pay for. We’re spending just under the OECD average on healthcare – well below our wealthy European peers. The fact that our outcomes are often middling to low should not be a surprise. The OECD is critical of all health systems for being too slow to adapt to a world where people live longer with serious, often incurable illnesses like diabetes and dementia. With austerity here to stay, the NHS will continue to struggle mightily with this trend.

So what can be done? One thing numbers can’t capture about the NHS that is that it is one of the world’s most top-down health systems. From endless reorganisations to the specifics of junior doctor contracts, Westminster can’t stop getting involved. NHS staff are encouraged to look upwards for guidance all the time, instead of knowing their initiative and professionalism are trusted.

Perhaps if we allowed clinicians the time and headspace to implement their own solutions to the problems we face, even on a tight budget the NHS might stack up to other countries a bit better.