ABSTRACT
The NHS is in a state of crisis at the present time which can be attributed to the pandemic but also chronic underfunding combined with a spiral of early retirements, people going on to part-time work and people just leaving the service mid-career, which has generated an unsustainable situation. It seems that the government has no idea about what to do about the situation. This is also in the context of greying population, increased and high expectations, extraordinary demands on Accident and Emergency departments as well as primary care. It may help to get other professions to offer support for minor conditions and create patient experts. Social prescribing can help patients in a number of ways through community engagement and also help the community be a part of the process. The services need to respond to the changing demographic, but they cannot replace families. People think that all of this should be done by the NHS. One potential solution is community engagement and investment in voluntary organisations.
