The simplistic response to a lack of NHS reserve capacity would be to build more hospitals and clinics, and staff them with people who spend their time on training and exercises, like our standing army. This would clearly be highly expensive.
A better response would be to have an NHS Reserve Army. Like the Territorial Army, this could be staffed by part-time volunteers from outside the Healthcare sector and led by full-time fully qualified professionals.
The pandemic and lockdown have demonstrated that it would be particularly desirable to recruit people from the catering, entertainment and retail sectors as people in these fields would be unable to work if another lockdown had to be enforced. Initial training could be done at newly built NHS-RA centres, which would be designed with dual purpose so that they could also be used in managing a pandemic or other health emergency.
Further experience could be gained helping respond to international crises such as earthquakes, epidemics and famines. This helps avoid creeping dependence of the regular NHS on its reserve wing. The specific experience gained in crisis management would be of particular value in developing skills in logistics and adaptable care that would be valuable in an emergency. At times, skills learned managing local epidemics such as Ebola would be invaluable in managing a pandemic in the U.K. NHS-RA staff would be immersed in a culture of innovation and outside-the-box thinking. The increased status and visibility will help provide a greater reservoir of healthcare experience in the U.K. so that we have less need to import skilled staff. The greater humanitarian outreach would foster worldwide prosperity and independence, and would promote the U.K. as a global leader in this field.
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