The NHS is 75, but it's birthday that comes with warnings that the institution – like many of the people it serves – is showing signs of ageing badly. 

The Health Service is arguably a victim of its own success with people genera living longer than in previous generations, but with conditions that require long term care – including dementia, diabetes and heart disease.A combination of austerity and the pandemic has left waiting lists for non-emergency operations at record levels – so too is health inequality, which means that a men in parts of Blackpool die on average 17 years earlier than their counterparts in posh areas of London.Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is calling for an expanded role for the private sector in a new paper for his think tank.Adrian Goldberg discusses this with Chris Thomas Head of the Commission on Health and Prosperity at the IPPR think tank and Dr Andrew Meyerson, an A&E doctor in East London.

Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White.Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times.Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times.