Report

What the NHS can and cannot learn from the Singaporean health care system

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation argues that Singaporean-style polyclinics and telemedicine could help drive efficiency in the UK.

Singapore spends less on healthcare than the UK, and achieves remarkable health outcomes. Yet it is often unclear how far these lower costs are due to the design of its healthcare system as opposed to wider societal and cultural factors.

This Social Market Foundation briefing focuses specifically on primary care, and argues that Singaporean-style polyclinics and telemedicine could help drive efficiency in the UK. There is no simple reason why Singapore spends less than other developed countries on healthcare: Singaporean public hospitals do not deliver markedly lower unit costs than peer countries and while charging patients to access healthcare services moderates demand, this cannot fully explain Singapore’s low hospital utilisation. Low demand is largely determined by population health and culture, which are difficult to emulate. Health experts should therefore provide evidence that a specific part of Singapore’s healthcare system works better than the NHS.

This paper applies this method to primary care. It recommends that the NHS should grant prescribing rights to Singaporean doctors. Demand for private GP appointments is growing as patients struggle to access timely care, and British patients are already using Singaporean telemedicine apps, as appointments cost half as much as private UK providers. The government should formalise this process and make it accessible to more people. It also calls for NHS England to trial Singaporean-style polyclinics in areas of England with too few GPs, as Singaporean polyclinics deliver lower unit costs and pay their doctors more than NHS GP practices.