Sajid Javid likens NHS to defunct video rental shop Blockbuster

Javid who has been Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since June 2021 said of the NHS that it is a”Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix,” according to The National.

Mr Javid told the Cabinet meeting this morning, June 7, that the health service needed to catch up with modern technology as it battles the Covid treatment backlog.

He compared the 74-year-old NHS to the video rental company which at the height of its popularity had more than 500 UK stores.

In a readout of the meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The Health and Social Care Secretary updated Cabinet on the scale of the challenge post-pandemic,  saying we had a Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix.”

“He said it was no longer simply an option to stick with the status quo. He said large-scale changes were needed in areas such as the use of technology and data to help frontline workers deliver the high-quality service the public expects,” it added.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman claimed that Javid was merely pointing out that some healthcare systems were “designed for a different age” and the NHS could not “stick with the status quo” after the pandemic.

Pushing into an answer as to why Javid was comparing the NHS to a bust video firm, the spokesman said: “I think he was saying that it needs further changes in order to make it sustainable for the long term.”